Your
Cuenca
buyer's agent.
If you've talked to other agents in Cuenca, you know how this usually goes. We built YapaTree to handle it differently. We accept a limited number of buyers at a time. We turn away buyers we can't serve properly.
How most Cuenca property searches actually work.
Almost every real estate agent in Cuenca works for the seller. They earn their commission by selling their own listings (full commission), or by splitting a commission with another listing agent (half commission). That structure has consequences for buyers, even if no one says them out loud.
- You see what your agent is listing, or what is in their referral network. Not the full market.
- Properties where the owner refuses to pay any commission are skipped entirely. Even if one of them is exactly what you want.
- "Negotiation" is shared between two agents whose pay goes up when the price stays high. The incentives are not on your side.
- The legal due diligence is run by people closer to the seller than to you.
None of this is unique to Cuenca. It is how most real estate markets work. We think buyers deserve a different option.
How our buyer's agent service works.
You hire us. We work for you. That single change opens the whole market.
- We search across our own listings, other agencies, exclusive deals, and owners who do not list with anyone. If it is for sale in Cuenca, we will look at it.
- Commission is on our side of the ledger, not the seller's. We have no reason to steer you toward higher prices or properties we happen to list.
- We negotiate with seller-side agents knowing they cannot just split the commission and move on. You get an actual negotiation.
- To our knowledge, no other real estate agency in Cuenca offers this. If we are wrong, we would like to know.
Real estate in Cuenca runs on relationships. You'll have ours.
What we do.
- 01
Full-market search
We look across our own listings, other agencies, exclusive listings, and properties whose owners refuse to pay commission. The whole pool.
- 02
Neighborhood read
An honest take on each Cuenca neighborhood: who lives there, what it costs, what is changing, what to avoid. The Cuenca a tourist would not figure out in a week.
- 03
Price analysis
Comps, recent sales, and asking-vs-closing patterns. For larger deals we coordinate a third-party professional valuation, so the number on the table is defensible rather than our opinion.
- 04
Hard negotiation
We negotiate on price, terms, repairs, and what stays with the property. Because we work for the buyer, our incentive is to push price down, not up.
- 05
Legal due diligence
We coordinate with licensed Ecuadorian attorneys to verify titles, liens, alícuota debts, municipal permits, and any encumbrances before you sign.
- 06
Notaría and closing
We accompany you through the escritura process at the notaría, the final transfer, and the handover of keys. In English or Spanish.
Our fee.
The standard real estate commission in Cuenca is 3% + IVA, paid by the seller to their listing agent. That is the baseline. Our buyer's agent fee is the same, 3% + IVA on the purchase price. Minimum $2,000 + IVA on the smallest deals. Sometimes a small retainer to start work on a search.
On every deal we try first to have the seller's side cover our fee, by splitting the listing commission or by bumping the total. When the seller will only cover part of it (or none), you cover the gap. We tell you the split before you sign anything.
Example math
- Purchase price: $200,000
- Standard seller commission: $6,000 + IVA (3%, paid to the listing agent)
- Our fee as your buyer's agent: $6,000 + IVA (3%)
- Seller's side agrees to share with us: $2,000 + IVA goes to us, listing agent keeps $4,000
- You top up the gap: $4,000 + IVA
Best case: the seller's side absorbs our full fee and your top-up is zero. Worst case: the seller refuses to share, and you pay the full $6,000 + IVA. Most deals fall somewhere in between. We negotiate every one and tell you the math before you commit.
Who you'll work with.
Michelle is from Quito. Jason is from Australia. We moved to Cuenca together nine years ago - for the climate, the cost of living, the parks and rivers, the way the city actually works. We answer the questions new arrivals ask because we asked them first.
We don't vanish after the offer. We sit with you through the 14 documents, the 6 weeks, the 3 notary appearances.
View our current listings.
Our portfolio is a starting point, not the full universe. When you engage us as buyer's agent, we search well beyond it.
Browse our current listings →We don't compete on inventory volume. We compete on which 50 sales a year we're willing to put our names on.
What really made it work was trust, trust, and trust. They performed magnificently.