It was extremely painful. 

But they are a pain in the butt to deal with.

I totally understand your pain, I have seen since my youth how top tier criminals and crooks ruin the lives of decent people. 

Probably not, but I'd see what my CPA and attorneys have to say.Be a pain having tenants pay you twice too.Also, passive income is already treated pretty favorably after deductions such as depreciation.

Kind of a pain and also both less transparent and less efficient than before, but not drastically different. 

It's a pain in the butt, but at least it's a one time filing. 

And then reality kicks in - the construction was painful - finding decent contractors, inflation, scope creep - all the usual **** made worse by the fact that nothing is particularly easy in costa rica besides ordering cocktails.

And if your investor friend’s private loan helps fill in any gaps, it might be worth considering that short-term pain for long-term stability.What do you think you’d focus on first... paying off that line of credit as fast as possible or jumpstarting the renovation to boost cash flow right away? 

Personally that would be a pain to maintain and do lol

The level of pain you experience evicting someone really depends on the state you live in.