And then the cities that aren't banning it, some have ended up putting restrictions on how much you can do it, etc.

The good is that it frees you from geographic restrictions, the bad is that there is no in person networking. 

I am aware of the VHR restrictions in SLT so our search is limited to the county and the Nevada side.

I didn’t have to deal with some of the restrictions that loan comes with, and no PMI!.

The Declaration further restricts certain “commercial vehicles.”

There aren't laws against it but the HOA may have restrictions in their by-laws.

Plus rules change and they may ban or restrict rentals and some condos are poorly run.

What are the restrictions and procedures? 

Once the restrictions lifted we had a mass influx of people driving here from Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem.

If your in NY a townhome is normal, however in the suburbs of Columbus OH the desirability is not as much.Generally speaking though there is more restriction with townhomes as far as renovating, HOA costs, and such.