Adorable $300 Studio Apartment in El Centro Downtown Cuenca Ecuador VLOG

This $300 apartment includes internet and utilities. Frank and Angie have stayed here many times. The adorable space is perfect for a couple or single has everything you need and close to all the downtown Cuenca Ecuador tourist attractions, restaurants, shopping, etc! Tell Marta Frank y Angie sent you! No, we do not receive anything for this...we're just helping out our friend!
      
Click here for more information on how to get rentals like this one anywhere in the world! 

10 Warning Signs You Might Be Paying Too Much for Rent in Cuenca Ecuador? Updated 2016

Some of you might think you got a great deal on your rental and maybe you have. However, we know that many expats in Ecuador are overpaying for their rental house or apartment. So consider the list below to see if you may be getting gringoed on your rent.

 

1. You procured your rental through an English speaking/ Ecuadorian real estate agent or online.  
2. You asked for any one of these amenities in your new place: views 2) elevator 3) by the river 4) near shopping 5) walk to Supermaxi.6) yard 7) a detached house.
3. You took the first price that was quoted and did not negotiate.
4. Your new place is a furnished one bedroom suite. (Tourist rental) 
5. Your landlord raised the rent after one year. (Illegal in Ecuador)
6. You paid two or three months rent upfront. (The locals do not do this)
7. You compared the Ecuadorian rental price to what you WERE PAYING in the u.s.
8. You brought your u.s standards of living with you.
9. You simply don’t care how much your rent is.
10. You’re paying more than $400 (now new gringo rate $600 to $1200 for a house) for an unfurnished 3-bedroom 3-bath house, or you are paying more than $350 for 3 bedroom 3 bath apartment that does not have 24 hour security or elevator.

None of these are a guarantee that you are getting gringoed, but we think you should use it as a gauge to see if perhaps you just might be over-paying for rent.  

Note: There are many variables that go into the price of a rental including but not limited to, whether bldg. has an elevator, square footage, foreign owners or local owners, etc. etc.  Houses have higher rents than apartments.

See our videos of beautiful homes in Cuenca for between $250 and $400!!              
We're an Expat Family of Five Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy in Cuenca Ecuador! Enjoy the blog!

BIG CORNER HOUSE $370 - Great Rental VALUE in Cuenca Ecuador!!

230M (2,410’) spacious house! In today’s Cuenca rental market, this one spells VALUE written all over it!  This corner house is also new. DOGS are ALLOWED!  The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and the price is $370!   Sure, house rentals in this price range pop up on occasion but NOT this big, NOT Brand New and NOT that Take Dogs (very rare at this price). We just called it and it is still for rent but this one really will not last long and that’s no joke. This house is no longer available!
 
Do you want to see the inside?

5 bedrooms - 3.5 baths located in gringoland

We are not paid commissions from Ecuadorian landlords or Agents for procuring this house for you. We’re on YOUR side. Do you like this house or others you have seen? Check out our Gringo Good Samaritans assistance packages and tell us on the form what your needs and requirements are.  

Dealing with Two Unscrupulous Rental Agents in Cuenca Ecuador

What (can) happen when you put an unscrupulous Ecuadorian and an unscrupulous Gringo together doing business? A lot of things can happen. Here’s the latest. BTW, some of you may have already dealt with these two buffoons and you’ll know right away, who we are talking about.

Cuenca Ecuador - Tomebamba River

We went to go see an unfurnished apartment that was listed online, as a fifth floor, brand new apartment with great views and a huge terrazza for $550.  Now understand, we saw the photos of the apartment.
 
So we get out there and they proceed to show us an apartment but it was not the one they had listed online. We said to the two guys, “this is not the apartment you have listed for $550 dollars”.   They just blankly stared at us. We said again, “This is not the same apartment we saw in the photos”. 
 
The now frustrated 40ish year old Ecuadorian rental agent begins to put the blame on the 70ish year old something gringo agent, saying “Did you get the photos mixed up, again”?  

The gringo apologized to his Ecuadorian partner for the mistake.  The Ecuadorian scolded the older gringo over and over again (in front of us) for posting the wrong photos. It was like a scene from the three Stooges with Curly and Moe, which one was Curly and which one was Moe is not yet apparent.
 
