This is where we start. The obvious first step in building a home is figuring out where the hell you are going to put it. Our ideal land was at least a hectare (2.5 acres/ 10,000m²) in size, relatively flat, 30-45 minutes outside of Cuenca, and most importantly, affordable. We had a million more preferences when it came to land, but decided that these four points were the requirement when starting the search.

That search started right around the first of the year, 2024. Andrea and I would search Facebook marketplace every day for a few minutes to see what was available and become more familiar with pricing. Eventually, the Facebook algorithm caught up and we were inundated with new land postings every time we opened Facebook. I realized quickly, I needed a system to collate and track information about each piece of land, like location, what services were available, prices, and contact information. We tried to see at least 2 pieces of land a week, and we did this for months.

This process became exhausting very quickly. Every piece of land we went to see would be perfect in every way, except for one glaring short-coming, that would render it impractical for us. It would be beautiful and affordable, but 2 hours outside of the city. Often there wouldn’t be an easy way to get water or electricity to the site. Or it would have all the amenities but, the bulk of the land was 60 degrees vertical up a mountain. Or, most commonly, it would have everything we wanted but come along with a per square meter price that made it unobtainable.

Until, one Friday morning at the beginning of April, Andrea and I were hanging out with my mom at her rental home reviewing pieces of land. She sent me a link to a piece of land that popped up in her Facebook feed. It was located in a very small town called Villaflor, about an hour outside of Cuenca. It was also located about 25 minutes away from a town called Paute. Paute was another small town, much bigger than Villaflor but a fraction the size of Cuenca, that Andrea and I enjoyed visiting on the weekends. She was quite encouraged by the listing, but was also just getting over a bad illness. So, I suggested that we wait through the weekend until she felt better; we could arrange to see the land at the beginning of the next week. Thankfully, my ever-brilliant wife said, “No. I really think we need to call and see this land as soon as possible.”

And that is how we (read: my wife) found Villaflor. Andrea arranged for us to see the land the next morning. We walked the boundaries with the owner, discussed the availability of utilities and surrounding land, and negotiated a deal that worked for both parties, all on site. Two hours after arriving to Villaflor for the first time, we left as land-owners. And, just in time as other potential buyers were starting to arrive.