All Forum Posts by: Drew Joseph

I haven't done an automated lock/door facility yet. Looked at it very heavily for a conversion project we are doing down in SC and it was priced affordably enough ($45k for 190 doors) but I couldn't get around spending more on something that was so "new". To me, you still need someone to make sure unit is swept etc so I'd still need. "boots on the ground". A it's replacing is the lock out and lock out removal but we rely on our gate to do that and only lock individual units when lien goes in place...And, like you, this was a smaller, less sophisticated market so I suspect I will be the market leader even without this added ammenity. If I was more convinced of the "reliability" I may have done it.and I would consider again in a more competitive/affluent market!

$9-11K doesn't sound unreasonable assuming it includes cost of all equipment. I try to Target $8k but it depends on market...ànd I'd pay more for someone who could confidently get it done WITHOUT my involvement;)

@Drew Joseph re: getting tenants on autopay... when I first got into this business, I was surprised how many people didn't want to be on autopay. I personally love autopay for most of my bills and assumed others would be the same. But not so much. At my largest property (590 units), we have about 38% on autopay, and this is after really pushing it. I do think autopay adoption depends on the market, and the market where this particular property is located is not wealthy. 

At this property, we've had a lot of success pushing people to autopay by waiving late fees. Tenants obviously hate late fees, and we don't waive then UNLESS they agree to autopay. That has been a very successful strategy. Also, we offer move-in discounts for customers who agree to autopay.  

At my smaller properties, we require autopay for all new customers. But these are much smaller properties without full time staff. Also, these locations are bit wealthier.

@Drew Joseph agree on staying in touch. I currently rent 2 units up in the Cornelia area. My brother owns a storage place outside of Denver that has 600 spots, so he has a lot of tips I have picked up over the years. In case your interested there is an REI group that meets the last Wednesday of each month at Re- cess restaurant off the square in Gainesville at 6:30pm. You should check it out if possible.

I haven't done an automated lock/door facility yet. Looked at it very heavily for a conversion project we are doing down in SC and it was priced affordably enough ($45k for 190 doors) but I couldn't get around spending more on something that was so "new". To me, you still need someone to make sure unit is swept etc so I'd still need. "boots on the ground". A it's replacing is the lock out and lock out removal but we rely on our gate to do that and only lock individual units when lien goes in place...And, like you, this was a smaller, less sophisticated market so I suspect I will be the market leader even without this added ammenity. If I was more convinced of the "reliability" I may have done it.and I would consider again in a more competitive/affluent market!

$9-11K doesn't sound unreasonable assuming it includes cost of all equipment. I try to Target $8k but it depends on market...ànd I'd pay more for someone who could confidently get it done WITHOUT my involvement;)

YES! How cool would that be to have a national directory/scheduler of sorts.  Just yesterday I hired a mechanic in Florida to do a pre purchase inspection on a truck I'm buying tomorrow (I live in NY so the $99 inspection fee was a no brainer)....All it required was one phone call and a couple clicks of the mouse.  Super cool....but I digress.  My point is I agree with you that the "disruption" is just getting underway and there is incredible opportunity for us as operators as well as for technology companies with inroads into our industry!!!

I think gate installation (and more specifically access control integration) is the biggest thorn in my side.  ESS is making some headway there but only on the equipment supply and integration side...installers are still hard to vet! I'm actually flying down to our Forest Property in NC Friday to hopefully get our gate up and running once and for all.  Its the last piece of the puzzle for that project..aside from filling it up of course.  

On a side note, You might consider starting a blog here on BP as a way to keep your "updates" front and center to the page...otherwise all these side conversations are going to distract from the continuity of your story.  The chatter can still happen on the blog but will be in a separate comment section.  Just an Idea.  Feel free to check mine out, All Things Self Storage to get a sense for how easy they make it to post and manage!

Looking forward to watching this play out for you! Love to see Self Storage Success Stories. we've had great success using Easy Storage Solutions Management software and call center at all our locations throughout the country!  You should definitely give them a look if you haven't yet.

Congratulations @Drew Joseph! What a way to see opportunity and seize it. Looking forward to read more updates! 

Great to hear you are doing this! Are you possibly going to the conference in October? I have some ideas I’d like to talk with you about this. I just sold my house in Gainesville, Ga in April. I also still live in the area and glad to hear about this route your taking. 

Jane, nice to meet you! I'm not planning on making the conference unfortunately. I didn't know about it until recently. We should stay in touch and would love to hear about your ideas and discuss local strategies!