We could see right through the “good guy, bad guy” charade they were playing right in front of us…and they played this sham for as long as they thought they could get away with it.  We were not interested in the ground floor apartment at all and we were getting ready to walk when…
 
…the Ecuadorian gave us a big smile and piped up with “I know what you want, come on, I’ll show it to you”. So we all get into the elevator (now remember, this is considered a luxury apartment building and five people can’t fit in the elevator comfortably) to the top floor penthouse unit.  When we walked in we knew that this was the apartment we saw online. We right away said, “This is the apartment we saw in the photos”. 
 
The Ecuadorian said, “But this unit is not going to be $550”.  How come did we already know he was going to say that?
At this point the obvious was made quite apparent; we knew we were in the middle of a bait and switch. Frank and I talked quietly amongst ourselves about what we were going to do next. For now we decided to just play along.
 
Meanwhile about this time, after she had walked through the apartment, the expat woman renter came to us with love in her eyes because she told us, “I’m “in love” with this apartment”. What is it with gringos and views? Now, had she not cared about the apartment we would have walked already. Sure, the views were incredible but there was nothing special about the apartment. And well, all views in Cuenca are incredible.

The two guys noticed the expat lady loving the apartment and they loved every minute of watching her go gaga over the huge terraza and the views. Again the Ecuadorian said, “This apartment is not $550 dollars.”
 
“Ok, how much is it?” It’s $850 dollars”.
 
In the meantime we are becoming more annoyed at being suckered in on this bait and switch. Frank of course was not going to allow these two dodgy guys (and that’s nice way to put it for these guys) to get away with their unscrupulous dealings without letting them know he was on to them.
 
Frank looked right at the English speaking Ecuadorian and said, “This looks really bad on you and doing business like this will give you a bad reputation in the city of Cuenca.” The Ecuadorian nodded his head and seemed to agree and continued to blame the gringo agent. As long as the blame was not centered on him, all was okay…oh, you should have been there…It was comical.
 
The expat took us aside and let us know she would pay $750 rent for the apartment if everything was included. She was not coy about it or quiet either; we were sure she was overheard because it was just a few minutes later when the gringo piped up and said, “They might go $750”.  How funny.
 
So, that’s what we offered with everything included. The Ecuadorian said, “Ok, let me call the owner and see what she says.” 

The Ecuadorian leaves the room to go make the call to the owner of the apartment.
 
After about five minutes, the Ecuadorian comes back and says, “Yes, she said she will take $750 and that includes everything, utilities and aliquot and she will put a refrigerator in.”
 
The expat lady we were helping says, “Ok, what about my little four pound doggie?”
 
“Yes, she said your dog is okay too”.
 
“Ok, I want to give you a deposit to hold the apartment?”
 
The Ecuadorian put his hands up and backed up slightly, shaking his head and said, “Oh no, that’s okay, tomorrow you can meet with the landlord and work out the deposit.” and "don't worry, everything will be ok".  Always worry when you hear, "don't worry".  

We knew something was fishy. What kind of a rental agent is not going to take a deposit to hold an apartment? It just doesn’t happen...very fishy…
 
So the next day, at the scheduled time we show up at the apartment, ready and willing to pay a deposit and look over the contract. The landlord is there, the expat renter is there and we’re there. 
 
So, first we find out that the owner is not really the owner after all, it is her brother and he’s in the states. So, we are dealing with the sister. To make a long story short, the sister who is assisting her brother was hemming and hawing about the small four pound dog and making all kinds of excuses about why she still needs to talk with her brother about renting the apartment at $750 and if the dog would be ok.
 
In the meantime, we realized we were being strung along and that they were waiting for another gringo to show up (because they’ve been getting calls left and right about this penthouse apartment) and pay the $850 they were asking, or possibly more, thinking if a gringo likes it enough they might spend $1000 a month for this 2/2 unfurnished penthouse apartment.  They’d just do the bait and switch game on them too.
 
The Ecuadorian didn’t know that Frank understands Spanish and consequently Frank overheard him quietly tell the lady in Spanish, “I have other gringos that want to see the apartment”.  And after she heard that she came back to us and said, “I’ll talk with my brother and get back with you”.
 
That was three weeks ago. Apparently no gringos have offered to pay more than the $750 because the apartment is back online again with an asking price of $750! They obviously are not going to call us, since they know we are onto them and know they are shadier than Alaska during the wintertime.
 
So in a nutshell, the two stooges, Curly and Moe continue to do business unethically in Cuenca Ecuador, shamming unsuspecting new gringo arrivals. This is a clear-cut bait and switch to be aware of in Cuenca Ecuador. One guy kept saying, don't worry everything will be ok, and they both said dog ok all along. Then they said, talk to the owner, which then turns out to not be the owner, and turns out that dog is not ok.  You will be spun around like this and your time wasted.  Having someone on your side makes it much less stressful.  Think about it.

