February 8, 2012

Self Storage Auctions

As the popularity of self-storage auctions continues to grow, it’s becoming more and more evident to me that even though there are successful storage companies, they don’t all know what they’re doing. I’ll be the first to say Dino’s isn't perfect. We make mistakes because we’re humans. But we do know the storage laws and we follow them. We have a lawyer we go to for advice on the complicated matters. The owner of Dino’s is the founder and President of the Nebraska Self Storage Association. We are the self-storage company that other companies go to for advice. We hold an annual conference for facility owners and managers where we invite guest speakers and vendors to educate other operators and managers on how to run a successful business. This includes legal, sales, construction, and economical topics. We also conduct periodical market surveys (in person and over the phone) to find out how we compare to those around us and figure out what we can do that they are not.
When renting a storage unit, you want to trust the people and the place where you’re putting your possessions. Here are some important things to look for:

1. A facility with a gate and restricted access to tenants only.
2. Consistent, unchanging information from the manager.
3. Familiarize yourself with storage laws (Iowa Law, Nebraska Law) and casually ask the manager about their procedures and compare that with what you know.
4. Ask your friends and family for referrals.
5. Most importantly, go with your gut. You wouldn’t rent an apartment if it didn’t feel right, so don’t put your home or business in a storage unit that doesn’t feel right.

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