Foundation issues are very very real there and can really destroy returns if not careful.  

It allows us to be picky on who we rent to and pass on those who would seem to be PITA or a risk for not taking care of the place.

If you care at all about your future in investing, you need to ask the tenant to rehome them or for her to move.

Of course another reason is to make sure my family is taken care of.

it is technically a real thing but very rare, and there is plenty of historical data out there that shows those who have less skin in the game are at a far greater risk of default by a factor of 5-7x.

You need to find people who love Costa Rica and would love to own a property there but are hesitant to buy a property on their own where they will need to manage it, and take care of it, and pay for the maintenance and any other fees associated with it.  

If you do say South Korea it’s a fast process because the above type issues are already taken care of.6.  

So I require skin in the game (average is 5% to 15%) to offset this.

We all know what goes on in bathrooms and what kind of extra care they need.

Also, check the delivery options carefully since these machines can be bulky.