Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Under Construction!


It’s hard not to notice all the new condos under construction in Cuenca. We live on the north side of town (Gringolandia) and new buildings are cropping up all over the place. If you miss a week, it’s already built (almost!).

When I walk Mocha we usually head to our usual place along the river, but sometimes we venture down some of the side streets and I have to wonder, “Where did all these buildings come from?”

Last week, there was a flyer in the newspaper which listed all the new construction sites that now offer financing over a ten-year period. Some of the buildings I was familiar with (like the Rosenthanl), but the others I had no idea where they were located.
One of the questions I receive a lot is: “Should we rent or buy?” I really can’t answer that one for you! As long as our rent stays at $200 a month, we’ll be renters. Over a year’s time, it ends up being about as much as the price tag for my root canal back in the States. And we enjoy not having to take care of all the problems, like the leaky faucet that happened today. In ten minutes, the Oro Verde plumber was on our doorstep fixing it. Our cost: zero dollars. For once in our life, we’re enjoying not having to pay for all the “fixins”!

For those of you who would like to invest, there are a lot of opportunities. Some of the larger projects like “Las Praderas de Bemani” are entire communities within a community. And the building projections look a tad bit like a university campus. I’m partial to the Old Cuenca, so I’m slightly disappointed that “urban sprawl” has started to take over. It’s almost as if the architect handed out plans in small, medium, large and “super-size” it!

Here’s a partial list of what’s “constructing” in Cuenca:
Las Praderas de Bemani: Click here to see YouTube "virtual showing."

Rosenthal: http://www.rosenthalcuenca.com/

Riverside:  http://www.riverside.com/

La Verbena: Houses (3 and 4 bedrooms); Condos (1, 2 and 3 bedrooms); 30 percent down and 70 percent financed.

Condominio Orillas de Yanuncay: Av. 27 de Febrero. Information: 09-005-9385 or 08-551-7801.

Rivera del Carmen: http://www.eldoradoconstrucciones.com/

Edificio Asturias: Starting at $42,000 (one bedroom, one bath); 25 condos, 7 penthouses, six suites (four floors), parks, shops, centralized gas, elevator and common area. Av. Iro de Mayo y Av. de las Americas. Tel: 09-849-3868.

Some of the projects are so new, they don’t have websites yet: Conjunto Miravalle, Torres Alhambra, Terrazas del Parque, Edificio Los Fresnos, and Edificio El Ejido. As more information is available, I’ll pass it on.

Construction is part of the landscape of Cuenca and I’m afraid that it’s not going away! The good news: you’ll have a lot of choices when you arrive.

Until  next time...hasta luego!
 







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8 comments:

retired_poppi said...

Connie

http://www.riverside.com/

is NOT the new building on the WEST side of Cuenca.

Steven W said...

It's www.riverside.com.ec

Solstice7 said...

I'm with you Connie. I'd much rather have an older home, maybe could even find one with a courtyard. But I'm sure those are few and far between with the enormous influx from the north. On another note, I enjoyed your book. It was the very first book I ordered on my new Kindle. Quite helpful.

Regards

Connie Pombo said...

Thanks, retired Poppi! The correct website link is http://www.riverside.com.ec/. Hope this helps.

Connie Pombo said...

Thanks, Steven, for catching that!

Connie Pombo said...

Solstice, thank you for your kind words! Not to worry...there are a lot of fixer uppers here in Cuenca. We have several friends who bought or even leased a home and they are beautiful once they get their "facelift." They just need a little TLC (and sometimes a complete overhaul). ;-)

Anonymous said...

Great amount of information.Thanks for taking the time to do this.I was born in Cuenca and planning to "retire" or I should say come back home after many years of absence.High five to you

Connie Pombo said...

Thanks Anonymous. Welcome back home. I talked to another couple coming back after five years in the States and they were overwhelmed with the changes. They said, "I can't even recognize my own city." Cuenca changes almost daily and we live near the Hotel Oro Verde where a lot of new high rises are cropping up. El Centro is the same and thankfully there are no McDonald's (yet). All the best to you as you make your way back home!

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