We share this with you today to make people aware of what’s happening in Cuenca Ecuador.  The reality is the rental market in Cuenca is saturated with rental agents, however most of them are honest enough, and if they are not, we quickly let them know we’re on to them; but once in awhile we run across a couple of punks like this and of course, we simply stop doing business with them. What else can you do?  

In Ecuador you are not allowed to publish names and harm someone’s (already bad) reputation, even though they are harming people’s lives. We will never use these guys again and we feel bad for anyone who accidentally does.

Until we write again.
 
Related Articles

• Are Ecuadorians as Friendly as Everyone Says?

• What's It Like Doing Business in Ecuador

• Does Cuenca Have Neighborhoods to Avoid from High Priced Rents?

We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!

2 Fabulous Cuanca Ecuador Apartment Deals $280 & $380

1. We found a new, modern, and spacious apartment. It has 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms with a one car parking space. It has pretty views and is located next to the Yanuncay river. Asking $380
                                            

***

2. Updated second floor apartment located in a nice area in Totoracocha - Cuenca area.  The apartment has 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, terrace with views on the 3rd floor. 

living room

The apartment has nice hardwood floors, and ceramic,1 parking space. In a building with two apartments.  Price is only $280 per month plus utilities. No pets allowed on the property. 

kitchen

 And look at this nice terraza!

terraza

These homes are available as of today! We work hard to find you the best value deals according to size, location and price. If you are interested in a rental abroad, take a look at our Assistance Packages and choose the one that fits your needs; Then tell us what you want and need in a rental, and we'll provide the priceless protection for your smooth transition abroad from Gringo Good Samaritans.

Reader Asks: Can I Still Find a $300 Cuenca Rental in Cuenca Ecuador?

Some of our readers want to know if they will still be able to find a $300 dollar rental home in Cuenca when they get here. We talk about why you would not be able to get a $300 dollar rental and what you can do to still find the $300 rental.

                         
 

We're an Expat Family of Five Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy in Cuenca Ecuador! Enjoy the blog!

Spacious New 4/3 House for Rent in Excellent Area of Cuenca!

RENTED! What is so neat about this house? You can walk down the road one block and hop on a bus and be at Coral Centro in 5 minutes! The home has front and back garden space.



This nice home is located in a great location on the way to Banos. The home is brand new and never been lived in! The downstairs has nice ceramic tiles, while the upstairs has beautiful hardwood floors throughout. The open floor plan gives a spacious feel and is a rare find in many of the homes in Cuenca.  Contact us here.



               

Fantastic 4-Bed 4-Bath Home, Asking $380 and it's Negotiable!!

This home is in superb condition with beautiful hardwood floors. It  even has a working fireplace for those chilly Cuenca mornings. Best thing is it is only a block from three bus lines, yet tucked far enough back from the noise and traffic!! Great neighborhood with small grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, ice cream shops and more! We don't think this one will be on the market long.

 Asking $380 but is negotiable - make offer!  You know how to reach us!

                                   

Should You Rent an Apartment or a House in Cuenca? Is One Safer than the Other?

Should you rent an apartment or a house when you move to Cuenca? It really just depends on your personal preference and needs, Below we outline some issues that may make sense to some people.
 

Some retirees find it challenging to climb stairs, which most houses in Cuenca are constructed with two stories and sometimes three stories. A lot of the apartment buildings in Ecuadorian neighborhoods are also built without elevators in contrast to the condo buildings marketed to foreigners, which will have elevators.
 

However, it has been our experience that apartment units with elevators and 24-hour security have more expensive rents, plus on top of that there are maintenance fees that need to be paid each month which also tend to be higher in the gringo occupied buildings, or wherever gringos are present.
 

Is 24-Hour Security Guard Necessary in Cuenca?
 

Many new-comers to Cuenca think it is a good idea to rent a condo with a 24 hour security guard and this may be necessary for some people. After all, some people may not be accustomed to taking responsibility for their safety.  What does that mean?  It means that some people think nothing of doing things that are unsafe in and of themselves, especially in a third world country, such as:
 

Opening the door to strangers. There are many instances of people becoming victims of crime just because they opened the door to someone they had never had a previous contact with before.
 

