Hi Robin – I live in Salinas, on the southern coast. Basically, everything south of Manta is fine after April’s earthquake. Damage in this area was minimal, and quickly repaired. Manta itself has made great progress, but still has areas to be cleared and rebuilt. Its infrastructure is in place, stores and hotels are open, airport functioning, etc. The little village of Crucita, just north of Manta, did not get much damage either, and is fully up and running – I’ve talked to people who just moved there, in fact.
As you move north, there are areas more strongly affected that will be a while recovering, such as Bahia. However, smaller villages that had mostly bamboo and wood construction bounced back quickly. Major roads and bridges are open, and we have neighbors who are in Canoa right now on a little break.
The biggest problems the northern areas still face is clearing rubble and rebuilding, especially in more remote areas. Most services are back online in the affected areas, but losing the hospital in Bahia affects a large area, for example.
There are of course many properties for sale now, and some at very low prices. You should be aware though that it is very hard to predict how long it will take for everything north of Manta to be back at pre-April conditions, so investment in many areas carries a lot of risks. There has been little affect on the market in the southern beaches. We have a lot of property for sale or rent, with new buildings and communities in development. Tourism is down, but that has been partly offset by people moving from the northern beaches to the southern.
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