Self Storage Income

Noah Starr, CEO of TractIQ and former self-storage investor who built a verified data platform. He unveils public occupancy and financial performance data for thousands of facilities. Short segments cover how this levels the playing field, ends guesswork in underwriting, uses competitor data to run properties, and helps pick the right managers.

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.

2026 could be the biggest year for self storage investors since 2008. What happens starting in 2026, and going all the way through 2030, could change your life forever if you’re in the game.   Read any self storage industry news, and it says the same thing: “Oversupply! Low Demand! Rate Cuts!” But this surface-level story doesn’t show what’s really about to happen. The self storage market is about to undergo a reversal that most operators have never seen. An “explosion” in wealth that will make many owners rich, not only in cash flow but in equity. This isn’t just speculation—I’ve got the data to prove it.   In today’s show, I’m giving you my full 2026 self storage industry outlook, sharing the seven factors that could trigger a ticking time bomb of demand that could explode in the coming years, bringing massive wealth to owners, while many investors will wish they had gotten into self storage earlier.    But not every market will see the same effects. Don’t worry, I’m outlining exactly what’s coming.    What you’ll learn in today’s show:   The wealth “explosion” coming for the self storage industry in 2026 - 2030 One thing that will trigger a new wave of demand for self storage in America  A 2008 repeat? Why we haven’t seen buying opportunities like this in years  A supply squeeze like we’ve never seen: what happens when demand peaks as supply craters? Cap rate compression? This could be your last chance to get severely underpriced deals Markets with the most (and least) opportunity for rising storage demand in 2026 (and beyond)  — Grab AJ’s Newest Book, Growing Wealth in Self-Storage 2.0 - https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Wealth-Self-Storage-2-0-Post-Pandemic/dp/1735258865/  Invest with Cedar Creek Capital - https://cedar.cc/ 

2025 was a pivotal year for the self storage industry—but 2026 is about to be even bigger. We could get opportunities we haven’t seen in 15 years, but the buying window won’t last long. We’re taking full advantage, and in today’s episode, we’re outlining our exact 2026 plan.   We’re ringing in the New Year by sharing what we bought, sold, refinanced, and decided to hold in 2025. In the middle of 2025, things started to change—quickly. We’ve been buying up self storage as fast as we possibly can, because if you knew what we do, you wouldn’t be waiting on the sidelines. Interest rates are gradually falling, Americans are ready to move again, and storage demand could be rising. But sellers…they’re tired. The past few years have been hard, and you can take advantage.   The buying window is wide open, but it won’t last long. And this isn’t just blind faith. I’ll share the facts that tee up 2026 as a crucial year for growing wealth in self storage, plus how small investors can get ahead and build massive wealth once the “explosion” coming for storage starts to count down. And yes, I’ll even share a hint at my 2026 outlook and when I expect opportunities to reach their peak.    What you’ll learn in today’s show: Why 2026 could be the year that self storage “explodes” and demand surges  What we bought, sold, and refinanced in 2025 (and what we’re buying more of in 2026) How long the buying window for self storage deals will last (get on it!) Enormous opportunities for small investors as the Baby Boomer fire sale continues  Can’t find deals? This is precisely what we’re doing to get opportunities sent to us Our 2026 self storage outlook and investing plan for the next year  — Join AJ’s Self Storage Income Community!  - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle  Self Storage Income 315 - Self Storage Could Be the Biggest Winner of Lower Interest Rates - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/podcasts/self-storage-income-2/episodes/2149089861 

Alec Peeples, Head of Sales & Accounts at Storeganise who built mobile-first, automated storage systems across 50+ countries, walks through what true contactless storage looks like. He compares Asian fast-moving automation to U.S. practices. Hear about mobile move-ins, doing away with reservations, the exact tech stack to start with, and how automation boosts revenue while trimming costs.

