Meet our Team of Self Storage Experts

If you are competing in a market with multiple, strong competitors, then the answer is probably yes. Where the strongest competitors compete (urban and suburban areas), we generally cannot collect good quality data via phone survey, and we need to visit individual stores to gain a high-level of confidence in the data we report. We will tell you the truth about your project, even if it hurts your feelings or “dashes your dream.” Our objective is to provide the best analysis so you can make the best decisions as you invest.

No easy answer in today's volatile market. The average investment size for a new storage project is probably above $5M. We work on a lot of projects above $10M in total construction costs. Single-story construction can be from $65-80/SF, and multi-story is usually between $75-100/SF in most markets. Big urban centers often can be the exception, with higher construction costs. Outside of construction, permitting, lease-up expense, interest, design, land costs, and start-up costs are generally defined specific to individual projects. Don’t overlook these!

Not thinking like a developer. Some folks over the years have come to us thinking that because they have been successful in one career automatically foretells future success. The hardest people to work with, for us, are professionals who have no real estate experience, but think “I’m smart; it can’t be that hard.” Real Estate Development is tough and risky. Be prepared.

Absolutely. BKB Properties StorageStudy.com is a recognized industry authority on self storage. Our final reports are bankable, and organized to be easy-to-read for investors, developers and lenders.

We will be happy to look at it for you. If we think your idea is terrible, we’ll tell you!

Yes, we can, for around $6,500. These are easy for us. The problem for you could be the quality of data that can be collected. These make sense in rural areas, where the population is low, or where the competition is sparse or less-sophisticated. They do not make sense in large markets.

We have completed somewhere around 700+ studies. We do not track every project after we complete the study, but we only know of one project which substantially under-performed our projections. About 30% of studies we complete result in a “no-go” recommendation. In general, our underwriting is conservative.

About four to six weeks. Some of this depends on you. We deliver analysis that sometimes changes your investment strategy. In those cases, we want to make sure our final narrative report matches the actual project you will build/purchase.

We can help with design and development, bank financing, answering investor questions, and overall consulting through the development process.

In addition to being a consultant in the self storage industry, we have experience as self storage developer, owner, store manager, trainer, teacher, coach, project manager, designer, lender, borrower, and investor. Such broad experience, from all “sides of the table” brings immense value to any development or investor team. We are fully-vested in the self storage industry.

Maybe. Our average project is looking at investments exceeding $1M. If you are trying to build 50 units, we may not be a good fit.

Sure. For a small fee, we’ll be happy to carve-out some time to answer any of your questions. Unfortunately, we cannot talk to everyone. We are delighted to conduct a quick site review with you, at no cost, if you are serious about pursuit of a specific site. We will tell you quickly if your baby is ugly, or if a potential project merits further investigation.