Answering the ringer every time a stranger calls or rings your doorbell.  Sometimes we think it’s OK to answer the ringer and see what the stranger wants, not realizing that we are communicating subtle bits of information that could harm us later.  Such as: the fact that we may not speak Spanish communicates that we are a foreigner.  And, letting people know we’re home, and then it becomes obvious when we’re not home, etc,etc.



Appearing well off.  Some people just don’t want to be bothered with the idea of keeping a visual low profile.  Expensive cars in the yard, high profile looking jewelry and/or clothing, hairstyles, etc.
 

Non conservative habits.  Some people don’t want to make the effort to change their schedules, such as not going out at night, or just after dark, not going out during problematic holidays, being visibly intoxicated, etc. 



If this sounds like you, you’re probably better off in a 24hr security complex.  But is it really necessary?
 

Well, for the short term traveler (1-6 months) you can’t beat the convenience of a turnkey condo building. However, if you’re a more long term sojourner in Ecuador, consider that being in a 24 hrs security condo building is not a panacea to your safety. It may actually give one a false sense of security.  How?  By making one feel that they don’t need to take any personal responsibility for their personal safety.   Thinking such as:  “I’m in a security building, therefore I’m secure”. Consider the expat lady that was stabbed in broad daylight while walking by the river.
 

All homes in Cuenca have tall gated walls, and some of the homes have the electrical wire on top of that and almost all recently built homes have an alarm system.
 

Cuenca has some petty crime but armed robberies and home invasions (while you are in your home) happen but are not as common here.  In cases where they do happen, reportedly the above listed scenarios were prevalent.  There is some violent crime in Cuenca Ecuador, but the chances of it affecting you are low if you don’t engage in behaviors outlined above.

          




Update 2015: Cuenca is seeing an up rise in home invasions and robberies and we now totally recommend electric fencing for the foreigner.



Living in a typical Ecuadorian house like your next door neighbor, with tall barred gate, alarm system, electric fencing, etc can be just as safe as if you had a guard around the clock. A recurring theme on this subject is:  IT’S UP TO YOU.  When you leave your home to go shopping and do other errands it is wise to make sure you turn your alarm on.   Therefore it follows that taking more responsibility for your overall awareness and safety goes a long way.
 

What Cuenca Neighborhood Should I Live In?
 

WE often get asked about where the good neighborhoods of Cuenca are. And our response is always the same.  All areas of Cuenca can be fairly safe areas. It really does not matter what area of Cuenca you rent a home in, generally speaking, except for areas outlined in our DIY Cuenca Landing Guide, and other crime and safety articles on this website, as long as you take certain precautions you will be just as safe and secure as your Ecuadorian neighbors.
 

It is to your advantage to introduce yourself to your new neighbors. What this means for you is added security because your Ecuadorian neighbors will watch out for your home when you leave it. But only if they like you, and aren’t generally envious of your North American superiority.  Clearly, a little Spanish goes a long way.
 

Some expats that we have helped, such as Alice from Ohio, live right next door to the Landlord. This is the way it is with many of the rentals in Cuenca. It makes it VERY convenient come time to pay the rent, and it is reassuring to know that someone is watching out for your home while you travel or visit family back in the states.
 

More Objective Reasons to Rent an Apartment/Condo
 

1.    Cannot manage stairs or do not want to manage stairs
2.    Need to have an elevator for health reasons
3.    You do not want to take care of a house and a yard
4.    It makes you feel safer to be in a condo with a guard on duty, ahem…
5.    You will be traveling often
 

Elderly expats may have more reasons on their checklist for wanting to rent a unit in a condo building, however you will have maintenance fees and the condos marketed to expats in Cuenca are about 20% to 50% higher than renting a house.
 

Why You Would Want to Rent a House
 

1.    You have a dog or cat that needs a yard
2.    You want to grow a garden
3.    You have small children that need a yard
4.    You like having an outside area for playing lawn games and barbecuing
5.    You get claustrophobic in a condo
6.    You do not like heights
 

Clearly there are advantages and disadvantages to renting either an apartment or house depending on a person’s specific needs and wants.  The main advantage to renting an apartment is usually, but not always, the living space is all on one floor.
 

This situation would be advantageous to those folks who have trouble walking up steps.  The main advantage to renting a house is they usually, but not always, have a green space for animals; even if that green space is postage stamp small it still comes in handy for the pet owner who does not feel like walking their doggie.
 

