Self Storage Income

331. How to “Recycle” Your Cash to Buy Multiple Self Storage Facilities (Fast)

Jan 13, 2026
Tony McNickle, entrepreneur turned self storage operator focused on tenant experience. Dennis Pham, commercial real estate investor skilled in underwriting and financing. They recount recycling cash via refinance to buy multiple facilities. They discuss finding off-market deals, hands-on value-adds, hybrid management, and using partnerships and refinance proceeds to scale fast.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Raise Rents By Selling Added Value

  • Raising rents after takeover can be staged and accepted if you add tangible value like gate controllers and autopay.
  • They raised rates ~30–40% with only ~10% tenant churn by selling security and convenience improvements.
ANECDOTE

All Cash Buy Then 150% Cash-Out Refinance

  • They bought a 20,000 sq ft mom-and-pop facility all-cash, completed value-add upgrades, then refinanced.
  • An appraisal nearly tripled the purchase price and they pulled out 150% of their original cash within ~18 months.
ADVICE

Underwrite Conservatively And Run Operations Aggressively

  • Do underwrite conservatively and focus on what you can control in operations rather than relying on market appreciation.
  • Dennis stresses buying at a rent spread and modeling worst-case scenarios before bidding.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app