Self Storage Income – Details, episodes & analysis

Is buying self storage facilities a surefire path to building wealth? In this episode, we’ll show you why buying a small, mom-and-pop operation might be the perfect alternative to residential real estate. For those who don’t want the tenant headaches of long-term rentals or the unpredictable income of short-term rentals, this episode is for you!

Today, AJ and George are sharing self storage success stories from everyday investors who are increasing their facility’s value by six figures (while working full-time), using 10%-down SBA (Small Business Administration) loans to buy facilities, and scaling their income without the stress of other asset classes. The best part? These aren’t unicorn stories. They’re repeatable models rooted in solid deal analysis and smart operations.

Whether you’re just getting into real estate investing or you’re tired of tenants and toilets, we’ll show you why self storage gives you more control over your property’s revenue and value. We’ll break down the operating expenses you’ll need to consider when analyzing deals, what to make of cap rates, and how to quickly scale from small operations to much larger, high-value investments!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

• The pros and cons of buying self storage versus other asset classes
• AJ’s simple, three-pronged business model for new self storage investors
• Unearthing HUGE opportunity with under-optimized, mom-and-pop facilities
• Buying facilities with 10%-down SBA (Small Business Administration) loans
• Cap rates explained and how to (properly) analyze a self storage deal
• Why self storage gives you more control over expenses, pricing, and valuation
• Self storage operating expenses you can’t afford to overlook

Check out our Inner Circle: 

https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle 

Check out the video podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@AJOsborneOfficial/videos 

How much does it pay to have a cell tower on your property? Most self storage owners don’t realize that cell tower leases can be extremely profitable. But they can also bind you to a long-term agreement that might not be in your best interest. How do you get the best of both worlds: an extra income stream plus a cell phone tower lease that gives YOU flexibility to sell, refinance, or develop your property? Hugh Odom from Vertical Consultants is here to help. 

Hugh has probably looked at more cell phone tower leases than anyone on the planet. He’s been helping storage facility owners get the best bang for their buck on cell tower space for years by negotiating contracts with tower companies and providers. Today, he shares how to get top dollar for your space, WITHOUT locking yourself into a bad lease.

Plus, what do cell phone towers pay in rent? $500/month? $5,000/month? And how do you know how much your facility could charge for a cell tower on your land? Or maybe you’ve bought a facility with a cell tower lease already in place—can you renegotiate for more? Yes! Today, Hugh is showing you how!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

• How much cell phone tower leases make, and whether it’s worth it for self storage owners
• Renegotiating with cell phone tower companies if you’ve inherited a lease on a new property 
• Pitfalls to watch for before you sign a lease with a cell phone tower company 
• New AI cell tower lease tools to help YOU get the most rent possible 
• One MASSIVE fee cell tower companies can charge you (watch out for it!)   

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- Self Storage Income 34 - The In’s and Out’s of Cell Towers with Hugh Odom | How to do them Right https://www.selfstorageincome.com/podcasts/self-storage-income-2/episodes/2147769088 

- Self Storage Income 233 - Can you Make Money from Cell Towers on your Storage Property? https://www.selfstorageincome.com/podcasts/self-storage-income-2/episodes/2148549342 

- Vertical Consultants. https://www.celltowerleaseexperts.com/ 

- Cell Tower AI https://celltowerai.com/ 

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📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

🌳 Work with someone experienced in self storage loans at Live Oak Bank! https://www.liveoakbank.com/business-loans/self-storage/

🎙️ Do you have a great story to share on the SSI or AJ Osborne podcasts? You can now apply here! https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207

📖 Get AJ's book that teaches you everything he knows about self-storage https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq

📉 Take advantage of today’s market conditions and invest with us: https://cedar.cc/invest 

Get my FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast 

Brady McDonald is not only a fellow self storage investor but also the founder of Barefoot Land Co., a company that specializes in acquiring and entitling land for self storage development. Only a few years ago, Brady owned a large portfolio of rental properties in Canada. But when he realized that “you can’t eat equity” and needed more cash flow, he packed up his young family, moved to the US, and started a business that sources land off-market, entitles it, and then sells it to other developers. He has even developed a couple of his own self storage facilities, too!

