The Window on this Opportunity is Closing

Monday, April 05, 2010

Dear Reader,

If you have been following these dispatches, you will know that the stretch of Ecuador's coast between San Vicente and Pedernales is set to become accessible. Work crews are busy finishing the remaining stretch of the highways. See for yourself: http://sharing.theflip.com/session/629d7a10355a06d145f1fb7c46428efa/video/12249146

Work on the bridge linking Bahia with San Vicente is well advanced. This is a big deal. Hit Bahia at the wrong time and you could wait up to four hours for a ferry crossing.

The little airport in San Vicente has a shiny new terminal. Scheduled flights are expected to start in the near future.

This is big news because this stretch of coast is also Ecuador's nicest stretch of coast. The best buy along this stretch of coast is a project called Coco Beach. Below is the report I sent you on Friday about this opportunity. If you haven't already been in touch with developer Larry Swenson drop him a line now. The window on this opportunity is closing fast.

My full report is below.

Ronan McMahon

Dear Reader,

Inexpensive real estate and an incredibly low cost of living, combined with a great climate and sheer natural beauty, means that Ecuador is on my radar. Baby Boomer retirees are set to come from North America in increasing numbers. Economic, financial, and political uncertainties back home are accentuating this trend.

The nicest stretch of Ecuador's 1,400-mile coast is between Canoa and Pedernales. Here, virgin forest covers dramatic hills. The beaches extend ribbon-like along the seashore--pristine, empty, and beautiful.

This time of year, the foliage is lush and green...almost luminous. The water is clear and blue. In parts...when the sun hits it in a certain way...it almost looks turquoise. In other parts, lone surfers have miles of beach and awesome surf breaks to themselves.

Here's some video I took of what the terrain looks like: http://sharing.theflip.com/session/f3fe22d8c79e98e7db487acf51b1f8d3/video/12202707

Major development hasn't come here--yet. This has been Ecuador's least accessible stretch of coast. That's changing.

This area is set to become the closest beach area to Quito and its new international airport. Construction on a new highway from Quito to Pedernales is well advanced. Much of it is complete. The remaining stretches are scheduled for completion within a year. This highway links up with the main highway connecting Atacames and Manta. Work on this highway is 90% complete. I saw work crews busily working on the remaining stretches.

Work is also progressing ahead of schedule on the bridge from Bahia De Caraquez to San Vicente. Completion is due in November. It will be the longest bridge in Ecuador.

According to Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, this project is second only to Quito's new airport in importance for Ecuador's tourism industry. With good cause. Sometimes, when traffic is heavy and with certain tides, you could wait up to four hours to catch a ferry.

These projects are elements of the overall infrastructure plan, which is to connect Manta with Quito via Bahia, with a four- lane highway.

Put simply: this stretch of coast will become accessible. Invest here now, and you can position yourself ahead of the Path of Progress.

Life here is simple, relaxed, and friendly. Swinging in hammocks is a popular way to pass the tropical afternoons. Beach towns Canoa and Jama are popular with surfers, who pick up the pace a little at weekends.

I consider the beachfront project of Coco Beach to be the best buy along this stretch of coast.

Four miles from Jama along a new road and just outside the village of El Matal, you'll find Coco Beach Village. I know the developers, brothers Gary and Larry, behind this gated community. They didn't like the way the local planning authority encouraged unsightly, ecologically unsound building practices. So, impressively, they spent the past three years getting the local government to change the rules.

Thanks to Gary's and Larry's determination, instead of a large group of small lots with busy streets...Coco Beach has a small group of large lots--just 66 subdivisions set amid 21 acres--with two quiet streets.

Instead of a big boardwalk separating the homes from the beach...you can step out your front door and wiggle your toes in the sand.

And because all the utilities are underground, the views over the virgin beach are uninterrupted.

Every building lot will have green areas, and a thousand coconut palms spread throughout the development.

Here's some video of one of these homes under construction: http://sharing.theflip.com/session/4c26b357fd5645abe84d94444474f85a/video/11437806

Here's the view from the back of the project: http://sharing.theflip.com/session/18ae2a4328f353faa64b738e72662391/video/11502168

Even in a high-end project like this, you can still buy a lot and build a home for just over $105,000

Lot sizes are big in Coco Beach, averaging a quarter-acre. Construction costs run from $35 to $60 a square foot; $45 per square foot gets you a good standard of construction. This means that a $58,500 budget builds you a 1,300-square-foot beach home in this gated community.

You can contact Larry here. If this opportunity has your attention I strongly urge you to contact Larry now. This minute. The remaining lots are selling fast. This stretch of coast is set to explode.

Ronan McMahon

Posted Under:

ecuador, beachfront