Ayra

Why Ayra sold out before the first wall went up

Ayra sits on the bank of the Yanuncay River, on the edge of one of Cuenca's quietest residential pockets near Av. Loja and Primero de Mayo. Eleven units: four suites, six two-bedroom apartments, and a single penthouse with two terraces and a view that runs the length of the river. Every one of them sold in three weeks. The developer had not yet broken ground.

The four river-view homes went to people we know. One was a couple relocating from the United States who had been looking with us for more than six months, waiting for the building that ticked every box. One was a returning client, an Ecuadorian who already owns a property we manage for him, and who came back for the penthouse after a single conversation. The other two apartments went to a couple who came to Cuenca on one of our property trips, mostly to work out whether they could trust us before wiring money across a border.

They picked the day of the worst flooding the Yanuncay had seen in years. The same river Ayra overlooks came up over its banks while they were across town with Michelle, watching the water rise. It would have been an easy day to get cold feet. Instead they bought. So did everyone else with a river view, and within three weeks the building was gone.

Today Ayra is under construction, foundations in the ground, and the buyers get a video walkthrough every couple of weeks because the site is on our morning walk. That part matters to us. The building sold on trust, and we would rather keep earning it than take it for granted.