545: Self Storage Investing and Avoiding “Monster Houses” w/ Sergio Altomare

Sergio Altomare didn’t start out investing in self storage. He made a massive leap, making lots of mistakes along the way until he found this gold mine of an asset class. For years, Sergio was buying small multifamily properties, one of them being a “monster house” which he later had to sell due to some serious zoning issues. Once he was introduced to syndications, he knew he could take his portfolio higher, without the headaches of large multifamily.

Now, Sergio has twelve self storage facilities, with a combined valuation of close to $40M. He’s been able to increase his equity by many, many millions with simple value-add strategies like increasing rent, paving parking lots, and installing key-accessible gates for his customers. This isn’t the regular value-add you’re used to with granite countertops and freshly tiled showers; self storage value-add can be minimal with massive results.

Sergio also dives into his long-term exit plans—something every investor should be thinking about. Are you planning on selling your properties one by one to the highest bidder, or will you package them up and walk away with a huge payday?

In This Episode We Cover:

What a multifamily “monster house” is and why you should avoid them

Zoning laws and how they can affect your long-term profit

The pros and cons of investing in self storage facilities 

What to look for in self storage facilities and other types of commercial real estate

How to raise money for your deals (even if you’re a new investor)

Defining your exit plan so you can walk away rich after building your portfolio

And So Much More!

Links from the Show:

BiggerPockets Talent Search

BiggerPockets on Itunes

BiggerPockets on Audible

BiggerPockets on Twitter

Facebook Ads

Google ads

Radius Plus

U-Haul's Facebook page

Blackstone

Open Door Capital

Bird-in-Hand Self Storage

The Real Estate InvestHER Facebook Community

GoBundance

Hearthfire Self Storage

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Paul Moore's BiggerPockets Profile

Ashley Wilson's BiggerPockets Profile

Liz Faircloth's BiggerPockets Profile

Check the full show notes here: https://biggerpockets.com/show545

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