My husband and I came to Ecuador from the US for a 3-month reconnaissance trip to identify a community where we might like to settle down. We liked Cuenca very much and, days before the end of our trip, on the recommendation of a US expat, we took a quick tour of Cuenca condos and homes with local realtor, Maribel Crespo who showed us a home in the countryside that was a very good fit, given our particular requirements. In addition to speaking excellent English, we found Maribel to be efficient, honest, reliable, resourceful, with a quick mind, and always “simpatica” personality, and a total commitment to customer satisfaction regardless of wealth or the size of the purchase. The home we liked was listed by another real estate agent so her commission was relatively small; however, Maribel was able to match us with that home within about 3 hours. It was simply delightful to work with Maribel. When we later decided to delay our move to Ecuador substantially, Maribel Crespo went the extra distance to help coordinate fit-out of our newly-constructed new home with appliances and accessories, and minor fix-up, as needed for rental. And once the home was ready, she found a suitable tenant even before we had it formally listed. We highly recommend Maribel who provided invaluable assistance to us as we prepared to move to Ecuador. Recommended by Amy O’Connor and Ray Wheeler: integrated100@gmail.com

Real Estate Expert! If you need excellent and professional real estate services in the Cuenca area, whether for a short term apartment rental or to buy your dream home, you would do well to have Maribel Crespo (of Ecuadorable Homes) represent you. She is highly recommended by the folks at International Living where I met her at their expat conference in Quito. She arranged and led a fun and informative 3-day guided real estate tour of Cuenca, including van transportation, hotel accomodations and meals, where our group got to see many different types of housing available to rent or buy. Thanks to her savvy knowledge of market trends and locations, I was able to soon buy my new townhome in a quiet and safe condo complex, where I now live with my two cats. Maribel also arranged for me to have rental furniture delivered just before I left California and moved in, and also helped me to find the resources necessary to successfully settle in. She is a licensed bilingual real estate agent who understands the entire process of helping expats and locals to rent, buy, sell and/or relocate. She enjoys helping people and is always available to quickly answer your questions, and I observed where she is held in high esteem by her community. I strongly encourage you to contact Maribel so she can make your real estate dreams come true! Recommended by Bartley D’Alfonso at bdalfonso.ec@gmail.com

Maribel is the most experienced, professional and competent real estate agent we have worked with in our 3 years in Cuenca. She is fluent in Spanish and English. Whether you are looking to rent or buy, she is the agent to call. She returned my calls and emails promptly, listened to what we needed, and then was persistent in finding exactly the right place for us. We searched in Cuenca as well as communities to the north (Paute, Gualaceo), and to the south in Yunguilla Valley. And even when we didn’t find something right away, she kept looking on our behalf and kept initiating communication with us. Finally, through her most excellent connections, she found us the perfect place. When we first started looking, we thought we would have to work with several agents to see all their individual properties. And for the most part that would be true – and it was exhausting and frustrating to deal with all those agents who had a variety of work ethics and maybe they showed up and maybe they didn’t. But when we happened upon Maribel, she is so well-connected that she not only showed us her listings but has already negotiated arrangements with other agents to show their properties too. A big time-saver for sure. She lived in the USA for many years and knows what renters and buyers who come from the USA want. And she delivers. She was also available for help after the contract was signed with setting up utilities, security system and more. Service with a smile. I highly recommend Maribel for all your real estate needs. Recommended by Deb Miller: debjmiller9@gmail.com

Maribel Crespo of Ecuadorable Homes recently helped me lease a wonderful home in Cuenca. I worked over 30 years in commercial sales and leasing in San Diego and Napa, California in very stressful and competitive markets. I have worked with some very competent and excellent agents. I would put Maribel Crespo among them. She is fluent in English and Spanish. She is punctual, friendly, knowledgeable and very professional. Maribel helped me with every aspect of the moving experience including recommending competent movers, handymen, painters and assisted me with connecting to an internet service. She is an excellent agent and I know what a remarkable business woman is and Maribel counts among the best. Recommended by Rebecca Lockwood: adventuregirlecuador@icloud.com

Maribel helped us find the perfect condo in Cuenca and then helped us through each step of the purchase process. Now she has helped us find our second home on the coast. We turn to Maribel to give us good advice and introduce us to people who can provide us with additional assistance. Sincerely Bob Cox

Maribel recently sold a condo for me in Cuenca and handled the entire process beautifully! She managed each step efficiently, professionally and with grace. Within 24 hours of listing she posted photos and details on her website. She priced it correctly and actively marketed and showed the property. When the buyer was ready she smoothly managed the process to closing in just a few weeks. Her business practices were in direct contrast to the expat realtor I’d previously listed the property with: He priced it way too high, took 6 weeks to post it online and in 6 months showed the place only twice. Maribel is a STAR! I am so grateful to have found her! Sheila Donnell

We first met Maribel on our exploratory trip to Ecuador in 2011. Once we decided to come to Cuenca, we sent a very detailed “wish List” to Maribel and asked her to find just the right condo for us. She found exactly what we were looking for, skillfully handled all arrangements for us while we were still in the States, worked with our landlord to arrange for new floors and new double-pane windows to be installed, and made the entire process easy and painless. She speaks perfect English, is punctual, reliable, well-connected in Cuenca, scrupulously honest, accessible, and is always upbeat and positive. She is a delight to work with on both a personal and a business level, and we and numerous friends who have engaged Maribel highly recommend her! Karl and Brenda Sweetman

Thanks Maribel, Your tour was the best that I have been on since I started going to the International Living conferences. I hope to return the second week of October. Lee Pettay

¡Hola, Maribél!, You are a wonderful ambassador for your country; you made me fall in love with it. Thank you, Maribel for the heartfelt introduction you gave us to Cuenca, it was extraordinary and wonderful! Eric The Eric Berendt Studio

After reading through recommendations on this site we contacted Maribel to help us through the process, and she was extremely helpful with her guidance and involvement. She helped identify other potential alternative properties, provided us with considerations we had not made, and coordinated with the sellers for access to view the properties. Maribel was very responsive, detail oriented, and her communications in English and Spanish helped us navigate the real estate process in Cuenca. Should we be in the position again of purchasing property in Cuenca we would work with Maribel again without hesitation. Darin Anderson