12 countries in 12 years

Showing posts with label local priced rentals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local priced rentals. Show all posts

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Oops, I Got Gringoed Abroad: Gringo Gouging Overseas

Latin America and many Asian countries too, are notorious for gouging the gringo; from food and rents, to getting a document translated. If you live in South and Central America, you probably have been gringoed.  Funny thing is, we gringos are the ones who allow it to continue and then it gets out of hand and prices go up.


Instead of complaining about being gringo gouged all the time, we can do something about it. But before we can do something we have to understand “why” it happens and “why” they do it, so we can stop it in its tracks because over time it produces negatives in our lives. What we sow we reap principle.
 


                   Why Gringos Get Gringoed?



1.  Gringos don’t bargain. Most of us accept the first price quoted for something. This is just US cultural thing, but it is not what it's like in your new place abroad.  If you don’t speak Spanish or very little Spanish that’s ok; bring a Spanish speaking friend along with you when you purchase items, until you learn your numbers.
Solution: Learn Spanish numbers.
 


2. Gringos compare prices to back home. In most cases even the higher price we are quoted will be less than what we pay for the same item back home. As long as we keep comparing to back home we’ll keep paying the gringo price.
Solution: Stop comparing.
 


3.  We accept it.  We shrug our shoulders and call it some absurd label like “gringo tax” which clearly justifies skewed thinking, “It must be ok that I keep getting gringoed, because it’s a tax.” … No comment!
Solution: Don’t believe everything you read.
 


4. We don’t want to look cheap.  Hahaha, that’s funny.  Actually, it is when we accept gringo prices it shows that we have no principle. Now, that’s cheap!  A cheap person feels the need to keep up appearances and will simply pay the quoted price but later justifies why it's okay for the gringo to overpay.  The principled person speaks up about it, and walks away from the sale if he or she has to, which also helps the next gringo who bargains with that vendor.
 


Solution: Realize that in a country where EVERYONE negotiates it is acceptable that gringos negotiate too. Does it make you look cheap? That's something one feels that is within themselves...perhaps they have a low self esteem.  No one can make anyone look or feel cheap for paying the REAL price (going rate) for something. 



It is either negotiate or be gringoed just because you are fairer skinned than they are. It’s your call: principle or apathetic.



 If you enjoyed this article, we think you will like these articles too!




We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel to Quito and 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!

Friday, January 9, 2015

3 Ways Going Local Helps Ecuador!

1. Going local spreads Commerce throughout the Ecuadorian population and not just for the tourist industry and real estate services. There’s always going to be tourists and that is what tourist services and pricing is all about. However, should a permanent resident of Ecuador and the LOCALS pay tourist pricing too?
 


EXAMPLE: When foreign residents go local it spreads money throughout the entire population, also helping out the small Ecuadorian business establishments and indigenous sellers and services which in turn does two things for Ecuador: 1) establishes good relations with the local community, and 2) gains respect from the Ecuadorians towards the foreigners.
 


Both values go a long way to keep Cuenca and Ecuador a nice and pleasant place to live in for everyone. Pricing the local folks out of their “cost of living market” will eventually cause resentment and animosity from the local community who do not work in the tourism and real estate industries; also it causes more crime and violence against the foreigners. Does that sound like somewhere you would want to live? 





Bottom line: Let the tourists be tourists and if you’re a resident then behave like someone who cares about the local community and stop acting like a rich tourist. 
 


2.  Negotiate and Don’t Accept Gringo Gouging. There’s no such thing as “gringo tax”; it is a made up term by the wealthier gringos so they won’t feel so bad when they are gringoed. By the way, definition of “tax” means duty; it is NOT a duty to overpay just because you’re a gringo.
 


When permanent residents live like the locals it establishes respectful relationships within the local community because the permanent resident will be establishing their relationship based on respect rather than based on money and greed. We have to remember, the root cause of poor business ethics is almost always based on greed. In the long run permanent residents having good business relationships with the locals, provides a better and more vibrant living environment for everyone. 



And so we can see then that a gringo’s attitude of simply “shrugging their shoulders” and paying whatever price is quoted definitely causes greed with some of the Ecuadorian business owners and its services such as tourism and real estate and that greed is what pushes prices up! We also believe it can cause the local people to feel disrespect towards the gringos. It's happening today in Cuenca Ecuador.


