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Jorge Loor Zambrano... from a different perspective!

While all of the other testimonials about Jorge are written from the view of his excellent service to his clients in helping them search for property in Ecuador, our experience with him has been totally different, yet just as rewarding!

You see we did not require Jorges’ help in locating our property in Crucita. . . we found it ourselves on the internet. Strange as it may seem, we located, purchased and began renovations on a house in Ecuador while sitting at the computer in Arizona. Other than e-mails and a few telephone calls, we made our investment and never saw the property until several months later. . and. . more than 6 weeks after remodeling had begun! Here is how it came about and how Jorge has proven himself to be invaluable and one of the most trustworthy individuals we have ever met.

This past spring we became interested in finding a property on the beach in Central America. While surfing the internet in places such as Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, etc. it became obvious that much of what was available was located in “gated” type developments very closely resembling what we have in the US. With a desire for more privacy and seclusion, we started to look further afield. By chance we came across a private listing on World Real Estate webpage for a beachfront house in Crucita, Ecuador. The photo looked intriguing so we e-mailed the owner to see if it was still available. To our surprise, he replied that it was! This was on May 19th of this year.

The owner suggested that we contact his realtor, Jorge Loor Zambrano in Crucita for more details, which we did. At 2:19pm on May 19th, we sent a message to Crucita.com and asked for more information. At 4:21pm the same day Jorge wrote back in great detail about the property and included some photos along with a photo of Crucita which showed the proximity of the property to the village. By 9:43pm that night we had exchanged several more e-mails and we had information on the property such as taxes, utilities, distances and when I asked if he knew of an architect who could assist in the remodeling, Jorge said: “Yes I do!! This architect has done work for several of my clients and he comes with a staff of builders.” You can imagine our astonishment at such quick responses! I had been waiting for up to 2 weeks for replies from some of the other real estate agents I had contacted in other countries.

We spent the next week researching Ecuador as we knew nearly nothing about the country, and the more we learned, the more interested we became! On May 26th at 4:15pm I e-mailed Jorge again and asked for his best “guess” as to the cost to bring the house into “first-class condition”. Once again, in less than 2 hours, I had my answer. After several more messages about the required renovations, we decided that we wanted to speak, so Jorge gave us his number and the best time to call. After speaking with him, even with 5 disconnects, it was apparent that this was the property we wanted and Jorge was the man to help us with it. Jorge also said that he would, for a very modest fee, supervise the renovation work. We then contacted the property owner who, to our astonishment, also lived in Arizona and made an offer which was accepted. We then were directed to Florida Zambrano (no relation to Jorge), an attorney in Portoviejo, who handled the property closing very efficiently. Another plus for Jorge! Now that we owned a property it was time to proceed with the renovations.

Jorge met on-site with the architect/builder Leonardo and together they developed a list of required work to be done. This estimate was accompanied with numerous close-up photographs of the house which had been vacant for about 5 years. Along with the estimate were computer assisted (CAD) drawings of the proposed renovations. Since the estimate was within budget and covered some items which we had not even been aware needed work, we told Jorge to begin work. The final estimates were received on July 14th and, after money had been transferred and materials ordered, actual work began on August 4th, just about 11 weeks after we first discovered the property. On September 9th we arrived in Ecuador for the very first time and were met at the airport in Portoviejo by Jorge and taken directly to our new house. After entering Crucita, Jorge drove along the beach to the house so our first sight was from the Pacific Ocean. It was all we had been hoping for and more! The work, which had only begun a month before, was very advanced and the quality was superb! The entire crew of 6 working on the project was super friendly and extremely competent. Perhaps the thing that impressed us the most was that, Jorge and Leonardo had made many decisions in our absence to keep the work moving rather than stopping and asking us for advice on everything. This is not something that would be done in the states. Every change here requires consultation, a signed work order and, of course, more money. Not so in Crucita! Jorge had even gone as far as adding windows where there were none, resizing existing windows, adding hot water lines throughout the house, selecting ceramic floor tiles, paint colors, etc. All things that would delay a project by months in the states. And, to his amazement, we loved everything that had been decided for us!!

We stayed at Ocean Blue Hotel for the 3 weeks of our visit and were within a 40 minute walk along the beach to our house which is totally secluded and private. The Ocean Blue is a family-owned/operated hotel which is delightful. During the visit, Jorge took us around to help us purchase appliances, furniture, upholstery, etc. His time was practically ours except when he had prior business commitments. On one of the trips to Portoviejo, we visited his Pilates Studio and met his mother. We could not have asked for better or more complete service than he provided. In Jorge we have not only made a trusted business associate, but also a friend for life. Through him we have made many contacts which will stand us in good stead when we move into our new house in the next few months. As it appears now, the project will be complete in November which is record time anywhere. . . about 6 months from first discovering the property to completion of major renovations. And, don’t forget that nearly all of this was accomplished without us ever having been in Ecuador or having met anyone! Sort of a backwards way to do things isn’t it? Thanks to our friend Jorge for making it happen! Alexis & Glenn Cook 19 October, 2008