Tenants move as necessitated by life and have no regard for a lease.

@Cal EwingIf you are trying to grow the U.S.A. side of your business, you will most probably want to retain earnings in-country and not be forced to repatriate them back to Canada - the currency exchange back and forth would only line the pockets of the FX folks and the additional taxable events will only make the IRS and CRA happy.To do this requires some form of entity in the U.S.A. and will necessitate filing taxes there.  

Although the stock market can be pretty speculative, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are a way to get involved in additional real estate investing without necessitating additional loans and down payments, of course it is important to save up enough to buy in a lump sum that keeps your cost basis low even with the addition of a commission. 

That said, in many jurisdictions there are specific circumstances where you can terminate leases prematurely, examples are if you, or an immediate family member, are going to make a unit/property your primary residence; if a substantial renovation is to be undertaken which necessitates the property or unit be vacate; or if the building is to be demolished.I am not certain if BC permits termination of leases under such circumstances.This property is in a desirable area, but is none-the-less overpriced whether you were planning to reconfigure it or replace it.

You could try the double close as noted above, but that necessitates the funding to close.Alternatively, try to find an agent that doesn't mind using the non-standard contract.

I'm guessing that would necessitate a lift for the sewer???

I find claims like "How To Make Your Phone Ring Off The Hook With Lenders," laughable.Not only laughable but would pretty much necessitate breaking the law to do it.

If it were the second, I'd raise the ceiling height ... if it was raised originally then it may be a simple manner of removing the drop ceiling without the need for major reframing, although there may be some other stuff like electric, plumbing, HVAC that may have necessitated the drop ceiling in the first place that may need to be rerouted into the walls or a soffit or something like that.

Short term OF Ballon payments would also necessitate a serious review of your exit strategies!!!

His loss.I am not about to sign anything like that until I know that I want to work with this person long-term, and even then, I would hope that the relationship I establish would not necessitate such an agreement.