Self Storage Income

Think you’re too late in the game to get into self storage investments? Feel like you can’t give up that career you took decades to build to take a shot at achieving financial freedom? Today’s guest is about to fire you up! At age fifty, he took a giant leap, quitting his chiropractor practice of over twenty years to go head-first into real estate investing. In just four years, he was able to buy six self storage investments, and he’s not stopping anytime soon. And if you feel like your career’s clock is ticking, and self storage could be your way out, Russell Nersesov is the guy to listen to.

 In today’s show, Russell talks about leaving his stable career to pursue something else, how he’s finding deals even in today’s tough market, why he makes offers on everything that could work for his portfolio and the two things EVERY investor should be looking for when trying to find self storage investments.

Russell even flips the interview, getting AJ’s take on some of the most crucial questions self storage investors are wondering about. You’ll hear why brokers are finally starting to get “realistic” with their prices, the “readjustment period” sellers are going through, and how to have the confidence to buy when everyone is telling you to wait instead (BIG mistake!). 

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0

Episode 193 - Remote-controlled Facilities, Spiraling Debt, & "Now is the Time to Develop" - w/ Mike Burnam

Safe Storage USA

Follow Russell on Instagram 

The self storage industry is starting to “thaw” as renters return and occupancy begins to rise. But this isn’t happening at every facility. Many self storage operators are still struggling to get new customers in the door, and if your facility is having the same problem, this episode is exactly what you need. We’re peeling back the curtain and sharing exactly what we’re doing to raise occupancy, beat our competitors, and get units rented before the busy season ends. Last week, we talked about a return to “normal” for the self storage industry, with significant year-over-year storage demand drops. Now, it seems that we’re finally getting our busy season back as May rolls in and more facilities experience a seasonal boost. If you’re not taking advantage of this, you need to act fast. Not doing so could force your facility into higher vacancy for longer while your competitors take the customers passing you by.

We’re sharing our portfolio stats, the strategies we’re using to increase occupancy, and the operational changes we’re making to bring customers back. If you follow our lead, you could see your facility start to fill up fast this summer!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Get my new book that teaches you everything I know about self-storage- https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq 

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

📌 Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility

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

Self storage rates see a severe year-over-year decline as owners brace for even more supply to come on the market during dwindling demand. What’s happening, and which markets are the most in danger? In this episode, we took some of the latest self storage industry stats on rates, demand, supply, and new construction to answer the question: Why are self storage rates falling, and when will they come back up? We even have data on the hardest-hit metro areas that YOU should watch out for.

We could be returning to “normal” as the booming demand from a few busy years starts to dry up. Markets that saw massive population growth are beginning to settle down, but all those shiny new self storage facilities are still around. If you’re a self storage operator in a market experiencing dying demand, what can YOU do to ensure you beat the competition? We’re sharing our secrets on how we make MORE money EVEN while dropping rates in today’s episode. 

Got some unusual unit sizes at your facility? Changing your layout (if possible) could result in a considerable difference in occupancy. We’ll talk about a recent development deal we did that could have gone south very quickly if we hadn’t changed to THIS type of unit size layout. So don’t sit around waiting for customers to fill up your facility; do what WE’RE doing NOW before it’s too late!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Get my new book that teaches you everything I know about self-storage- https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq 

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

📌 Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility

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

Get my new book that teaches you everything I know about self-storage https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq 

In the past 4-5 years, so many new investors have come into the storage industry (which I love). However, the issue is that all of these new investors came into the industry when self-storage was at its absolute peak.

It means that for the past few years you could basically just buy a facility and it would increase in value simply because there was so much demand for self-storage.

Back in 2020, I called it the self-storage bubble, and now the bubble has popped.

In this episode, I talk about my BRAND NEW book that just released (June 2024). This book is the 2.0 version of my first book and took me over 2 years to write. It literally contains everything I could fit into those 450 pages about the storage industry.

If you want a sneak peek of my book - this episode is for you.

Lastly, I just want to give a special thank you for all of my podcast listeners throughout the years. It’s because of you that my first book hit the Amazon Best Seller and inspired me to write the second book. Now the 2.0 version hit Amazon Best Seller again in less than a week.

So seriously, thank you. Thank you for being a listener throughout the years and for helping turn Self Storage Income into what it is today.

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

📌 Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility

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

In this episode of the Self Storage Income Podcast, we delve into the crucial aspects of raising capital and working with partners and investors.

Join us as we explore proven strategies for securing funding, building strong investor relationships, and leveraging partnerships to grow your self-storage business. We emphasize the importance of recognizing that you can't do it alone – working with others not only broadens your resources but also creates opportunities for people to invest alongside you.

This episode offers valuable insights and practical advice to help you navigate the complexities of capital raising and partnership building, whether you've never invested or have dozens of times. Tune in to learn how to maximize your capital, foster collaborative success, and take your self-storage investments to the next level.

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

📌 Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility

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

Self storage investing vs. multifamily investing: Which wins in 2024? With the popularity of rental property investing rising over the past few years, competition has remained hot for beginner investments like duplexes, small multifamily properties, and house hacks. But if you’re looking to grow your money the most, is self storage a better pick? Would you rather deal with a few tenants and toilets or hundreds of customers simultaneously?

