309. Self Storage Demand 101: Know What (and What Not) to Buy

Aug 12, 2025

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Self storage demand—quite frankly, the most important factor when buying a self storage facility. Get it wrong, and you could lose tens or even hundreds of thousands when you sell. Get it right, and you’ve got cash flow, huge value-add potential, and the formula for a winning facility. This is the make-or-break of self storage, and even the newest investors can get rich with strong enough demand, while experienced investors can go broke getting it wrong.

So, you’re about to buy your first or next self storage facility—how do you measure demand before you buy? How do you tell what nearby facilities are charging and how full they are, and whether they’re even your competition? Today, we’re giving you a complete guide to self storage demand.

We’ll teach you how to measure your local demand and even predict future demand so you don’t buy in a declining market. Plus, who is the “ideal customer” for your storage facility? Other units in the area may not serve them, allowing you to fill a gap in the market. This is crucial for self storage investing, and we’ve already made the mistakes, so you don’t have to.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

How to estimate current demand (and future demand) in your self storage market
Why occupancy doesn’t matter and how you can still get high revenue with vacancy
Why square footage per capita measurements are often wrong (and can throw you off track)
The customers who need self storage the most and don’t have enough space
Pinpointing your “ideal customer” so you can target them better than your competitors
Buying in a declining or small market? Get this right before you buy

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Check out this previous episode: SSI 259. Turning Apartment Storage Lockers into Full-Blown “Micro” Storage Facilities https://www.selfstorageincome.com/podcasts/self-storage-income-2/episodes/2148839451

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

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

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