Looking for in country contacts banks, agents, contractors, recommended areas, etc to prep for a productive visit.  

If you aren't going to be living in CR full time as you try to execute the deal I do not think it is physically possible for you to obtain a loan from Scotia Bank and not worth your time to try because the rates are so high. 

For value add you need to buy deep, have reputable contractors, and understand different financing products + creative finance.  

However, if you intend to work with a hard money lender or utilize a short-term loan product, you're on the clock for repayment, which can be stressful if things go sideways. 

I would suggest going to the find a lender tab here on bigger pockets to find a local lender who has the same products. 

Two, you'll have a much easier time obtaining a mortgage product if you have a track record of W2 income.In the meantime, continue implementing the strategies you mentioned: save religiously, build your credit, pay any existing debt owed, etc.

Curious how this will play out in the courts (granted it's LTR) and affect pricing products used for STR such as PriceLabs (which I use but have to seriously manually adjust for very specific reasons).

The letter with a family photo would be a great product.

I'm hopeful we can find more productive ways with less red tape in the future outside of LIHTC leveraging technology since standard construction really could use an overhaul.  

We have a commercial 30Y fixed DSCR product that may work for you.