Storage Meetup #61 | 01-16-26

Join the weekly meetup where the self storage industry connects.

Every Friday, owners, managers, and vendors turn on their cameras, share ideas, and learn from one another. It’s a space for real conversations, live demos, and community discussions that help you get more rentals, improve operations, and stay ahead of the curve.

Schedule
11:30 AM ET – Pre-Show Hangout (network informally before we start)
12:00–1:00 ET – Main Session (Show & Tell, discussions, and live takeaways)

📅 Recorded on January 16, 2026
🎙 Hosted by Jim Ross, Storage Meetup

Join future Storage Meetups live: https://storagemeetup.com

(00:05–01:51) Jim opens the meetup: casual, “anything goes” format for owners/operators/vendors; invites vendors/operators to book a 10–15 min “show & tell” slot at the top of future calls.

(03:06–08:04) Tom (Colliers) gives a 2025 investment sales + 2026 outlook: transactions are happening, but buyers are highly disciplined; best demand is for owner-managed, below-market-rent assets with provable upside (he mentions a San Diego deal at a sub-5 cap on in-place T12). Newer/lease-up assets depending on projections are struggling due to the bid–ask gap.

(09:58–13:21) Discussion on overpriced sellers + bridge debt: some assets are priced on projections but buyers are underwriting T12; heavy bridge debt from 2021–22 can exceed current value. They expect some distress, but not an “avalanche” (maybe a limited number over the next couple years).

(13:45–21:10) Big ops theme: quarterly customer-flow audits—rent a unit on your own website, test phone numbers/tracking numbers/menus, confirm contact forms, payment links, and conversion tools (click-to-call, texting, chatbot) actually work. Broken links/numbers instantly lose trust and conversions.

(15:22–17:00) Advanced audit tactic: create a test tenant/account and let it go delinquent to verify the full workflow—emails, late/lean notices, legal timeline, auction process—end-to-end from the customer’s perspective.

(20:33–22:48) How a larger operator manages audits across many locations: a centralized system prompts managers to verify listings (Google/Yelp/Bing/etc.), lead gen platforms (e.g., SpareFoot), and phone campaigns quarterly, with corporate alerts if overdue. Emphasis that GBP can be edited by the public and even marked “permanently closed,” so monitoring is critical.

(26:46–29:40) Quick detour: Jim asks about Neighbor.com (noted sales/demo responsiveness issues); discussion shifts to Nextdoor as a local-trust channel where operators can respond to community questions and capture hyperlocal leads.

(31:20–41:31) Hot-seat style help for Jason (new facility, ~30% occupied): group flags basic conversion blockers (e.g., no obvious phone number, redirects during rental flow, address/city targeting mismatch) and stresses demand realities in small markets, plus the need for clear reporting/accountability from marketing vendors.

(51:18–53:35) Jim shares where to find replays/resources (StorageMeetup site + YouTube), and how he uses NotebookLM to create short overview videos/visual summaries; participants agree the “visual recap” format boosts learning and makes client updates look polished fast.

(57:47–59:03) Wrap-up: Zoom selfie, reminder about time zones via “add to calendar,” and thanks to the community for value-first sharing.