Planning to move to Cuenca

Good for you!!

After looking into everything it will take to ship ones belongings down to there, I made the decision to get rid of almost everything I own.  My situation is different than yours though as I have no kids. 

From what I've read on shipping, the inventory list sounds like the biggest pain.  Sounds like it has to be very detailed and doesn't sound like its something you can hire someone else to do and get good results.  I wouldn't plan on bringing every little thing like dishes, silverware, sheets, blankets, pillows, etc...  omg, that seems like a pain.

I made 5 categories:  store in US, take to Ecuador, sell, donate, throw away.  I have started with whatever is easy decision to sell, donate/throw away.  It's amazing how much falls into the donate and throw away category.  And the more I go, the more I'd rather just donate than take the time and energy to sell.

Regarding shipping, I believe you have 6 months before duty free import of your household goods expires.  I highly recommend storing in US first, then shipping before deadline.  Gives you time on the ground to see what you can and cannot get locally.  Like I'm keeping my Vitamix blender because its awesome and you can't get it locally.  But I'm not going to take a dishwasher even though they are rare down there.  Also, some of your things might be in demand down there and you could sell them later to offset the cost of shipping.  Not that it would be your original intent, but it's a nice little cost saver.

Also, regarding homes down there: 

Be very careful buying a house there.  Most are not built to the same standard as the US and getting someone to give you a good "home inspection" before you purchase is not enough.  I highly suggest adding "Home Inspection" and "Complete Home Repair" books to list of things to bring.  I look at home listings down there and see homes all the time with no p-traps (or weird makeshift ones) under sinks and roofs with no plumbing vent pipes showing.  Unvented drainage plumbing sucks the water out of p-traps making them useless.  So these houses get sewer gas inside them and you breath that.  Redoing plumbing in concrete houses is a real pain.  I'd be very hesitant to buy a fancy place that has false ceilings also.  Cuenca is very prone to mold issues and putting up a nice wood false ceiling is an expedient way to hide a serious issue.

Cuenca is seismically active.  Concrete support columns need to have extra rebar in them due to this.  There is no way to know if they do or not.

If you want to avoid getting gringoed, do your homework and learn as much as you can about plumbing, electrical and concrete masonry.  It gives you more power to negotiate to the true value of the place and it could literally save your life.

Ending on the positive, I do see many great homes and places down there and am so excited to go!

Last,

Facebook Marketplace is your friend!  You can cover a lot of ground looking at homes for sale/rent, vehicles and all kinds of stuff.  Remember, it's nearly all over priced and everything is negotiable in Ecuador.  AirBnB is also a very good option.  Contact the person directly and see if they're interested in short term monthly rental off-books.  Many will give a good discount on 2-3 months stay because it's easy (cash) money they don't have to pay fees on. 

If you don't speak Spanish, your wife is going to be the star of the show and you'll be relying on her heavily.  Myself, I speak very little Spanish and am learning from my friend.  Such a wonderful experience!  We are having such interesting conversations and the dynamics of our friendship is changing in positive ways from it.  We have kinder conversations and really put attention into trying to understand each other as I muddle through my limited vocabulary.  It's often comical and we laugh with each other much more.