We’re breaking down each of these investments piece by piece, from the prices to buy each investment property to raising the property value, cash flow, evictions, auctions, competition, appreciation, and more. Both self storage and multifamily real estate have huge benefits for those willing to put in the work, but is the stress of a midnight toilet call from your tenant worth the benefits that residential real estate provides? 

Plus, if you think you don’t have the money to buy a commercial real estate investment, think again. We’ll share examples in this episode of how you can buy a self storage facility for less than a duplex in your area. Don’t believe us? Stick around, and we’ll show you precisely what we mean!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

The self storage industry is changing. From the Great Recession through 2021, those who bought self storage facilities saw massive rent growth, impressive appreciation, and, at times, a seemingly endless supply of renters. As the American population began to move after the lockdowns, self storage only became more attractive, and facilities were filling up left and right with occupancy rates and rents exploding. But now, things have changed.

Over the past two years, self storage operators have been hit hard. Rent drops, vacancy, and increased competition took away the “passive” income part of self storage investing. Thankfully, those who treated their facilities like businesses survived, while the casual investors either bit the dust or sold to stop the bleeding. Time-tested investors Andrew Freeman and Jon Marshalla from KO Storage were able to roll with the punches and survive a tough self storage market.

Today, we’re talking to Andrew and Jon about how they built their portfolio from zero facilities to over two hundred, plus the markets they’re targeting as the “mom-and-pop” investors slowly sell and large operators “consolidate” what’s left of the smaller facilities. Andrew and Jon even share what they’re seeing in 2024 and how they’re pivoting to control the controllable and not only survive but thrive as the storage industry continues to change.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Previous Episodes with Andrew & Jon

Episode 105 with Jon and Andrew

Episode 142 with Jon and Andrew

Where to find more about our guests! 

Andrew LinkedIn

Jon LinkedIn

Enjoy this podcast? Leave us a great review wherever you listen! 

Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! 

https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility 

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

https://cedar.cc/invest 

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

Today’s guest built a twenty-five facility self storage business in just two years! Even more impressive? He didn’t come from a real estate background, yet he was able to build a serious storage portfolio across multiple states, all by “taking the punches” as they came. If you want to quit your job and start investing full-time, this is an episode you CANNOT miss. You’ll hear how Faraz Hemani left his high-paying Google job to invest in small-market, mom-and-pop self storage facilities. 

The question is, did it pay off?

After making some good income at his tech sales job, Faraz needed somewhere to park his money. Like most people, he thought rental properties were a great option, but as the market began to climb, Faraz realized that he had no control over whether his portfolio’s price went up or down. He sold off his rental properties and found an asset he could control—self storage.

Now, two years later, Faraz has a self storage portfolio of over twenty-five facilities across the southern United States. How did he scale up so quickly? Which markets is he targeting? And how does a complete novice get that many facilities so quickly? If you want to learn how, stick around for this episode as Faraz shares his buy box, favorite markets, and which facilities small investors should target.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Faraz’s LinkedIn

Pebble Ridge Capital Group

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

Check out Storelocal! Our national self storage brand. 

https://www.storelocal.com/

Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! 

https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility 

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

https://cedar.cc/invest

Wondering how to start a storage business with no money? Surprisingly, most self storage investors start out with no or low-money-down deals. Even the wealthiest of storage investors rarely pay for a property in cash or use their own money to make the down payment. 

Self storage DOESN’T require you to have millions and millions of dollars to get started, and in this episode, we’re showing you exactly how to build your self storage portfolio when starting from ZERO.

There are a few strategies you’ll need to know before you can buy your first zero-dollars-down storage facility. If you’re able to master these, you can easily pick up a storage facility for very little money down or sometimes zero dollars out of pocket. Want to use other people’s money to pay for your deals? AJ and Conner go over the two parts of raising money and how to raise capital once you’ve got a deal in hand.

Do NOT let this tough market go to waste. Now is one of the EASIEST times to get no and low money down self storage investments done! So tune in, and get ready to execute (even if you’ve got NO money!).

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

What we mentioned:

Finding Deals

Buying Deals 

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

Check out Storelocal! Our national self storage brand. 

https://www.storelocal.com/

Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! 

https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility 

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

https://cedar.cc/invest

One type of commercial real estate is seeing skyrocketing demand right now: small bay industrial. Haven’t heard of it? You’re not alone. But for investors like Shea Lewis, one of our Inner Circle students at Self Storage Income, this often underrated type of real estate investment gives him great returns, high demand, and rock-bottom vacancy. But what is small bay industrial investing, and why are so many businesses fighting for small bay space right now?

If you invest in self storage, or plan to, this episode may change your mind entirely. In it, Shea goes through what small bay industrial investing is, why it’s experiencing “crazy high demand” in 2024, the deals he’s doing TODAY, and why you should get into the warehousing space BEFORE everyone else learns about it. Plus, most of the headaches of self storage investing almost disappear once you enter into small bay industrial warehousing.

Want to invest in an asset that has locked-in revenue for YEARS? What about one that has almost unlimited demand? Shea will tell you exactly what you need to know to get into the game and his buy box for buying these cash-flowing commercial assets that most investors overlook!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Ready to buy storage? Have your deals personally evaluated by AJ and our team! 

https://www.selfstorageincome.com/feasibility 

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

https://cedar.cc/invest 

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

Connect with Shea Lewis Here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shea-lewis-92379365/ 

[email protected] 

https://www.zequitygroup.com/

Videos mentioned in this episode:

Cap Rates in Self Storage