Looking at building some self storage units, who’s done it and what advice would you offe?

First to market around Burbank/Ben Hur/Lee is going to make a KILLING. It’s gotta be one of the most newly densely populated areas in BR. “Apartment City” is what I like to call it.

As someone who works in marketing: focus on how you're going to generate "leads". high volume area is obvious and previous posters have given good advice in regards to that, but focus on making sure you're marketing to the type of customer you want--the type of customer who doesn't default.

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You pay more than $1k a year to store holiday decorations? Wow. Just wow. You could widen attic opening/stairs and put down attic flooring & install shelving for less than a year's storage fees.

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You don't have very good reading comprehension. I use it for lots of stuff that I store, including the Jeep hardtop. I also store the hunting gear when it's off-season, including a trailer and buggy, as well as emergency supplies in case we need to head north out of DFW.

But to your point about attic space. Not possible in the way these homes are built and cut-up in the DFW area. There's barely enough room for the water heaters and air-conditioning/furnace systems. As for storage outside, the city I live it will let you put in up to a 12x12 building. Any bigger than that and it has to be constructed to the same standards as the homes. Full beam concrete foundation, brick/stone exterior and roof has to batch along with overhang. It's very restrictive. But to give you an idea about costs, my wife called around when we were looking for a space. Try $62 a month for a simple 5' x 5'.

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Wow, that’s under .22 per foot. Mind telling me the name of the place? I might need that kind of a deal for a project up there

Not here.

And I’m not building anything if those deals exist

I need probably around $1 per foot to make it work financially

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You're talking city property values vs. country property values. Apples and Oranges. We are willing to make the drive for several reasons.

A) it gives my wife an I an opportunity to be together and talk and visit on a leisurely trip there and back. Our business life and the kids consume much of our time, so this is good time spent.

B) the cost is much lower.

C) we are, to a degree, preppers. We have items stored at home, at this storage space, and two other small storage places and at our safe space. This place is on our indirect route off the main interstates, so it fits what we wanted.

IDK but our office is next to some storage units. People come in all the time wanting to rent them. (They don't belong to us).