There are more than 16 different types of real estate an investor can exchange in and out of.

Save up as much as you can while educating yourself on the type of property to buy, what location to buy, how to identify a good investment, how to finance an investment, etc.

Short answer is:1) figure out how much you can borrow and your price point2) decide where you want to buy3) decide what type of place you want (duplex, single family, condo, etc). 

I met some people there who were staying in the cheapest type of "rooms" and they basically had a little 2-bedroom apartment all for themselves.

Freedom Loan Services Corporation. 

If it were mine I would replace the roof, including any roof decking underneath the shingles that need to be replaced, and look into the cost of doing a ridge vent at the top.As far as the air conditioning system , you might be replacing a well built heavy duty unit with something that has a much shorter service life and instead of using freon it uses some incredibly expensive chemical . 

If the tiles grouped together have a continuous hairline type crack in it there could be a problem with the installation of the substrate underneath the tiles, simply replacing the tiles isn't going to fix this.What made you decide to inspect a 3.5 year old roof?

It depends on the type of loan you are applying for.

I have a place in Costa Rica that's doing very well and looking for a full amenity type location next.  

Current long term tenants with good rent & equity appreciation What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?