Self Storage Income

Small self storage investors, you’ve got just two years to take advantage of one of the greatest wealth creation opportunities we’ll likely ever see.

We’ve officially reached the midway point of 2026, and things look a little different than most were predicting only 12 months ago. But one thing has happened as expected: self storage is approaching equilibrium again, and we’ve entered an exciting phase in the market cycle. With interest rates unlikely to fall, sellers are finally accepting reality and are coming to the table with deals.

And we’ve seen this shift play out firsthand in our own business. We’ve bought more self storage facilities in the last six months than we did in the last three years combined. The market has absorbed new supply, deals are available at better prices, and more sellers are motivated to move their assets.

Meanwhile, the REITs are making moves that give us a clear picture of what we can expect over the next few years. The question is no longer what’s going to happen, but who will take advantage before the market shifts again.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

—

Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0 : https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865 

Join the Self Storage Income Community: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/learn?el=pc-ep361

Self storage just entered a new era.

The industry isn’t shifting. The shift has already happened. Within eight days, we saw multiple instances of operator and data infrastructure consolidation. On the surface, these might look like normal acquisitions, but they signal seismic changes within the self storage industry that small operators can’t afford to ignore.

The top 100 operators already control over half of the nation’s rentable storage space, and the top five alone control a whopping 35%. That number is growing.

This is eerily similar to what we saw when online marketing came on the scene. The REITs and big players adopted search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising long before anyone else. Now, they’re on the move again.

In self storage investing, data is king. Thankfully, access has been brought down to the level of mom-and-pop operators in recent years. But those who overlook what’s going on are at risk of losing their competitive advantage in the marketplace.

I’m breaking down exactly what small self storage investors need to do to adapt and why the entire industry is in dire straits if they don’t.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

__________

Grab AJ’s Book, _Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0_ : https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865

NowMetrics: https://nowmetrics.co/ 

Storelocal: https://www.storelocal.com/

TractIQ: https://tractiq.com/

Everyone keeps talking about AI. But how do you, a small self storage owner with one, two, or a handful of self storage investments, actually use it to grow your revenue, reduce your vacancy, keep customers for longer, and pick up a fraction of the phone calls? Today, we’re showing you how.

Alec Peeples from Storeganise is sharing the beginner-friendly AI “buckets” storage investors can use to easily (and surprisingly cheaply) automate their facilities and make more revenue with way less work. He’ll share the beginner framework that those brand new to AI can try, the “trends” you can discover that generate more income for your facility, and even the exact prompts he uses to find blind spots in storage businesses.

These are high-level, highly usable ways for small self storage owners to get the equivalent of a six-figure salaried C-suite employee for less than a couple dozen bucks per month. If you could access that today, why wouldn’t you?

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

—

Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0 - https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865 

Check out Storeganise, the free AI toolkit built for self-storage operators; a library of prompts, skills, and automations you can use with any software: https://ai-lab.storeganise.com

Connect with Alec on LinkedIn! - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-peeples/ 

You want your self storage portfolio to build your wealth, replace your income, and give you the freedom to run your business on your own terms. 

So, how do you get there? Or better yet, how do you get there (much) faster than we did? It took us nearly 20 years to go from a single facility to a self-running self storage portfolio and (many) millions in equity. Can you do it in half the time?

Today, AJ and Conner share how to pass through the three phases every self storage business experiences, from a lone investor answering the phones to a true business owner who’s focused on scaling, instead of sending late-payment notices. There are multiple mistakes AJ made along the way that could have saved him years if he had known what he knows now.

Now, we’re sharing it with you so you can build the income-replacing, self-running storage portfolio anyone, even you, can scale, starting in 2026.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0 - https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865 

Join the Self Storage Income Community - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/learn?el=pc-ep358

 Get our FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment:https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast?el=pc-ep358

Most self storage investors focus on things like increasing revenue, maximizing occupancy, and mastering operations.

But not enough of them play defense.

Depreciation is a powerful tool that can save your self storage business thousands—potentially even hundreds of thousands—in taxes, but few are harnessing its full power. Brian Liles and Brian Broussard from CSSI have done it for over 65,000 facilities to date.

With a cost segregation study, you could accelerate depreciation on your self storage facility’s components, creating a massive paper loss this tax year that puts more of your hard-earned dollars back in your pocket today.

