There is a song by the artist Beck that had a hook that went something like this: Where it’s at/ I got two turntables and a microphone. People are always trying to figure out where “it” is at. If recent indications are any proof, at least when it comes to real estate investments, the self storage industry is where it is at. [More]

The BSC Group, LLC, a leading commercial real estate financing advisor and provider of debt and equity capital solutions with a special emphasis on the self storage market, announced its midyear update for 2011. [More]

Self storage has weathered the downturn in the economy surprisingly well and has gotten much attention from investors in the process. In fact, in the second half of 2011, self storage real estate is expected to see an increase in investor activity as banks sell off distressed assets throughout the Sun Belt, particularly in California and Florida, according to a new report from Marcus & Millichap. [More]

Charles Ray Wilson, whose internationally-recognized Self Storage Performance Quarterly Report (SSPQ) tracks the performance of approximately 6,000 self-storage facilities in the nation’s 50 largest markets, has joined Cushman & Wakefield as a strategic partner in the company’s Self Storage Industry Group(SSIG). [More]

When military personnel are deployed for six months or longer, what happens to all of the possessions left behind? Members of the military are big users of self storage because they either stay in government quarters or rent an apartment for a short period of time and usually do not own a home. Because they are constantly on the move, renting a storage unit often makes more financial sense than maintaining a residence to house possessions. But more military members are taking notice of the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) available to qualified service members, and turning an interested eye towards home ownership. This could have an impact on self storage companies that cater to the military. [More]

The stellar growth of both apartment and self storage real estate investment trusts (REITs) translates into a sure sign that the U.S. housing market is still in a slump. Analysts are noting a strong historical correlation between revenue growth with storage REITs like Public Storage and revenue growth with the apartment REITs. [More]

Typically, self storage has avoided sales tax because it is taxed as real estate, not a service. But that standard is now being threatened in North Carolina as a potential tax on self storage has been introduced to the legislature. Dubbed the “21st Century Tax Modernization Plan,” Senate Bill 658 would impose a sales tax on self storage rentals in the state. [More]

Self storage has caught the eye of commercial real estate investors with its impressive returns for 2010 and anticipated continued success for 2011. Publicly-traded self storage real estate investment trusts (REITs) yielded total returns of about 30 percent in 2010, faring better than the broader REIT sector and more than doubling the average total return for companies traded on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. [More]

In the second half of 2010 investors swarmed to the self storage industry, buying up businesses like they were on the clearance rack. And the 2011 outlook for the domestic self storage market has “bullish” written all over it. Niche investors and lenders are increasing movement to this sector as In the second half of 2010 investors swarmed to the self storage industry, buying up businesses like they were on the clearance rack. And the 2011 outlook for the domestic self storage market has “bullish” written all over it. Niche investors and lenders are increasing movement to this sector as capitalization or CAP rates continue to decline and new investors join the buying game. [More]

Syndication is the buzz word in cyberspace lately. It can drive potential customers quickly to your website by linking it to thousands of related websites, such as a real estate. Usstoragesearch.com http://www.usstoragesearch.com/, a self storage directory featuring about 12,000 member facilities, recently launched its Self Storage Syndication Program, which continuously broadcasts new information from any participating self storage website to receiving sites, making the storage facility business more attractive and accessible to users. [More]