The main disadvantage to renting a condo with elevator and around the clock security guard is they are pricier, but if this is what you require to make your life easier and happier then by all means, rent a condo unit.
 

As we remarked earlier in this post, the real disadvantage to renting a house vs. a condo for some is there will most-likely be a flight of stairs, or sometimes two flights of stairs to climb, depending on the size of the home.
 

Clearly, home renting is a good idea for those expats with pets, and or bigger families and for those who like to garden. However, some condos do have balconies and or patios for potted plants.
 

The bottom line is, if you choose a home, be sure to be wise and mimic your neighbors.  Do they have dogs?  Then get a guard dog.  Do they have electric wire fencing?  Then you get one too…you get the point…
 

I myself could never live in a condo, as they feel like a high end jail cell and in almost all cases are surely overpriced to the local rental market.  But hey, as I get more gray hairs, I might change my mind…but even if I did, which is not likely, I’d be bargaining like a bulldog…

3 Bedroom, Plus Study for $220 Cuenca Ecuador

Value is certainly here with this one. This is not a super large home, but it is a well-kept cute place just waiting for the couple or small family to make it their home. Pets are allowed with this home. This home does not need to be painted or have light fixtures installed like most homes in this price range...its perfecto and ready to go, waiting for your furniture and decorating touches. It is situated just a few meters from the bus in a quiet and nice area. To see more photos of this home and to contact us, go to $300 Dollar Cuenca Rentals.  

THIS HOME HAS RENTED

               

4 Bedrooms, 5 Baths in Great Cuenca Neighborhood $400

This home has been rented!



This home is located in a wonderful Ecuadorian neighborhood and only one block from the bus line! It has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, plus a small maids bedroom. The living room dining room combo is pretty good sized as well. For those of you who like to grill this home comes with a sky lighted barbeque area...this room would make a great sunroom/atrium. We won't tell you anything more about this home, instead, watch the video and see what other wonderful amenities this home has to offer. To see photos of this Cuenca rental check out $300 Cuenca Rentals.



               

Cuenca Rental: Great 5-Bedroom House with VIEWS for $350

 This home has been rented!



We specialize in finding great unfurnished rentals at a great price in Cuenca and here is one such find. This is a large home just waiting for a family or couple to bring it to life with their own decorating style.



This home boasts not just 5-bedrooms but it has a sitting area upstairs off of the master bedroom and it has an office downstairs. Lots of space at a great monthly rental price.



This wonderful home is getting remodeled by the owner as you'll see in the video. This  home has some great views from the bedrooms and is located in a nice and quiet Ecuadorian neighborhood.



For more information about this rental and to view more photos of this home go to $300 Dollar Cuenca Rentals. Video tour below. Enjoy!



                     

Pets and Furnished Rentals in Cuenca Ecuador

Our pets are our wonderful friends that give us much love and companionship. For many of us older folks our pets have taken the place of our children who have married and left home. More than half of the foreigners that come to Ecuador bring their beloved pets with them.



We have encountered a few foreigners who are looking for a rental that have both dogs and cats with them. One expat couple we know brought three cats and a dog to Cuenca from the states. Another couple brought a huge dog with them. All three families with pets have something in common—they are looking for a furnished or semi-furnished rental.



Most apartments and condos do not allow pets, even when the place is without furniture. Although, there are exceptions but you will pay for it. Your best bet for housing when you have pets is a house with a yard rather than an apartment or condo because sometimes they will have a small green area, and or, a terrazzo for your pet, and of course because of this the landlord is more catering to those expats with pets.



Don’t you think it is only fair to your pet to have a yard, even if it is small? No dog likes to be cooped up without a yard to roam around in. Cats are different however, they are completely happy being cooped up in an apartment.



Pets and Furniture



We know that your pet would not scratch the furniture wood, or pee in the same corner on the hardwood floor, or get fur all over the furniture, but try and tell the landlord that. Most landlords do not allow pets in their furnished rentals and if they do, you will pay up to four times more.



Finding a two or three bedroom furnished at the local rental price rarely come up and the landlord will most-likely not allow pets…of course you can always ask, but you won’t pay local rent. We know this because we personally have asked about pets in many of the furnished rentals.



We’re not saying don’t bring your pets, but we are saying that it might be a lot more difficult to find a furnished rental that will take indoor pets. It certainly is not impossible, but just more difficult. But money always talks, it’s up to you if you want to over-spend on a furnished rental.



