I'd love to utilize their expertise when assessing a property since they are local but I'm not sure what the general expectation is when I don't have a tangible property and I have not entered into contract to work with them yet.Some questions I have are: local regulations/permitting timeline, property's potential from their perspective, landscaping/amenities cost estimate (they also help facilitate this).

One lender I have spoken with stated that the DCSR loans are not regulated. 

WikipediaPro-business environment: Companies are reluctant to set up operations in cities with burdensome regulations that hinder profitable operations.

One of the concerns would be, how long would this last until regulations catch on?

Prices there tend to be fairly high so make sure the financials make sense to you.If you're going the townhome route, make sure you fully understand the rules and regulations of that particular community.

Problem was it's a common perk for Chinese restaurants to provide lower paid staff with room and board, and without the upstairs apartment, renting an apartment in nearby towns for staff is a problem with rooming house regulations beside a major expense.

For purposes of this Regulation, “apartment building” meansand “apartment house” as defined in LVMC 19.18.020.Effective December 5, 2018, a short-term residential rental may be allowed to operate as a conditional use,provided it meets the following standards:1.

She is insistent on my providing her all of my information so she can verify my information, of which I decline to do but tell her that FL is pretty transparent (unless I have a land trust which I do not) and if she decides to be judge and jury to everyone she should figure out how to actually research appropriately.  

She is absolutely crushing multi and ADU multi in all parts of LA and knows the regulations for all of these options

Where Were the Regulators?