Long distance real estate investing is an option - NYC is historically ahead of the curve when it comes to real estate legislatively and cost-effectively.

Zoning laws and municipal codes are local in character and legislated by a council that is beholden to all of their constituents. 

And Madison has always some extra legislation, so you want to research that too.

@Oscar Tol Because of the relatively new CA statewide AB1482 law, you actually can no longer simply terminate the tenancy of even a month-to-month tenant if they’ve lived in the property for over 12 months unless you 1) fall under an exemption to this law, or 2) have “just cause”.So the first thing you need to do is figure out if either of those two things apply.Here’s some FAQ on AB1482 to help get you started: https://cal-rha.org/legislative/ab-1482/

But not 2-4 unit properties with an ADU, and not on a SFR with multiple ADUs (that's how I know that precisely zero MLOs were involved in the drafting of that landmark California legislation pertaining to ADUs).That guideline could change in 2 or 5 or 15 years, but that's speculation.

Some cities and states have “Breed-Specific Legislation” which makes it legal to exclude certain species or breeds of animals.

Read the fine print on the legislation.

Then, there is the other school of thought that you should invest in areas where there is decades long history of being a vacation/resort spot so that legislation is not likely to restrict renting in the future.With everything that has happened this year I would like to choose a market where this risk is lower.

Not too mention it would take a ton of money to get into one rental property, and the local legislation & taxes are not at all favorable of landlords. 

Seattle is the first city to enact such legislation and they are currently being sued.