Greed also causes bad business principles that establish
pitiful precedents within the Ecuador real estate markets such as charging three
deposits up front. Some gringos, because of their nonchalant view towards getting gringo gouged and behaving as pushovers to the gringo price structures and principles, cause the Ecuadorians to be greedy.  




In the short run it may seem like the noble thing to do just because you have the money, but in the long run, if foreigners simply overpay for everything such as rent, purchasing a home, food, restaurants, doctor visits, tourist services, etc, it will induce dislike among many in the local community that are not profiteering from the gringo-gouging game!   



The profiteers will love you (but not really) and the wage earners and small business owners will dislike you. And there are far more wage earners and mom and pop businesses in Ecuador than profiteers.


3. When gringos integrate within the local community it is clearly a sign of respect towards the local people and you are more apt to be accepted as one of them. Even though we are foreign and different in some ways, we will receive the same price structure as they do. We know this to be true because we have been doing it and living it for almost four years right here in Cuenca! 




What immersion and integration does is: saves you money, and because you are accepted into the community living here, it will feel more like home, and you won't want to leave. 



NOTE: This article applies to living anywhere in South America where gringos are thought to be "rich" and "pushovers" for a new pricing structure and principles by the local profiteers just because they think they can get away with it. 



If going local interests you then you'll be good to go with the DIY Cuenca or Quito or Ecuador Coast Landing Guide in your hands!



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

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

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.



               

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

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!



                     

Saturday, June 22, 2013

For Rent Furnished Apartment for $400 in Great Neighborhood of Cuenca!

As most of our long time readers know we focus on getting the best rental deals and this is one of them. This beautiful apartment is in a good location not far from El Centro, in fact, it is just a five minute bus ride or a 15-minute walk (walking slow) to the center of town! The apartment has everything you'll need to be comfortable and Internet WIFI is included in the price.  As you'll see in the video tour, the apartment is nicely furnished/decorated and there is a washer machine on the premises for you to do your laundry,  and the apartment has cable television. Contact us if you are ready to rent because this one will not last long.  




This apartment has been rented!! 



             

Thursday, May 23, 2013

$250 Town Home Rental in Cuenca Ecuador!

This town home for $250 per month is like the $230 per month town home except this one has a small bonus room off of the covered laundry area instead of green space, and it has ceramic tiles on the bottom level instead of simulated hard wood, and it has curtain type shades on every window. They are both in the same private, gated community and have a guardian/caretaker for an additional $25 per month. I also added different music in the background on this one for a change of pace...:-)   so sit back and enjoy the video home tour.  For more info about this town home or the villa for rent for $300 click here for the photos and specifications.



                    

Friday, March 1, 2013

Cuenca Expat's Retirement Dream Comes True by Going Local (6 of 6 Furnishing Cuenca Rental)

In this last video with retired expat Alice we certainly learn a lot about furniture buying and acquiring custom upholstered furniture in Cuenca. Alice has been such a dear for sharing all of her experiences of moving to Cuenca Ecuador with us! Thanks Alice, hugs from Frank and I...we'll see you soon!  :-) :-)




             

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Searching for a Local Priced Rental in Cuenca Ecuador: A Day in the Life




We still rent this home for $250 monthly

All I want to do is rent an unfurnished house for the local price of $300 a month. That’s it.  Is that too much to ask?

It’s the threshold the local taxi driver said we should stay under when we first moved here. It’s the price the blogs were saying was the going rate at the time, only a few short months ago!  And it’s a whopping 75% of the average personal income, although it may be only 30%-40% of household income, which makes sense under the rule of 3 & 4.

Everybody knows we only pay $250 a month for a three year old house, but we’ve already pounded that nail all the way through.  So when a friend asked us to help him find a house for rent in Cuenca for the local price of under the now infamous figure of $300 a month. We agreed!

So when I called an ad in the local paper (spoken in Spanish) and asked the Ecuadorian lady the price on the vacant three bedroom house, and she said $500, of course my next question was – why?  “Why is it so high?” I wanted to know…”does it have a big yard?”. “No, it’s just average sized” she replied.  “Is the house very large?” I asked inquisitively. “Not particularly” she answered, as she described the average floor plan of kitchen living room, laundry room, downstairs, and three bedrooms upstairs w/2 baths.“Is it newly remodeled?” She finally got impatient with my questions and interrupted…”well you know, it’s by Supermaxi”.  Well lo and behold, that explains everything.  “Are you flexible on the price?” I ask.  “No”.  She says, “ok, have a nice day, good bye”.
 


