Your pictures aren't doing you any favors.

Now IF you have all those bases covered, my tips are: Take GREAT pictures and for the love of all that is holly please no close ups, wide angel pics.

The picture they have on Zillow vs one of the several I have with the same view:Your pic is better than the PM's pic, but that pic isn't why your unit hasn't rented. 

We eat the first one, thy get a picture of all the glory the plumber pulled out and the second time they get billed.

No sure about that as buyers want to see the finished product and showing them before pictures will often not be well received.That's funny, my wife said the exact same thing about showing them the before pictures. 

A) Lease was older where price quoted in lease doesn’t cover cost of replacement.

Once that's covered, you can go all-in on those fabulous renovations.Effective marketing plays a pivotal role in attracting tenants and increasing property appeal.

- Why didn't the contractor's insurance cover this?

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.

Quote from @Erick Pena: A "good" rental property is one that covers all expenses (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance, property management fees, and any other costs) and still leave a surplus (commonly referred to as cash flow).Calculate cash flow as: Cash Flow = Rental Income − Operating Expenses − DebtThere's much more to it, but that's the basic idea.