The self storage industry has finally bottomed out, and today’s guest believes there are more deals now than ever. He’s seizing the moment and buying self storage facilities left and right because in 18 months, these deals could completely dry up—leaving many wishing they had invested in self storage.   In this episode, Conner and George sit down with Ben Gottfredson, who, just a few years ago, depleted his life savings to build his first self storage facility. Since then, he has started his own private equity fund and scaled his self storage business to 15 facilities. But the truth is that Ben would still be stuck on his second deal if he hadn’t developed soft skills and forged invaluable partnerships that helped him rapidly grow his net worth and create lucrative investing opportunities for many close friends and family members.   Today, he’ll show you how to do just that—build out your network and teams in a way that allows you to grow your portfolio as quickly as possible. Ben also opens up about the blunders he made on past deals, from buying while the market was at its peak to cutting corners when stabilizing his facilities, so you don’t repeat his costly mistakes! What you’ll learn in today’s show:   How Ben has scaled from one to 15 self storage facilities in only a few years Why now is the best buying window the self storage industry has seen in years The top-down and bottom-up approaches to building your self storage business Fast-tracking your investments through education and networking How to scale your portfolio faster with smart investing partnerships “Underrated” soft skills that provide rare self storage investing opportunities — 🔵 Join Inner Circle https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle  ▶️ Buying Your First Facility in a Small Town w/ Ben Gottfredson | SSI Podcast #217 - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/podcasts/self-storage-income-2/episodes/2148265195  🚛 Big Storage Ventures - https://www.instagram.com/bigstorageventures 

Self storage investing isn’t always smooth sailing, but the market tends to reward those who stay the course. From wild construction-site break-ins to complex newspaper-building conversions, this self storage investor has seen it all—yet he’s still built a multimillion-dollar storage business that supported his family after a health incident took away his main source of income. In today’s episode, AJ and Conner are chatting with Wayde Elliott, founder of StoreIT. When spinal fusion surgery forced him to leave his successful dentistry practice of 20 years, Wayde turned to the only backup plan he had: self storage. Since going all-in, he has scaled to roughly a dozen self storage facilities across California and Oregon. Despite taking on ground-up developments and complex conversion projects, sharp self storage analysis, collaboration, and persistence have helped him carve out his own corner of the market where even REITs struggle to compete. Stay tuned for not only a wealth of sage advice but also one of the most bizarre break-in stories you’ll ever hear—involving secret tunnels, missing cameras, and an exhausting cat-and-mouse chase!   What you’ll learn in today’s show:   The wildest self storage break-in story we’ve ever heard  How Wayde built a self storage portfolio that allowed him to leave his high-paying career The “hack” that helps you dodge rookie mistakes and scale your portfolio faster Blending automation and on-site supervision with the hybrid management model What you must know before tackling a self storage conversion project Why doing “difficult things in difficult times” gives you a competitive advantage — 🔸 StoreIT: https://storeit.com 📸 Wayde’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waydeelliottdmd 🔵 Join Inner Circle: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle 🌳 Work with someone experienced in self storage loans at Live Oak Bank! https://www.liveoakbank.com/business-loans/self-storage/ 🎙️ Do you have a great story to share on the SSI or AJ Osborne podcasts? You can now apply here! https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207 📉 Take advantage of today’s market conditions and invest with us: https://cedar.cc/invest 

Meet Jyoti Osten, operator who revamped onsite service and tenant care, and Darren Osten, the numbers-focused investor who underwrites deals and financed a major expansion. They discuss switching to self-management, raising rents and revenue, cleaning up delinquencies, quick expansion that doubled unit count, and simple marketing and security upgrades that attract better tenants.

Creative ways to fund a self storage purchase without relying only on banks. Three seller-financing options that help close deals and protect buyers. How SBA loans can let you buy with about 10% down. Methods for raising private capital and when hard-money bridges make sense. Tips on sequencing acquisition, construction, and permanent loans.

This husband and wife skipped rental properties and went straight to self storage investing. They kept hearing the regrets from other investors saying “we wish we scaled faster.” So, why wait to scale to bigger properties when you can just buy them from the start? That’s exactly what Matthew Rojas and Jingwen Ni did, and they have zero regrets.   It took Matthew and Jingwen two years to find the perfect self storage investment. But, the waiting was worth it. They landed a seller financed, completely full, storage facility with 30%-40% room to increase rents. How did it go with the current customers? They’ll share the entire story from finding the first facility to negotiating, raising rents, and automating it with software and smart upgrades.   But they didn’t stop. Now, they have two self storage facilities—the newest being a high cash flow “land lease,” that few storage owners even know is possible. Beginners, this is the repeatable model to follow to get your first, second, or third self storage facility!   What you’ll learn in today’s show:   Why you should skip rental properties and go straight for self storage and commercial real estate  How to get the perfect self storage investments sent to you from brokers and wholesalers  Raising rents by 30%-40% with very few move outs (do what Matthew and Jingwen did!) “Land leasing” self storage facilities for high cash flow and big tax benefits  Why occupancy does not matter in self storage, what you should focus on instead    — Join the Self Storage Income Community  - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/ssi-membership  Go Beyond Properties - https://gobeyondproperties.com/