I've found options in Costa Rica, but rates are in the 10% range.Does anyone have any experience or guidance on obtaining a mortgage equivalent to purchasing a 2nd home in the US?

Most agents paying for leads are inexperienced, which is why they need to pay for leads.Look for an agent with a minimum of 15 years of active experience.

When I ask for clarification, I only get vague responses.I’d really like to hear if others have gone through similar experiences with AppFolio.

@Stephen FlemingFrom my experience working with over 400 investors, your strategy of leveraging a low mortgage rate, tapping into home equity, and diversifying with a short-term rental (STR) in Northern Michigan is well thought out.

Working with a property manager will give you a lot of hands-on experience in the day-to-day of managing properties. 

Within my 20 years of experience, Theodore, it's great to see proactive agents like yourself getting out there!

My piece of advice would be to make sure you have a great agent in your corner to help you assess the market, make informed decisions, etc. having a good agent can be day & nights difference when it comes to your experience.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Based on my experience of running properties, even if the build were to cost you as much as $600k but you could generate $125k/year, you'd be very happy with that investment. 

In most cases, I don't recommend renting out your primary residence especially if you have no rental experience and that is because usually your primary residence was bought without the idea of renting it out.