I don't think real estate is their normal business (they may think I own a brick-and-mortar store). 

It is available here under the store tab.

If your local laws  say you must store his property, you can send him a message stating you want his release to throw away anything left.

For financing, am I on the right track with who I've talked to already, or do I need be someone who throws leverage to the wind and simply keep a fat wad of cash for PP+Rehab costs in my bank account until it's time to use and simply skip financing all together?

Not exactly sure where you're at in your journey, but some things I would recommend are:Read Brandon Turner's book on Rental Property Investing https://www.biggerpockets.com/store/rental-investing-digitalRead David Greene's book on long distance investing https://www.biggerpockets.com/store/long-distance-real-estate-investing-ebookListen to the BP Real Estate podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastListen to the BP money podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshowAttend your local REIA meetings to networkStart analyzing deals to get practice running the numbersKeep engaging on the BP forums and make connections!

@Margaret Webb go to the STORE icon on the  very top of the BP webpage , hover over it and on the far right there is "Real Estate Forms" under neath that is Lease Agreement Package the rest I am sure you can figure out (GR8 resource!) 

There are some pics here https://www.csiministorage.com/Richmond-California/94801/275I have a lot in Richmond and my brother in law is putting a container on it to store his construction equipment..

I also don't want to have to maintain a mower, edger, hoses, and other equipment or figure out where to store it.

We obtained tap fee estimates for $45k for water and $45k for sewer)Inspection Period Deadline: Oct 8Closing Deadline: Oct 15Assignment Fee: $50,000Earnest Deposit: $11,000MSA: Fayetteville MSA (376k population; $111k median home price; 13% vacant housing; $1,100 3-bed apartment rents)Located less than 10 miles from two Walmart Supercenters, a Walmart Distribution Center, and is near McDonald’s (0.1 miles), Food Lion Grocery Store (0.1 miles), Gray’s Creek High School (4.9 miles), and Cape Fear Valley Medical Center (11.0 miles).

Hello, all,I recently purchased a 4-unit property in Yonkers (3 residential and 1 store).