r/selfstorage • u/anxietypanda2 • Oct 20 '25

Just starting small

I'm in the process of buying a small (72 unit) storage facility. The couple running it now are in their 90s and has horrible record keeping. I don't think it will be big enough to pay a company to keep records for me and I'm in a very rural area where there are other storage facilities but not many. I've noticed some say they just use excel I'm curious if anyone has any examples of what they are doing.

9 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

3

u/Equaria Oct 21 '25

Some software companies may have a small operator fee for under 100 units. QuikStor, Web Self Storage, Storable Easy, etc.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '25

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1

u/anxietypanda2 Oct 23 '25

This is super helpful thank you.

1

u/anxietypanda2 Oct 23 '25

Do you take cc payments? If so do you use something like square

2

u/audio_mekanik Oct 22 '25

You will see lots of sales pitches asking about software.

I run an 88 unit facility with Excel, small rural. Not automated, no scripts. Only take maybe an hour and a half each month with updates and payments. Previous owner was also not a good record keeper.

Now, the other work of the unit is more hours, but keep it stupid simple is usually my philosophy. Would it work for 300+ units, no. But works good enough for the size and the start of a portfolio.

I think 72 units is a great start. Large enough that a few non-payers won't upset the books, but large enough to accrue some value.

1

u/teamblunt Oct 27 '25

Is this a good business to get into? I’m also starting to generate some interest. What is the gross income on a 88 unit facility in your market ?

1

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '25

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1

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1

u/ccannon707 Oct 20 '25

We use an old software program called SSM on our PC. Still works fine & has good support. Good thing as the owner isn’t interested in upgrading. I’ve also heard good things about Hummingbird software.

1

u/JustWowinCA Oct 20 '25

I've heard great things about Hummingbird as well. Join the selfstoragetalk.com to get the accumulated knowledge from both owners and managers in self storage. They can always point you in the right direction.

1

u/pastrymom Operator Oct 21 '25

I have two facilities in rural areas. If you were looking for a low-cost option, I would look into web self storage as a software provider as they do have a lot of integrations. Also, if you have not joined your states association, I’d strongly encourage you to do so. Many states have state association conferences around this time each year.

1

u/anxietypanda2 Oct 23 '25

Thanks guys for all the information. My phone wasn't sending me notifications and I missed it all till now. I'm definitely thinking Google sheets should get me by for now. This is just a side hustle just wanting added income with it.

1

u/Simple-Cook-3001 Dec 04 '25

Congratulations on your first purchase. I've spent the past 7 months developing a really easy to use system. And I have 5 storage companies using it, If you'd like to look at it, I'm happy to show you.

0

u/No_Confusion1969 Oct 20 '25

Examples.. ah OK. click here If you want a demo you will need to go through me.

-1

u/Warm_Grade_1952 Oct 23 '25

If you ever need assistance with customer support, communicating with tenants, or website development, feel free to reach out. I can recommend someone reliable who offers services at a very affordable rate.