this has been on my mind:
how have you mitigated risk of a loss of lease, leading to loss of your investment?
i don’t see any ideal solution, if a long-term lease is undesirable. but in the absence of a long-term lease, there is exposure or even room for exploitation.
scenario: mom and pop business, salon/spa, purchase and build out of business is tens of thousands (any number you like). if not renewed, then everything is lost. there is no business to sell. it’s impractical to strip and store fixtures, hoping to sell used equipment. leaving the space empty for a couple of years would pay off for a landlord who wanted to pick up a ready-to-run spa.
seems like this is a risk for any small shop that can’t commit to indefinitely renewable lease. what’s a good practice? i suppose you need to discount the apparent value of such a business, before you settle on a purchase price.
Make friends with landlord. I personally have made myself the landlord’s “pet”. I am the place they keep keys to the complex, so if a maintenance company or prospective tenant needs access it saves LL or agent from having to be here every time. Keeping a human relationship whenever possible provides some security and works both ways for LL. YMMV