Here are a couple of things to consider if you are coming to Cuenca with your pet(s).



1) Don’t have an expectation of furnished at the local rental rates. Expect to pay $200 to $400 more for furnished. If you have pets expect to pay a hefty deposit to the landlord, just in case something gets ruined. You know your pet is clean and not destructive, but try and tell the landlord that after she just spent $1,800 on a new living room set.



2) Trying to find a furnished rental that will actually take your pet(s) will usually take some time; it could take days, or weeks until you find a furnished house or apartment that will accept pets. So, you can’t be in a hurry.



3) If you have pets, we recommend getting an unfurnished at the local rental rate and buy your own furniture. We recommend this for longer term stays just because in the long run it is much cheaper and there are more of the unfurnished rentals to go around and you will find a rental home much quicker and at a much nicer rental price!



4) So if you know ahead of time that you will be bringing your pet(s) we suggest you make room in your budget for buying your own furniture ($5k to 7K) for when you get here.



And here’s another thing to think about with furnished rentals. Many of the furnished rentals may have furniture that is not your style and you will end up not enjoying your new rental. We know personally that many of the homes and apartments that are furnished in the local price range have the bare minimum of furniture and it is 70’s and 80’s style furniture.



There is a lot of demand for even vacant houses with yards, and the local market is responding by raising rental rates. Our recommendation is: don't put yourself under time pressure to have to sign on any rental. This way, you can take your time and negotiate a more appropriate local rental rate rather than a foreigner rate.



The worst offender in that regard, as you might well have already guessed is: tah dah, craigslist. But if you're a reader of our DIY Cuenca Landing Guide, you already knew this.



For more, practical, how to, money and time saving advice and an inside look on how to live well on a budget in Ecuador see the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide today and if you want some assistance with finding a locally priced vacant long term rental see http://300dollarcuencarentals.blogspot.com/

$300 Cuenca Ecuador Rental Home Tour

This is a brand new (never lived in) tri-level home 3 bed for $300. There are some people that have said on forums that renting in this price range you will be living in a hovel...but we are exposing this untruth that has been floating around on some of the Cuenca forums. This home is in a gated community of about 7 other homes that are still in the construction phase. This home in the video has been rented.





          

Here is the House We Rent For $250 a Month in Cuenca!

The house we rent in Cuenca is about 150M (1600sq ft) and was built in 2008. It is a cement home with 3 bedrooms, office, sun room, living room, dining room, kitchen, outdoor laundry patio area under roof, small green area, and 2-1/2 baths. There is tile throughout and the bedrooms and office have hardwood floors. The kitchen has granite counter tops. Living room has a sunken hardwood floor from the dining room, and both of these rooms have about 1/2 thick crown molding and lots of detail. we are enjoying our new rental home in Cuenca. 


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UPDATE: You will obviously pay more for amenities such as 24 hour security, or a big yard, or many bedrooms, or furnishings, etc. But you still need to watch out for price gouging. We  live in a wonderful, safe, Ecuadorian neighborhood and we built all of our own furniture, plus we have a beautiful view of the Andes Mountains. This house was renting for $350 but because it had not been rented in awhile we negotiated the price down $100. We also had to sign a lease for one year. Update: we signed a second lease and still rent for $250.



Here are some pictures I took when we first moved in.



Living room looking towards the office and sunroom

Dining room and living room area

another view of dining and living area

kitchen

Another view of the kitchen

Bath 1from master bdrm.

Bath 1 from master bdrm.

Bath 2 in Hallway

Half bath 3 (social bath)

Hall leading to 3 bedrooms

Outdoor laundry area and patio under roof but outside

Each of the 3 bedrooms has its own built in closets just like this one.

Last but not least, this is a propane hot water unit. I know, it looks small but it does heat the water just fine. It costs about $2 to fill the tank (its a big tank, oops forgot to take picture of the propane tank) and with five people taking showers every day, and three sons that take 15 to 20 minute showers, we have had to fill it once a week so far. So, it costs about $8 a month for all of us to take hot showers daily. We're quite happy with that. We've been told that electricity is about $20 a month. Our new stove and oven is propane too. When we get the bill in another few weeks, I'll let you know in a new post all about the utilities costs, including propane usage for a family of five living here in Cuenca.

UPDATE: June 2012 - it now cost $2.50 to fill the gas tank

Update: December 2014 - We still pay $2.50 for a tank of gas.



Here's photos of the living, dining, and kitchen after we built our furniture and settled in.


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