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.

Residence at Dino's Storage

Wow!!! I thought I had heard just about everything!!!! I know that the homeless population is all over the United States right now and getting worse with the economy being the way it is. When I came in to check my messages this weekend I found out that one of my tenants was using his drive up storage space as a residence!

Now I realize that it has four walls and is out of the wind, but the storage garages at Dino's Storage are not residences and it is against Dino's policies for anyone to stay in their storage unit. Hopefully we don't have to deal with this problem again!

Dino's Storage Payments

Most people know how to pay their storage bill and don't ever have an issue with payments. But there are others who either do not put their unit number on their check/money order, or they have someone else send it in and don't include their name on the payment. This is how errors happen in the payment process. You would not believe how many John Smiths I have in my system. Without a unit number on your payment, I have no idea which John Smith that payment belongs to. When situations like this happen I can sometimes look at the address on the payment and narrow it down that way, but this doesn't always work. Sometimes I get money order payments with no name, address or unit number at all.

In cases like the ones that I speak about above the customer ends up getting locked out of their unit and getting late fees, when in all actuality they did pay on time. It is very easy for me to change the payment and add it to the correct account but it would make it even easier on you and me if the error didn't happen in the first place.

Please remember to always put your unit number on your payment! If you are not sure of your unit number, you can always call your property manager and they would be happy to give you that information, as it would save them time in the long run as well.

Self-Storage in Canada

Jennie and I visited our Dino's Storage site in Winnipeg, Manitoba, last week. It was my fourth trip there and Jennie's first. I am frequently asked two questions about this location. First is, "Winnipeg, as in Winnipeg, Canada?" and what comes next is "Why Canada?" The answers are yes, and because Dave liked Winnipeg after visiting a few times.

Winnipeg is not as far as you'd think. Take I-29 straight north for 600 miles and you wind up in the heart of Winnipeg. Winnipeg and Omaha are fairly similar cities when it comes to demographics. It recently acquired the previous NHL team Atlanta Thrashers, now the Winnipeg Jets, adding to its existing array of sports teams for Minor League baseball, Canadian Football League, and World Soccer Academy.

Winter weather may be the only major difference between the Canadian Dino's and the American Dino's. Our self-storage facility in Winnipeg offers the same features as our Midwest sites:

• drive-up units
• parking spaces
• indoor non-climate units
• heated units (different from climate control)
• office hours 6 days a week
• knowledgeable and friendly staff
• moving truck
• keypad and gated access
• packing and moving supplies available

Nebraska Weather

The weather here in Omaha, Nebraska is always very unpredictable. For the last several days it has been very hot and humid with temperatures ranging between 95-100 degrees, but with the humidity it feels like 105-115 degrees.

It is very hard for Landmark and Dino's Storage employees to be out there in the heat but we always are no matter how the weather affects us. Something always needs to be done or fixed and we will do our best to take care of the customers' needs. That is why I like working at Dino's so much - the people and the dedication I see here makes me feel good about working here, too.

New Website!

Our sister company, Dino's Storage, launched a new website this morning. Check it out! We out hope you like it!!

www.DinosStorage.com

Auction Day

It is auction day at Dino's storage and it is always exciting to go and take part in the auctions! I sometimes get to hear stories about the things that people find inside these units. Sometimes it is junk and sometimes they find stuff that could be very valuable!!! I have the privilege of being able to attend all the auctions every month and I never tire of seeing what is going to be found next.


http://www.dinosstorage.com/



If you would like to receive emails about upcoming Dino's Storage Auctions, please contact dino1@landmarkmg with your email address!

Flooding in Omaha

The storage business is booming this month from the flooding along the Missouri River. In Omaha, our managers have had record-breaking activity due to the misfortune of our fellow residents, and we are glad to be able to help people in need!

A storage facility in Pacific Junction, Iowa, told its existing tenants to move to our location because they were in a flood plain. Some of these stories are heart-breaking. People who just purchased or built a home should be settling in this month, but instead they are moving out just as quickly as they moved in.

I had the privilege of interviewing with KETV last week about the home and business evacuees needing to put their stuff somewhere. My advice to anyone needing storage, regardless of reason, is to do your research first. Don’t try to make impromptu decisions. There are too many factors involved. We do understand plans change, and we are as flexible as we can be, but self-storage units and truck rentals are first come, first serve. Make an appointment and attend it. If you don’t, the next person in line will gladly take your place.

When looking to rent a storage space, consider these points:

• Location of storage facility that makes the most sense. You will probably need access more often than you think.



• If you are storing your belongings through the peak time of year for humidity or potentially long-term, opt for climate control.




• Spring the extra few dollars for the disc lock instead of a pad lock. Disc locks are much more secure and resistant.




• Make arrangements of how and who will physically move the items to storage. We rent out Penske trucks and can make recommendations of moving companies.



• Friendly and knowledgeable staff. You will work with your property manager more than once, even if you don’t anticipate it now. You should trust them and they should help you.

Missouri River Flooding

As I am ending my day of processing payments, I'm taking many many phone calls for people calling for storage units at Dino's. Omaha, as you may know, is experiencing record floods from the Missouri river going over its banks and many people want to save their belongings.