Undaunted, I call another ad.

This one has the price clearly in the ad, it screams at me $300 DOLLARS.
Excellent.  Always looking to save money on my cell bill @ .25 cents a minute, I call that one next.  Here’s the conversation, in Spanish.

Me:  Hello? – I’m calling about the house for rent for $300 dollars.  How many bedrooms does it have?

Landlord: It has five bedrooms, but where are you from?

Me:  (a little skeptical at the question) err…I’m from here, I live here, why do you ask?

Landlord:  You sound like a gringo. For you the price will be higher.  Chuckle.

Me:  (Not laughing) uhm, oh, well, ok, have a nice day.  Good bye.

Ok, well, I’ve made a commitment to help my friend so, as if I am a glutton for punishment, I keep going.  I call the next ad:

(remember, Spanish paper, speaking in Spanish)

Me:  Hello?  I’m calling about the large house for rent.  How much is it?

Landlord:  It’s $800 a month. 


Me:   Uh, why is it so much?

Landlord:  It’s furnished and it’s for foreigners, plus it’s by Supermaxi.

Me:  Isn’t that a little high?

Landlord:  Yes, but, it’s for foreigners.

Me: Ok, thank you and have a nice day.  Good bye.

My Ecuadorian neighbor/friend decided to get in on the foreign rental action. She approached me with a super duper rental deal, I figured she got offered a commission.  Two “large” (her description) houses on one lot, with a pool for $600 a month. Sounds good so far right?
So I called the lady myself, and find out, it’s only one house, it’s only 2000 square feet, and the pool is empty.  I tell my friend, it’s too high.  She frustratingly says:  “is it for you?” as if to say, who cares if it’s too high, it’s not for you, it’s for the foreigners.

Somehow, I didn’t find it appropriate to explain to her, that I don’t appreciate gringo pricing, even if it’s not directed toward me exclusively.

When we were in Salinas, while walking the Malecon an Ecuadorian promoter approached us for boat rides, and condo rentals, etc. so we decided to talk with him and go look at a few.  All his rentals were for $1000 to $1200 a month, furnished two or three blocks back from the beach, and unfurnished waterfront, $1000-$2300.

I patiently explain I’m not a tourist; I want a long term, unfurnished rental at local prices, not tourist prices. “Ok, I’ll call you”, he says.  It’s been almost a year, still haven’t heard from him.  Apparently, there’s no money in it for him.Same thing happened when we walked in to the Spanish speaking Spanish Real Estate Company offices, again, in Salinas, because we saw some advertised houses in the $400 per month price range, on their website, in Salinas.  (We always avoid the gringo agencies as they told us themselves the prices are $800-$1200)

We find out the $400 houses have been gone for two years, and they haven’t updated their website!  But hey, we have some $800-$1200 houses over here.  “No thanks”. We practically beg them to call us when they get some more $400 dollar houses for rent. We even stretch our boundaries to $500.  Many, many moons later, we’re still waiting for the call. But without holding our breath!

This will be the last example.

The ad on Craig’s List had pictures of furniture, so it’s a furnished three bedroom right? $450, ok sounds reasonable so far.   I call the ad, and well, no, it’s not furnished.

Me:  “Why are the pictures of a furnished house then?” I ask.

Agent:  “I forgot to remove those pictures” says the Spanish Real Estate agent. The house is $450 a month.

Me: But that’s a furnished price, for that size of house.

Agent: yes, but it’s not furnished.

Me:  Yes, but that is an unfurnished house and at that price, it’s too high.

The very next day, we saw the same ad on Craig’s List and he had lowered the price by $50!  I still thought it was too high at $400.  Almost all the prices on Craig’s List are too high.  Very rarely do you see something priced properly to the local prices.  It is very skewed toward English speaking foreigners.

So why did I write all this?  Am I trying to discourage you? Absolutely not! To the contrary! We want to give you a feel for the real picture.  That is why the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide is a very necessary addition to your arsenal for living well on smaller means here in Cuenca Ecuador. Avoid the foreign hype, be ahead of the game, get the guide today.  Because you will need all the help you can get.  If you're interested in learning more about the local priced rental market click here.