Or even the benefits/cons of that relationship being long term?

A couple reasons for this include:US Territory:As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico enjoys unique benefits not shared by its fellow Caribbean islands.  

While the obvious caveat to this is a slightly higher purchase price (if you choose to do so), there are a variety of benefits to this strategy as well, such as:- The idea of getting a Lump Sum Payday (from the bank) AND a steady stream of Passive Income from you as an investor for the downpayment is incentivizing to most. - If the seller is desperate to close (due to health issues, family problems, liens, etc.), they may agree to Seller Finance the small amount in order to ensure the deal makes it to the closing table. - You're minimizing how much is coming out of pocket when closing arrives. 

I realize the benefits of investing in real estate and would like to get started as early as possible.

It sounds like you'll be benefitting from your VA loan as much as and creating new cashflow in the process.

Until that happens, I will keep enjoying the benefits of a marketing channel that works.

It takes patience and its not very sexy, but you can have BIG long term benefits. 

Yes, it's a benefit for me as well, but it's an opportunity for them to put lazy cash to work.

Does this counteract the liability benefits of using an LLC in the first place?

The prop. taxes increase because of increased benefits, social programs and costs to operate the city/schools.