. $50/month does not justify the effort/risk.The 50% rule is way too aggressive at this rent point.  

It makes the property more attractive to students and can justify slightly higher rent.

This is because they're much more expensive than other countries in the region and, unlike in some other countries in the region Costa Rica doesn't have the mass tourism needed to get you the rental income that would justify those prices.This being said, it shouldn't be hard for you to break even though since all you'd need to do for that is cover your costs.

Once you’ve made the improvements to your property, you should have the receipts to justify the cost of all newly added items.

@Mike Beer, after being in Raise Masters TWO DAYS, I was able to instantly justify the annual membership fee and then some.

thanks for helping justify my decision to stay with Stessa.  

In your case, it sounds like a similar story.. you identified a property with potential, tackled the structural work, and brought it back to life in a way that justifies a higher price.

As a PM I can justify the cost of this software, if I was self managing 1-2 units I likely would not. 

My first question is do I pick a good, better, best system that costs from less to more $$ and do I justify the more expensive energy efficient system to grab a little higher rents since tenants will save money.

Fees should be clearly stated in writing, easy to understand, and justifiable.