In this episode, Brady shares his journey into self storage investing, the major changes he’s noticing throughout the self storage industry, and the steps he takes when analyzing a market for development opportunities. Stay tuned if you want to know where rental rates are headed and where class A storage could take off in 2025!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

• Crucial metrics to look at when analyzing a self storage market
• Forecasting where storage rental rates are headed in the next 12 months
• The “smaller” markets where class A storage could explode in 2025
• Building a cash-flowing business to offset low-cash-flow investments
• Brady’s journey from residential real estate to self storage investing

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Barefoot Land Co.: https://www.barefootlandco.com

Brady’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brady.mcdonald84

📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

📑 Our Self-Storage Feasibility Studies will help you speed up the process in understanding markets, potential risks, and analyzing the facility itself.  https://cedar.cc/feasibility-studies/ 

🎙️ Do you have a great story to share on the Self Storage Income or AJ Osborne podcasts? You can now apply here! 

https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207 

📖 Get AJ's book that teaches you everything he knows about self-storage https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq 

📉 Take advantage of today’s market conditions and invest with us: 

https://cedar.cc/invest

Welcome back everyone to the Self Storage Income Podcast! Investing in self storage can be pretty overwhelming sometimes. There are a lot of factors to consider, decisions to be made, and risks to be aware of – that is if you actually want to be a successful self storage investor.

Today, AJ provides a great metaphor on how to look at self storage investing that really breaks down the fundamentals of self storage investing success. There are a few key pieces that you need to be thinking about, pieces that live in a symbiotic relationship and one cannot live without the other. These key pieces of the puzzle are more important than ever as the self storage industry continues to return to a historical norm in regards to performance. Gone are the days of “build it and they will come”. Gone are the days of hitting returns with zero effort. As an owner or an investor placing your capital with a syndicator, you have to have your ducks in a row and ensure the people you’re working with do as well.

Thanks so much for listening everyone, enjoy the episode and make sure you have all your bases covered.

Want to take advantage of todays market conditions with us? Invest in our opportunistic Fund 2 Here: https://cedar.cc/invest

Join my Inner Circle! An exclusive mastermind for real estate investors seeking the most advanced strategies and resources in the world for generating wealth and passive income through self storage investing. https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle 

Contact us for more information about working with our architect. - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/contact 

Our Sponsor - Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook

What a great week at the Inside Self Storage Expo! We just got back from Las Vegas where the ISS event was held. One of the biggest topics they covered was Automation and AI integration, with both private companies and public REITs all interested - so let's talk about it! 

AI has been adopted across industries almost immediately - decades faster than the Internet was adopted initially. Is this just hype? Or is this an industry changing force that will impact everyone - including investors, operators, and the industry as a whole? 

We can help you figure out what type of loan or financing structure you need, and where you can get funding for your deal: https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/debt

Our partners:

Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook

The Self Storage market is undergoing an unprecedented time of change and fluctuation. Everything is being affected - buying & selling, cap rates, tenant occupancies, and more. If you are new to the market - or trying to get into the market with your first deal - what does this meant for you?

We know Self Storage is connected to residential housing. Does that mean we will experience the same desperation, skyrocketing debt, or foreclosures? 

Interest rates right now are extremely high, but prices have not come down. Leasing season - summer time - is coming up soon. What are WE doing to prepare? And how can you benefit?

Formerly an airline pilot, Ryan Gibson transitioned to real estate when he co-founded of Spartan Investment Group in 2013. Scott Lewis, his partner, and Ryan both wanted to be in an asset class that was uncorrelated with the market and it's extrinsic influences. Ever since, he's been growing his self storage portfolio to over 4 million square feet across a multitude of states. We're excited to have him share his insight into the market as it stands today!

