Quote from @Derrick Lewis: I looked up NY state law just for fun and found a good list of recommended practices.

This is how we are supposed to do that here in Florida, per law.

They are above the law lol..

I took two business law courses in college. 

Off-market deals are key if you go this route, so networking is huge.Out-of-state investing is another option people love, especially in markets like PA (Philly, Scranton) or even down south where prices are lower, and the landlord-tenant laws are more forgiving.

The deal was legit, the sponsor was honest, all laws were complied with, the deal didn’t work as planned.  2.

So if, for whatever reason, laws change and you can't rent it out on Airbnb, etc, it still cash flows if you need to rent it out to a traditional long-term tenant. 

Laws have changed a lot in the last ten years.

They were a law firm who hunts class action suits to go against companies. 

You can often look online for the county/city zoning map, parcel info, and zoning laws.