The Bellevue location has also been going non-stop with people coming in. It is a very busy time for Dino's and I wish everyone that is in the path of the flood many good wishes!

Click Here to View a News Story KETV did about this very topic!

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*If you or someone you know has experienced or may experience flooding, Dino's Storage can help you at short notice. Call 402.916.4015 to inquire more about our units for flood victims.

Payments

Today I am entering payments for Dino's Storage and am noticing that a lot of people either don't put their unit numbers or facility they rent their unit at on their payments. Most of the time this is pretty easy to figure out if the check says the same name of the unit.

When this becomes a problem is when someone is paying for someone else's unit and does not put the number on the payment. In these cases it is sometimes difficult and time consuming when you have to look for the payment again later to find out why it posted wrong.

Storage Burglars (followed by their arrests) on the Rise

You may have caught me (no pun intended) on WOWT's Burglaries & Break-ins on the 14th regarding the break-ins at a Dino's Storage at the end of March. The story is called, "A couple who steals together is arrested together". A man rented a storage unit under a stolen identity and instead of moving his items in that evening, he moved someone else's out. The occurrence of break-ins has increased dramatically over the last two years in the storage industry. Facilities that never had the problem, suddenly were being hit as well. There are several things storage companies and customers can do to prevent the crimes and reduce the damage when the crime does occur.

1. The customer needs to protect their unit with a cylinder disc lock, not a pad lock. Cylinder disc locks are virtually impossible to break off with bolt cutters. Disc locks require grinders and are too time-consuming for thieves to hassle with. The price difference is minimal: $4 at our sites.
2. The renter should make sure their homeowners or renter’s insurance covers items off-premise of their residence. If it does not, or they do not have insurance, purchase storage insurance from the facility they rent their storage unit from. If the facility does not offer storage insurance, they should not entrust their items at that location. No storage company is going to cover loss or damages to the stored items.
3. Once you have rented a storage unit, visit it often to make sure the items are still there, untouched, and in their normal condition.
4. The self-storage company should have cameras around the facility, especially at all exits and entrances. We focus our cameras on these places instead of on units.
5. Limit who enters the property and find out who is entering the property by having coded access. Each customer has their own five digit code. The software will tell us what code, whose code, the date and time, and what door or gate was used with that code.
6. The manager should pay attention to who is visiting and when.
7. The property manager should walk their property daily to spot problems immediately.
8. Businesses should encourage the police to drive through their property frequently, train the drug detection dogs there, and have drug dogs investigate near suspicious areas.
9. Require a government issued ID at the time of signing. No ID, no lease.
10. Don't give your code out to anyone you wouldn't give your SSN to.

The three most recent set of break-ins (3 different Dino's facilities) have all been captured on video and all perpetrators and their co-conspirators have been arrested. This can't be a coincidence. Sonny Joynes and Tamara Kulm, the thieves featured on TV last week, had broken into at least two other NON Dino's storage facilities prior to setting foot on our property and were not caught. I can't speak for the other facilities and I can't tell you what kind of gates, fences, cameras, etc, they have. However, what I can say is that Dino's has upped their game and thieves should take note and learn from those who came before them. As a customer, you can protect your items when you aren't there by carefully choosing where you rent from, keeping your code a secret, and putting a disc lock on your door. If we all do our part, there won't be opportunity for the bad guys.

Self Storage Video

Video might sound exciting, but it really is not. But it is very important, especially when coupled with data showing who is using doors and gates. Two weeks ago one of our facilities had a stupid criminal use his code to access our building and then cut locks from some of the storage units. But with the combination of video surveillance and records from the doors the police were able to quickly track down the perpetrator and take him off the street.

When we record 24 hours per day we get a lot of video we will never use but when needed it is great. Fortunately the newer systems are digital and permit us to highlight particular portions of the screen and then alert us when activity occurs in a highlighted area so we do not have to look at everything. And sometimes we even start out wondering who did some damage only to find something else, like how the wind and not a person damaged a door at one of our locations yesterday.

My Experience at Dino's Storage

I used to think that I knew all that I needed to know about self storage until I started working at Dino's Storage. There is so much more involved than just renting a unit. There is getting to know your customers needs, and what they would need the storage unit for and what other ways the customers can be served by us. I learned all of the different sizes of units and what they can hold.

Previously I thought that all storage was created equal. Boy, was I wrong about that! I found out about climate control units and humidity control on those units and how it can prevent your belongings from getting moldy and smelly. When I had previously rented a unit and a couple other storage facilities in the Omaha area, I didn't really think that it was anything too spectacular but I also didn't think it needed to be. Again, my thinking has changed on that.

I have recently started renting a climate control unit for my belongings as well as working here and I have found that on a cold windy day I can go into my unit and leave the door open and not have to worry about my stuff getting blown around or freezing when I am trying to go through my stuff.

Storage Building Construction has Started

After a long pre-construction phase of getting Plans developed and solutions found to challenging site conditions, excavation work started last month at the site. A 4-story 57,600 sq ft climate controlled storage building will be constructed.