Find out more about Ryan and Spartan here: spartan-investors.com

Need help funding a deal? We can help you figure out what type of loan or financing structure you need, and where you can get them. Just send us a message here: https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/debt

Our partners:

Want to take advantage of todays market conditions with us? Invest in our opportunistic Fund 2 Here: https://cedar.cc/invest

Join my Inner Circle! An exclusive mastermind for real estate investors seeking the most advanced strategies and resources in the world for generating wealth and passive income through self storage investing. https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle 

Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook

There has been a major development in the self storage industry. One of the biggest REITs in the space, ExtraSpace, has merged with Life Storage for a record $12.7 billion, making it the largest merger in the Self Storage industry by FAR. Where will this take us and what does it mean for the self storage world?

For years, we've talked about market consolidation in this space. The sheer market size of this merger can tell us a lot. Public Storage even joined in on the fun. 

This is not just some "big news" you seen on the Wall Street Journal. This WILL affect your state, your city, and your market. It's been building up for years - and it's finally come to fruition. 

Let's break it down in this episode of Self Storage Income! 

Need help funding a deal? We can help you figure out what type of loan or financing structure you need, and where you can get them. Just send us a message here: https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/debt

Our partners:

Want to take advantage of todays market conditions with us? Invest in our opportunistic Fund 2 Here: https://cedar.cc/invest

Join my Inner Circle! An exclusive mastermind for real estate investors seeking the most advanced strategies and resources in the world for generating wealth and passive income through self storage investing. https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle 

Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook

In the midst of the recent bank collapses, economists and investors alike are shuddering at the impact of high cost of capital and the Fed's continual interest rate hikes. Banks are extremely nervous and wary of investments - all investments. INCLUDING storage.

Why is this happening, and how will it affect us? When we saw storage being oversupplied with falling demand, we knew a bubble was coming. Now it's here. 

When we look at investing in self storage, we always underwrite a "worst case scenario" - what will happen to our money if rates spike or cashflow wasn't as expected? There's a time and place to be buying or be holding back. We've done this before back in 2017 - but how do you know what to do when the market shifts? 

Need help funding a deal? We can help you figure out what type of loan or financing structure you need, and where you can get them. Just send us a message here:

https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/debt

Our partners:

Live Oak Bank - liveoakbank.com/incomepodcast

Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Janus International - https://www.janusintl.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook 

Welcome back everybody to Self Storage Income! Today we have an exciting guest, Mike Burnam, on to talk about the current state of self storage markets - particularly smaller, tertiary, and subprime markets - as the bubble created by the pandemic is starting to pop.  

Mike is the CEO of StorageMart and has been in the industry for over 42 years, with over $4 billion worth of self storage. He has experience with being publicly traded then went private, and has operated in the US, Canada, and the UK. 

So what's going on with storage? Debt is harsh, ChatGPT is disrupting Google's dominance, and large competitors, like Public Storage, is experimenting with more and more remote & digital solutions in their properties. ExtraSpaceStorage, just bought over $500 million to buy a portfolio of over 100 properties. These changes will determine the future of storage, especially impacting smaller markets in rural areas while high population areas approach these changes head-on. Find out more in this episode! 

You can reach out to Mike directly via his email: 

mike.burnam@storage-mart.com 

Find out more about StorageMart:

https://www.storage-mart.com 

Need help funding a deal? We can help you figure out what type of loan or financing structure you need, and where you can get them. Just send us a message here:

https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/debt

Our partners:

Live Oak Bank - liveoakbank.com/incomepodcast

Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Janus International - https://www.janusintl.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook 

The economy is shuttering: with the Fed raising rates trying to slow down inflation, banks are responding differently to investors than they used to. Developments aren't getting approved as much as they used to. What does this mean if you are wanting to invest in, build, or acquire a new storage facility? 

Today we are joined by Anna Taylor, who is the head of Self-Storage Lending at Live Oak Bank and she is an absolute self storage lending expert. She's kept a close eye on the industry over the last decade.

We talk about the market conditions right now, what she's seeing from a lending perspective, and what needs to be done prior to obtaining the loans and financing you may need. 

Need help funding a deal? We can help you figure out what type of loan or financing structure you need, and where you can get them. Just send us a message here:

https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/debt

Our partners:

Live Oak Bank - liveoakbank.com/incomepodcast

Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Janus International - https://www.janusintl.com/

Grab my audiobook Growing Wealth in Self Storage for FREE: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/free-audiobook