I actually have mentored people for 1/100th of that cost.  As

Bay Area conventional loan limits, below which normal Fannie/Freddie rules can (1) apply:- SFR: $636,150- Duplex: $814,500- Triplex: $984,525- Fourplex: $1,223,475 Counties considered Bay Area by the mortgage industry (2):Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa ClaraCounties that the mortgage industry does NOT consider to be part of the Bay Area, with lower loan limits (3):Solano, Sonoma.(1) Sometimes, when "jumbo" is more advantageous, we will do them as "jumbo" even if below these limits. (2) Actually, the official terms are that these are "high cost of living" counties where "high balance" Fannie/Freddie loans are available.(3) There are a lot of other counties with lower loan limits in California.

Cost: a few lunches Go to every real estate investment group meeting in Austin.

Those deals look great on paper, but empty houses produce a negative ROI... regardless of what the wholesalers proforma said.Good homes in good neighborhoods with good tenants being proactively managed by an experienced property manager will protect you from a lot of risks... and all of those risks cost a lot more money than the extra $10k-$20k you could have spent on a better property or the few hundred dollars a year spent on a better property manager.

Is there an upfront cost as well as well as a monthly premium?

I didn't feel any less safe there than I do when traveling in Costa Rica. 

You wont be able to get it done at the same cost as a builder.

Anyone have any advice on investing in Costa Rica?

When you figure cash on cash make sure you consider closing ang lender cost as well as capex reserves.Lastly, what is the market occupancy and is this calculated in?

I think they are actually worse quality than the Ikea's, but cost a more.