For many self storage owners, one or two of these cost segregation studies can create enough cash flow to fund major upgrades or even buy the next self storage facility. Whether you’re acquiring an existing facility, building new construction, or looking to catch up on tax deductions, these are real, practical strategies you can put to work right away.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

—

- Get our FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment:https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast?el=pc-ep357

- Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0 - https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865 

- CSSI - https://cssiservices.com/ 

- DSIRE - https://dsireusa.org/ 

- Email Brian at [email protected] 

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 throughout our company. It helped us cut over 250 man hours per month and has prevented us from hiring any extra staff, despite scaling our portfolio by 30%. Today, I’m showing you how to do it, too.

Travis Morrow, CEO and Chairman of Storelocal, is seeing a very similar impact, and he’s only been working with these tools for a week. In this episode, we’re breaking down the specific ways we’re integrating AI within our self storage businesses—from automating self storage tasks and generating detailed reports to optimizing marketing strategies and eliminating organizational bottlenecks.

AI is no longer the “future” of self storage. It’s arrived. And operators have two options: adapt or get left behind. Which one will you choose? 

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0: https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865

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

Storelocal: https://www.storelocal.com/

Get $100 Off Registration for The Show 2026 with Code ‘SSI26’: https://www.msmtheshow.com

Get our FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment:https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast?el=pc-ep356

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 facility.

Conner and George have analyzed thousands of facilities and helped craft hundreds of offers. Today, they’re sharing the step-by-step breakdown of how you can do the same so your offer gets accepted, you get in the game, and you’re a step closer to building your self storage portfolio.

We’ll help you get over the hump and write your first LOI, show you the quick deal analysis format we follow to make (accurate) offers ASAP, share the one thing that we ask a seller for with every LOI we send in, and figure out what a “good” deal looks like so you can jump on it when you see it.

Your first self storage investment is closer than you think—this breakdown will help you get to it.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

—

How to Analyze a Self Storage Facility (Beginners Start Here!): https://www.selfstorageincome.com/podcasts/self-storage-income-2/episodes/2149212108 

Join the Self Storage Income Community to learn how to buy, build, and scale your self storage portfolio: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/learn-yt?el=yt-episode-355 

TractIQ: https://tractiq.com/

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

Get our FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment:https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast?el=pc-ep355

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, it appears that they’re simply mitigating risk, but that’s not all. They’re also filling their deal funnel for when smaller operators start to crack.

Then there’s the bond market. The yield curve is flattening, signaling short-term headwinds. Floating-rate debt, bridge loans, and markets with supply pressure are all landmines for investors.

But the higher the risk, the greater the opportunity.

2026 and 2027 could represent one of the greatest wealth-creation opportunities self storage and commercial real estate have seen in decades. And if you pay attention to the signs today, you’ll find yourself on the right side of things when the self storage industry shakes up.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0 : https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq

👥 Join the Self Storage Income Community to learn how to buy, build, and scale your self storage portfolio: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/learn-yt?el=yt-episode-354

✍️ Sign Up for AJ's Newsletter! He shares news and advice weekly about: self storage, business, entrepreneurship, economics, finance, and more! https://ajosborne.com/newsletter?el=pc-ssi-ep364

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 track crucial metrics.

If this is your first self storage facility, you may be wearing multiple hats—at least at first. But the beauty of this asset class is that it’s highly scalable. With the right foundation in place, you could grow a large self storage portfolio that helps you achieve all of your investing goals—all while enjoying the type of lifestyle you want.

The thing is, you’re going to need help. We share the ideal tech stack, ways to find reliable contractors, and the first hire you should make.

From improving your curb appeal and managing move-outs to monitoring your competition, we’re covering everything you need to pay attention to if you want your self storage business to thrive in 2026.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Grab AJ’s Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage - 2.0 https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865 

Join the Self Storage Income Community - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/learn?el=pc-ep353

Cedar Creek Capital - https://cedar.cc/ 

Patchwork Labs - https://www.patchworklabs.com/ 

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 sell for up to 50% off their list price.

At the same time, we’re seeing more signs of distress, which could ramp up in the coming months as interest rates remain high and debt comes due.

But if this is the case, where are all these deals?

You won’t find many of them in the top 25-50 MSAs. REITs and private equity have a stranglehold on these large, first-tier markets. But the secondary and tertiary markets? This is where “small” self storage investors have been seeing massive opportunities since the end of 2025.

We’ll show you exactly where we’re finding these discounted deals, the “sweet spot” self storage facilities you’ll want to target, and the biggest red flags to watch for—whether you’re analyzing a self storage deal or a new market.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Join the Self Storage Income Community to learn how to buy, build, and scale your self storage portfolio: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/learn?el=pc-ep352

Grab AJ’s Book, _Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0_ : https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865

Connect with Frank on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-desalvo-94904531 

Connect with Frank on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankvincentdesalvo/