You are correct Joseph, nothing is Recession proof, but there is no debating the fact that Self-Storage is more Recession Resistant than all other asset classes.   

I would also look more closely at their employment, is it resistant to the current situation?

We truly believe that this is about as recession resistant of an industry one can be in.

It’s higher risk, which I’m willing to take, simply because I’m investing for the long term (unless there is 5-10x gain in a few weeks/months, which can be very tempting to resist selling).

We've resisted buying videogames for the kids for the longest time but this extended time at home has justified it.

The bent beams have lost most of their strength to resist the soil and water loads against the foundation. 

Fortunately, I have a recession resistant job and quality tenants who are still paying rent despite everything going on.

The lease option is interesting, but I worry since there are already tenants in place how that would muddy the waters, legally, i.e. which "tenant" would the seller be evicting if things went sideways.The hard money loan is an option, just looking at path of least resistance given the current state of affairs and potential for tenants losing their jobs, non-payment of rent, etc.

You know the area the best, you likely have connections, and quite frankly it is the path of least resistance. 

All I can say is I did what I could when I was an appraiser to correct that, but my efforts were futile, just like resisting the Borg.