I think Miami Beach and all cities should be very tough on short-term rentals, but allow it to those who manage the property well as a fulltime BnB, not within an apartment or condo complex that's mostly residential, or in an area where having a lot of people coming in and out wouldn't affect the neighbors.

A family member is a foreign person (foreign national living outside the US) and he owns real-estate in New York City.

Can't see getting one off the streets. 

City codes prevent me from, say, converting a house garage into a dance/commercial video studio. -- Short/medium term low cost of living and long term passive income.--  Pursue art full time within the next 3-7 years. 

I wouldn't make all the toilets 0.8 gpf since there are concerns with not using enough water when flushing sewage all the way down older cast iron pipes to reach the street although it is rare to hear about.

Ask them if they are looking to sell that old house on XX street.

Then find "boots on the ground in SJ" who know the city ... in the interim, feel free to bounce any seriously considered deals off me.As a long-distance investor, I would strongly recommend you stay away from Indian Town (North end) .. there are a lot of "cheap" buildings there, but the prospects for the area are muted.

I ask because I talked to a realtor form my area and was told there are none in our area and I’d have to travel north or south to the cities to find them.

I am a fellow investor in the city of Chicago! 

I have read different requirements in different City PDFs.