Both of these options are costly and time consuming.  

@Will FraserIn my year+ of feverishly consuming podcasts, books, and forum posts on REI, I don't ever remember someone bringing up the possibility of a retainer.

If you have the funds to tie up the property and obtain the entitlements which can be very costly and time consuming that is something of value.

Consume and much as you want and start taking actions. 

I have worked with both Arbor Financial and Consumers credit union and had good experiences with both.

It's rare but you could reframe the opening but that's more expensive and time consuming.  

They absolutely "transfer", AKA survive a foreclosure sale if the lease is between the previous homeowner and a consumer tenant.

My sister and I tried offering on a number of properties in the Oakland/East Bay area but were outbid, and even with renting by the rooms, just wouldn't make a healthy enough ROI with our limited capital. 

You can build a healthy business with only 6-10 buyers, as long as they are actively buying/closing and have specific criteria.

As you know this economy is based on the consumers behavior which clearly affects every part of the economy as a whole.