The buyer agreed to cover the cost of the new appraisal, which came in significantly above the purchase price.

Its pretty awesome (BTW, I am not affiliated with FUB, just a passionate users)You can capture all the homeowner demographics along with associated relationships and information - pictures, files, emails, notes, calls, text, etc.You can have a team number(s) at no addition costs (we use it to lead generate for different states and can be configured to round-robin. 

If you sell your property, the tax basis (original cost) of the property for the giver becomes the tax basis for the recipient.

There was a learning curve about investing in Costa Rica and the costs associated with it and financing and everything else.  

My duplex - built 1989, 2,060 sf, 2 bed/bath, 1 year old roof, value if I subdivide (county already approved) and sell each separately $150k each ($300k total)Investor duplex - built 1995, 2,300 sf, 2 bed/bath, 5 year old roof, value around $310kThe investors initial request was for an equal trade and they would pay realtor fees, which I replied wouldn't be equal due to buying/selling costs (recording fees, title insurance, closing fee, survey, inspections, loan fees, 1031 fees, accountant fees, repairs), taxes would increase due to new sale price, I'd trade a 3.75% mortgage for a higher one, and I'm on the 10th year of a 30 year loan so resetting that to a new loan would restart amortization and pay more towards interest.

I can't get the sense for the cost of their "Stage 2" service and they won't disclose it.

I don't think you will find it, but if you do, it'll cost ya.It sounds like an amazing house hack if you can move your life around to make it your primary (and the financing will get MUCH easier).

I will say, short term rentals require a bit more work, and if you are moving out of state, you may want to take a look into getting a property manager ( take that cost into account when running the numbers ).I hope that helps, reach out if you have any more questions. 

(It’s multi-family but not entirely stabilized.)Rehab Costs: How much should I budget for bringing vacant units to market-ready condition?

They will have additional costs for mailing & online campaigns to get leads.