What is Your Question?

How to Get Started in Self Storage

Self Storage Investing – 3 Ways to Start

You can get started  in Self Storage Investing as:

  1. Owner of a facility
  2. Investor with equity position
  3. Private money lender

Which is right for you will depend on your personal goals, financial position and resources.  Most important, if participating in the lucrative, profit escalating self storage industry is a REAL goal, you will find a way to get started.

Self Storage Ownership – Buying your 1st Facility

Self Storage InvestingThe fastest way to become an owner is to buy an existing facility.  Finding the right self storage facility can be a challenge; however, recognizing a good investment an even bigger challenge.  Many will experience great surprise when counting the number of zeros on the purchase price.  Then too, have you ever seen a really beautiful self storage facility.  They are practical and not the most glamorous type of real estate investing.  Yet, there is high market demand for storage facilities.  With the right kind of management, good location and an effective marketing plan they can become a million dollar business.  This is an industry still controlled by Mom & Pop operations.  There are big REIT’s; however, very few and currently they are without a market monopoly.  This is the right time to become a self storage business owner.

If you have concerns or are someone that needs good education before jumping into a new adventure, we highly recommend Scott Meyers, www.selfstorageinvesting.com.  We are graduates of his program and continue to participate in ongoing mentorship and events.  The networking among participants is outstanding in making deals happen. —- PS:  We are not earning any $’s by referring Scott’s program.  We know it works for those with a strong desire to succeed and who are willing to set goals and work to attain them.

Investor Opportunities

One of the huge benefits of joining Scott Meyers’ program is meeting other individuals who are researching and analyzing self-storage investment opportunities.  These relationships have provided a way for investing in self storage facilities through team participation.  An investors becomes a team member holding an equity position without the responsibilities of management.  Someone else on the team takes care of the management and day-to-day operations of the self storage facility.  This has afforded a way to reap the benefits of self storage investing anywhere in the United States.  To find out how you might participate in our investor opportunities, please complete our Investor Information Request form.

Become a Private Money Lender

Self Directed Retirement Plans | Take Control of Your IRA Private money lenders are those who want a faster return on their money with higher interest rate than most other types of investments.  They loan us money for the purchase of facilities acting as our bank.  Private money lending combined with self directed retirement plans is one way many are taking control of their financial futures.  If you want to know more about this, please contact Rick Pendykoski at
 Self Directed Retirement Plans LLC.

If you have any other questions, concerns or comments, please contact us.

Facts & Stats – Self Storage

The self storage industry in the United States generated $27.2 Billion in annual U.S. revenues (2014). The industry has been the fastest growing segment of the commercial real estate industry over the last 40 years and has been considered by Wall Street analysts to be “recession resistant” based on its performance since the economic recession of September, 2008. The industry pays more than $3.25 billion each year in local and state property taxes. — from Self Storage Association, national organization of self storage owners, developers and industry vendors

2015-16 SELF STORAGE INDUSTRY FACT SHEET  (as of 07/01/2015)

  • The self storage industry has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the United States commercial real estate industry over the period of the last 40 years
  • There are now over 48,500 “primary” self storage facilities in the United States as of year-end 2014; another 4,000 are “secondary” facilities (“primary” means that self storage is the “primary” source of business revenue – US Census Bureau)
  • There are approximately 60,000 self storage facilities worldwide as of Q2 – 2015; there are more than 3,000 in Canada and more than 1,000 in Australia.
  • Total self storage rentable space in the US is roughly 2.5 billion square feet [more than 210 million square meters].  That figure represents more than 78 square miles of rentable self storage space, under roof – or an area well more than 3 times the size of Manhattan Island (NY)
  • U.S. self storage facilities pay a total of more than $3.25 billion in property taxes to local government  jurisdictions.
  • The distribution of U.S. self storage facilities (Q2-2015) is as follows:  32% urban, 52% suburban and 16% rural.
  • The average revenue per square foot varies from facility to facility; however, here are the data for Q2 2015:  $1.25 PSF for a non-climate controlled 10 x 10 unit and $1.60 PSF for a climate controlled 10 x 10 unit.
  • Occupancy rates for self storage facilities as of Q2 2015 were 90% (percentage of units rented per facility) up from 86.8% at year-end 2013.
  • In fact, about 9.5% of all American households currently rent a self storage unit (10.85 million of the 113.3 million US HHs in 2013; that has increased from 1 in 17 US HHs (6%) in 1995 (20 years ago).
  • U.S. self storage facilities employed more than 170,000 persons, or an average of 3.5 employees per facility.
  • The average (mean) size of a “primary” self storage facility in the US is approximately 56,900 square feet.
  • Of over 10,000 facilities surveyed, approximately 6,000 are single-story facilities and approximately 4,000 are multi-story facilities.
  • Of over 10,000 facilities surveyed, the mean facility size is 546 units and the median facility size is 517 units.
  • Of over 10,000 facilities surveyed, 18.7% offer Boat / RV parking and/or storage.
  • Of over 10,000 facilities surveyed, 31% offer truck rental.
  • The top-6 self storage companies, including 5 real estate investment trusts (Public Storage, Extra Space, National Storage Affiliates Trust, Sovran and CubeSmart) plus U-Haul (a public company / non-REIT), own, operate and/or manage some 5,800 self storage facilities, or about 12% of all US facilities.  Several public companies are now offering third-party management of facilities owned by other investors.  Hundreds of facilities are now being managed by the three public companies that have moved into this service area.
  • In addition to the public companies in the industry (above), there are more than 150 privately held firms that own and operate 10 or more self storage facilities.  In addition, there are some 4,000 firms that own and operate from 2-9 self storage facilities.  Lastly, there are more than 26,000 firms that own and operate just one facility.
  • There is a total U.S. self storage space capacity of about 21 sq. ft. per American household.
  • There is 7.3 sq. ft. of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation; thus, it is physically possible that American could stand – all at the same time – under the total canopy of self storage roofing.
  • About 13% of all self storage renters say they will rent for less than 3 months; 18% for 3-6 months; 18% for 7-12 months; 22% for 1-2 years; and 30% for more than 2 years.
  • Some 68% of all self storage renters live in a single-family household; 27% live in an apartment or condo.
  • Some 65% of all self storage renters have a garage but still rent a unit; 47% have an attic in their home; and 33% have a basement.
  • Some 47% of all self storage renters have an annual household income of less than $50,000 per year; 63% have an annual household income of less than $75,000 per year.
  • More than 1.5 million self storage units nationwide are rented to military personnel (6% of all units); however, in communities adjacent to domestic US military bases, military occupancy can be from 20% to 95% of all rented units.
  • It took the self storage industry more than 25 years to build its first billion square feet of space; it added the second billion square feet in just 8 years (1998-2005).
  • 83.9% of all US counties (or 2,634 out of 3,141) have at least one “primary” self storage facility.