Self Storage Income

AI has changed everything about self storage investing . Not just for the REITs , but for the “small” self storage investor , too—the operator who owns just one or two self storage facilities . It’s so revolutionary that investors who dismiss it as the latest “tech trend” are at serious risk of becoming obsolete. My self storage business saved $1,000,000 in the last year alone by deploying AI thro...

You’re inches away from buying your first self storage facility . This is where 99% of new investors get stuck. They run the numbers, come up with an offer that works, and…freeze. They wait too long to send the offer, get too nervous , and weeks later see that same facility sold for even less than they were offering. Get out of your own way— this is how you make an offer on your first self storage...

The next three years will make or break self storage investors . This isn’t hyperbole. The self storage industry is shifting, and the biggest players—like Public Storage and Extra Space Storage —are telling us exactly what’s about to happen. Their 2026 playbook is all about locking in fixed-rate debt, moving away from variable-rate debt, and lending to private operators in distress. On the surface...

There’s a massive lie floating around the self storage industry : that it’s passive. It’s not. But it’s so worth it. And self storage isn’t your average active investment either. It’s a full-fledged business with income, expenses, overhead, marketing , and more. Even self storage facilities that are remotely managed require boots on the ground, fine-tuned systems and processes, and the means to tr...

Self storage deals just keep getting better in 2026 —or at least that’s what people keep saying. We’re seeing a few major shifts throughout the self storage industry . First, transactions are up. Sellers are finally accepting reality , slashing prices, and taking lower offers. Frank DeSalvo , managing director of self storage investment sales at Franklin Street, is seeing self storage facilities s...

You want to buy a self storage facility , but you don’t know where to find one, or how to analyze one, or even where to begin . You’re in luck because today, we’re showing you exactly how to analyze a self storage facility , step by step. We break down the entire process, from creating your buy box , finding listings, and reviewing offering memorandums (OMs) to evaluating markets and analyzing com...

People think you need millions to get started in self storage . You don’t. You’re about to hear about someone who just bought a self storage facility for less than a single-family home . And not only that—they put just $5,000 down . Now, rather than dealing with tenants and toilets, they’re getting a 42-unit self storage business that provides immediate cash flow and offers serious value-add poten...

Self storage was never part of Tanner Herget’s plan. He started as a customer, renting a unit for his restaurant equipment. A year later, he bought the self storage facility . That property had 180 units. Today, it has 460. And that was just his first deal. Since then, Tanner has tightened his buy box , refined his investing strategy , and scaled his self storage portfolio to 13 facilities and ove...

Self storage businesses beat most other investments, and it’s not even close. Wherever you’re thinking about parking your money—whether it be rental properties, the stock market, or service-based businesses —the truth is, self storage has the edge over all of them . Most investors look at other businesses and see low startup costs and flexibility , and they’re not wrong. But what they’re missing i...

The self storage industry has a glaring “blind spot,” and it’s much bigger than you think . In fact, it represents over 19,000 self storage facilities spanning 98% of U.S. cities . The REITs? The larger players? They’re not doing anything about it. They can’t . But for you, the new or “smaller” self storage investor ? You are uniquely positioned to take advantage of massive opportunities , the lik...

We survived 2008 , the pandemic, high interest rates , and now a wildly volatile economy—but it’s not the same for other self storage owners. I’ve been getting calls over the last 6 months from operators losing their facilities , trying to restructure, and get out. They’ll lose money, lose their properties, and most likely lose the relationships with their banks, lenders, or investors.   This...

Your self storage business isn’t struggling because your vacancy rate has slowly crept up or because your rents are too high . What’s actually going on? It’s simple: you have a self storage demand problem . Everyone thinks demand is outside of their control—that it’s completely dependent on the market, competition, and rates . But it’s not. The truth is, you have far more control over demand for y...

Want to increase not just your self storage revenue , but also your facility’s value ? It has very little to do with luck, timing, or even the deal itself. It’s all about the levers you pull after closing. With rental properties, stocks, and other investments, you have almost no control over what the market does. But with self storage investing ? You’re in the driver’s seat. You have the ability t...

Before you buy your first self storage investment , you’ll need to figure out where to buy . But in a country with over 10,000 different cities, just picking wherever you find a deal won’t cut it.   Today, we’re showing you exactly how to find the best self storage market for you —and it may be closer than you think. This is the checklist we use when analyzing any area for self storage invest...

There are three crucial things every self storage investor must pay attention to when building their portfolio. These are the things that helped me scale a $300M+ self storage business and grow through the Great Recession, the pandemic lockdowns, and every downturn and upturn in between.    If you get these three things right , you will be successful in self storage . Even better news? T...

The biggest threat to your self storage revenue isn’t your market, customers, or the asset itself. It’s you. In the wake of the 2008 Great Financial Crisis, I developed a simple yet powerful framework for mastering operations , unlocking hidden revenue, and increasing valuation . And in today’s market cycle, it’s just as relevant as it was back then. At its core, it all comes down to how you view...

The mistake you’re about to make could sink your self storage deal . We’ve been there many times before. We’ve been too aggressive with our numbers , cut corners on due diligence , and lost money . Thankfully, you don’t have to make these same mistakes. Conner and George are shining a light on the biggest red flags and pitfalls that catch self storage investors by surprise and, in some cases, leav...

This is how to start investing in self storage , right now.  In under 25 minutes, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to go from no self storage investments to your first one . Everything from building your “buy box” to finding the deals with upside potential, financing , due diligence , increasing revenue , and repeating it to build an entire portfolio.  None of the steps I’m shar...

Ever wonder how self storage investors get their hands on enough capital to purchase not just one, or two, but several self storage facilities ? The truth is that many of them bring very little of their own cash to the table . Why? Because self storage isn’t just another high-risk investment or business venture . It’s an opportunity . An opportunity to make steady (and passive) returns, allocate m...

This is how to run a storage business successfully if you’re starting from scratch .  Closing on your first self storage investment is a big deal—but it comes with a lot of questions: What management software should I use? What types of locks are best? How do I track competitor prices? How do I handle the auction and lien process if someone doesn’t pay?  It’s easy to get overwhelmed and...

The self storage industry is often described as one of the safest asset classes in commercial real estate. Low default rates . Recession-proof demand. An industry that rarely goes out of business . Only a fraction of a percentage of owners ever get foreclosed on.   That story is a lie.   You’ve heard it before. You’ve probably said it to other investors, your friends, and family when the...

Is your self storage business bleeding money? Most facilities are. For every investor who’s actually building wealth with self storage , there’s another investor down the road who checks in once a month or neglects their property entirely. And if you’re acquiring one of these facilities, you have a unique opportunity to improve it on day one . Unlike investing in the stock market, where the busine...

An entire generation is disappearing , and it’s going to shake more than just the self storage industry . For years, we’ve been hearing about a “silver tsunami,” when baby boomers leave the workforce and start passing on their assets to the next generation of investors. But there’s another layer to this that people aren’t talking about, and it’s going to create a ripple effect throughout the U.S....

Self storage is boring . You rent out metal boxes , tenants pay you to use them , and hopefully, you make a profit . But today’s guest is turning it into one of the most exciting asset classes with technology that streamlines operations and improves the customer experience in ways that weren’t possible until now. The best part? Investors are slashing their overhead costs by up to 10%, giving them...

Self storage analysis is a guessing game . Or at least, it was.  But everything has changed . In this episode, Noah Starr, CEO of TractIQ, returns with an announcement that fundamentally changes the way we find and buy self storage deals . For years, an investor’s biggest advantage wasn’t having a ton of capital or mastering operations . It was information . And with everyone being overly pro...