Park Place Communities, LLC etc.) are created in Wyoming (and the address is a registered agent).

It's not ideal, because they do have a budget price to adhere to.

I'm an agent in addition to being an investor.  

You'll want to have an insurance agent familiar with rentals since a lot of the extras on your coverage that you will want, the average insurance agent won't know to give you. 

While it will likely give you more confidence and answer a lot of questions, I would say that talking to a seasoned investor, or even agent that works with investors, is a way better idea than spending 8K on something that you don't know too much about, especially before your first deal is done.

I'm a licensed RE agent, contractor, and investor. 

I am BP's Premiere Featured Agent for the WMass area.

I'd also recommend finding an investor-focused agent in that market, sharing with them your buy criteria, and then having them set you up with an email list for properties that get listed. 

Plus, if you'd like to connect and talk marketing/sales happy to do coffee or something.Also, there are tons of Facebook groups for Chicago real estate.Lastly, just doing some 1:1 networking with lenders, agents, and architects is something we focus heavily on.

Real estate agents are not highly regulated in Costa Rica as opposed to North America.