Selling Securely
in Ecuador 🇪🇨
Buyers demand complete transparency. Any missing or expired document can delay a closing by months. Here's how the legal sales process works — and how BuyEnjoy eliminates risks, delays, and unserious buyers.
15 days
Due diligence, then closing
A fixed, extendable due diligence window after the deposit — no open-ended waiting for a buyer to decide
70 %
Of the penalty to you
If the buyer withdraws without cause after due diligence, a penalty of up to 5 % of the price is retained and 70 % of it goes to you
0
Bad-cheque risk
Funds are verified in a licensed escrow account before signing — no cashier-cheque surprises at the table
Before you list
Document Readiness:
Why It Matters First
In Ecuador, a buyer's attorney will audit every document on this list before the Promise of Sale is signed. A single expired certificate can kill a deal or give the buyer legal grounds to cancel and recover their deposit.
We run this checklist with every seller before a property goes live on our platform — so your listing is deal-ready from day one.
Updated Certificate of Liens (Certificado de Gravámenes) — max 30 days old
Municipal property tax payment receipt — current year
Approved boundary survey (Plano de Subdivisión) matching the registry
Clear title deed (Escritura Pública) in your name or with probate resolved
Water, electricity, and municipal fees up to date
Any pending mortgages or liens officially released in writing
* Certificate validity periods vary by canton. Confirm with your notary or our team.
Legal sale process · Ecuador
The 4-Step Seller's Protocol
What happens at each stage — and how BuyEnjoy reduces the risk at each one.
Step 1
Document Preparation & Clear Title
Many sellers list without realizing they have boundary disputes, errors in the land registry, or that their Certificate of Liens has already expired. Each cantonal registry sets its own validity window for the certificate, and buyers' attorneys reject an expired one instantly — so confirm the window for your canton before you list.
When you join the platform, your property goes through a pre-screening. We connect you with verified notaries if you need to update your title history, lift old mortgages, or resolve an inheritance before listing — so the buyer's due diligence finds nothing to object to.
Step 2
Genuine Offers & the "Promise of Sale"
In Ecuador there's no standard mechanism to vet buyer seriousness upfront. Buyers make offers without the funds to back them, causing weeks — sometimes months — of wasted preparation time for sellers.
When you accept an offer on the platform, the buyer signs the promise of sale and must wire the earnest money to the account of a licensed escrow agent — a buyer without funds simply cannot proceed. If the buyer withdraws without a qualifying defect after the 15-day due diligence, a penalty of up to 5% of the price is retained from the deposit: 70% goes to you (60% when an agent is involved) and the rest to the notary and the platform.
Step 3
Capital Gains Tax & Special Contribution
As the seller, you must pay the municipal tax on the gain (utilidad y plusvalÃa, up to 10% of the profit) before the deed can be signed. This involves the municipal land office and its appraisal — and delays here can push back your closing by weeks or months.
The transaction dashboard shows the full timeline between your buyer and the assigned notary. You will know by which date you need to settle your municipal taxes, and the notary will tell you the exact amount — so a missed deadline never delays your closing.
Step 4
Secure Closing & Fund Release
Exchanging cashier's checks and hoping they clear, or stressful same-day bank transfers at the signing table. Fraud, bounced checks, and last-minute scams remain a real risk in direct peer-to-peer transactions.
The buyer's funds are already verified in the account of a licensed escrow agent before closing. Once the notary attests that the deed was signed, the escrow agent wires the funds to the bank account in your name registered on the platform, following the disbursement instruction both parties signed. No cheques, no cash at the table, and BuyEnjoy itself never holds the money.
Know before you close
Closing Taxes — The Seller's View
Ecuador's selling tax structure is different from the buyer's side. As a seller, your primary obligation is Capital Gains Tax — and it must be settled at the municipality before the notary can execute the deed.
| Tax / Fee | Paid by | Basis | Key detail |
|---|---|---|---|
Utilidad & PlusvalÃa Tax (COOTAD art. 556) | Seller | Up to 10 % of the gain (sale price minus acquisition cost and documented improvements) | Paid to the municipality before the notary executes the deed; the receipt is attached to the deed |
Municipal debts & special betterment levies | Seller | Whatever is outstanding (property tax, water, contribución especial de mejoras) | The notary requires the municipal no-debt certificate (Certificado de No Adeudar) before signing |
Alcabala Transfer Tax | Typically buyer | ~1 % of the higher of price or municipal appraisal | Negotiable — often split 50/50 in practice (COOTAD art. 527) |
Notary Fees | Buyer | Fixed amount per price band + 15 % VAT | Judiciary Council Resolution 216-2017 — e.g. US$850 + VAT from US$150,000 to US$300,000 |
BuyEnjoy Fee | Seller | 5–10 % of the price, negotiated when you accept the offer | Includes the agent's share if one is involved; deducted from your proceeds by the escrow agent. The buyer pays no fee on the price |
Municipal processing
Allow 5–15 business days for the municipal land office (Dirección de Catastros) to calculate and issue your Capital Gains Tax receipt
Appraisal alignment
The municipality uses the official cadastral value, not the market price. If the declared price differs substantially, they may trigger a re-appraisal.
Platform coordination
BuyEnjoy's dashboard shows your tax deadline within the closing timeline, so both parties see it before it becomes a problem.
Seller Intelligence · Ecuador 2026
Transparent documents +
verified buyers close deals.
Sellers who list with a verified title, a clear tax record, and an escrow-backed offer close faster — and walk away with exactly what was agreed. BuyEnjoy was built specifically around this model: verified listings, escrow-secured offers, and a notary network that keeps the timeline on track.
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The Complete
Seller's Pack
A plain-language overview of selling your Ecuador property — what to prepare, who to involve, and how the money moves.
- Documents every seller needs before listing
- How Capital Gains Tax is calculated on a sale
- Why escrow protects you from unserious buyers
- What happens between accepted offer and payment