Name of your website?MoveToEcuador.com
Your name?
DLC
Your Location (city, etc)
Cuenca, Azuay
Please give us a short summary of your website?
MoveToEcuador.com offers everything anyone hopes to find when considering Ecuador as a place to live or retire, all in a very user-friendly, simple format updated daily. We work with real estate agents all over Ecuador to present a large selection of properties all over the country. We have daily news headlines, articles on everything from cities to fruits and links you aren't likely to find elsewhere.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
A passion for exploration, especially for properties, the willingness to share hard to come by information and the loathing of the practice of gringo pricing, especially by gringos.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
1997...a music and media service for schools in the US.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
It says it all and is easy to remember.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Rarely does a website offer real estate all over Ecuador and as far as I know, none do in English. It is usually handled regionally. We present, not sell, real estate and therefore work with agents, developers and owners all over Ecuador. We guarantee there is zero $$ mark up of properties on our site. We guarantee prompt responses. The articles and resources on MoveToEcuador.com provide a depth of coverage rarely, if ever, seen elsewhere.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To earn a living. :)
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
The site was just launched today, so stay tuned...
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would pay a developer to code an expensive real estate script that was more search engine friendly with titles.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I think so. It's great now because my job is to explore and unearth opportunities and information, two things I'm passionate about doing. I refer anyone interested in a property on the site to either the representing agent or owner. And I can answer a lot of emails each day!
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Many Ecuadorian agents prefer to advertise properties without prices, so with some, it took a bit of convincing to convince them properties without prices aren't as interesting to foreigners as properties with prices.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Not losing patience when presented with a situation involving the 'manana' culture.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Again, since the site just launched today, stay tuned...
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I've been surprised by my ability to effectively communicate the concept in Spanish. I've been surprised by receptive Ecuadorians have been to the concept and how wonderful they are to work with.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Launched it today...August 29, 2008...and hope it runs for years to come. I expect growth to take awhile, but I'm in it for the long run...I love it!
What is your website address?
MoveToEcuador.com
