But that is just a personal opinion based on personal experience with government tenants in California.

Of all European cultures, the Greeks seem to have the most pronounced tendency for this, which is why I think I've spent so much of my life battling that feeling in myself. 

Yes, they can stop you from replacing any old homes in parks; even "gradfathered" parks if the local government wants no more parks. 

Problem is that European countries like Portugal and Spain are following (or preceding) the negative STR regulations that you find in more and more places in North America.

Multifamily is the only CRE asset class where the government actively subsidizes the cost of capital via "the agencies" (Freddie / Fannie / HUD). 

I'm not familiar with how European real estate transactions work but personally know I would feel a lot better if there was a third party involved holding the money

The government takes more than I spend on myself every year. 

If it were that out of line with reality, the government wouldn't back loans on this basis.

This is a good punch-list that all investors should use, not just new or inexperienced.New Western is a wholesale mill for sure, but they also use licensed agents to complete their transactions, who are governed by state license law. 

@Tom Gimer  heck of a stretch of an argument…regulating commerce which IS specifically mentioned in the constitution as a government function doesn’t fall under any of those categories.