Stewart Title here in SA will be your best bet 

Of course, this is just my opinion but I bet I'm not alone..If I'm an investor, I think the returns you're able to achieve in Costa Rica are higher than normal because you focus on these large properties and, as @Martin D. mentioned, prices in that country are too high and returns too low.

My parents have been very involved in the purchasing process- touring the property with me, etc.

I’ve been in the community for just over a year and a half, been involved in probably a dozen deals, and still feel like a newbie at times.

You are asking legal questions and your best bet would be a quick consultation with a knowledgeable real estate attorney in your state.

With my background in law, currently studying in Indonesia, and my experience as a real estate agent, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities and legal considerations involved in such investments.

I decided that if I am to do this and put up with it I would get more involved with system to get a better understanding of their mind set.

I’m a beginning investor and am trying to wrap my head around the tax benefits involved with real estate.  

Long term rentals are unattractive in CA imo especially since you can earn a lot more with different rental strategies even doing mid term rentals will still probably be more profitable than doing a long term rental.As far as hiring a contractor or bringing in subs for each item that will come down to how much you want to be involved, you'll save money finding and subbing out individual jobs but it will take you longer and you will need to manage everyone you hire and contract to do business with whereas a contractor will manage all that for you but there will be a premium put onto the price obviously for that. 

While previous offers were rejected, this latest proposal has prompted the company to reassess its options.In conjunction with these closures, Seven & I has announced a $520 million sale-leaseback transaction involving several 7-Eleven locations and plans to create a spinoff for its non-convenience store operations.