Proven Ways to Find Self-Storage Investing Deals (Both On-Market and OFF-Market)
- StorageLife
- Sep 29
- 4 min read
Finding great deals is the lifeblood of self-storage investing. Whether you're brand new or scaling your portfolio, your ability to consistently source quality opportunities will determine your long-term success. At StorageLife, our mission is to help you build sustainable, scalable deal pipelines that actually convert into closed deals.
In this guide, we'll break down the exact systems, strategies, and tools you can use to uncover both on-market and off-market self-storage as an investment. These are the same frameworks we've used to help dozens of students land their first (and next) facilities.
The Deal Funnel: A High-Level Overview
Every solid acquisition system begins with a funnel:
Market Selection – Choose where you're hunting for deals.
Data Gathering – Skip tracing facilities and getting owner contact info.
Outreach – Cold calling, mailing, emailing.
Lead Management – Tracking cold/warm/hot leads.
Follow-Up – Building relationships and converting interest into offers.
If you skip steps or don’t systematize the flow, deals fall through the cracks.
Why Cold Calling Still Wins
Despite newer tools and trends, cold calling remains our #1 source of off-market deals. It works because it's direct, personal, and scalable with the right virtual assistants (VAs).
Last year alone, our team closed 6–7 deals from cold calling alone. Most of these started with skeptical sellers who "wanted too much" but came around through consistent follow-up and rapport-building.
Cold Calling Best Practices:
Call during optimized hours (2–4 PM is the sweet spot).
Use a script but stay conversational.
Track every outcome in your CRM.
Remember: the first call rarely gets the deal. The money's in the follow-up.
Meet the Team Behind the System
At StorageLife, we believe in simple, defined roles:
Michael (Head of Acquisitions): Handles hot leads, builds rapport, makes offers, and closes deals.
Virtual Assistants (VAs): Focus on high-volume cold calls, data entry, and managing lead statuses inside Podio.
The VA team is trained to flag warm and hot leads for Michael, who then steps in to negotiate and make offers.
Our Favorite Tool: Podio CRM
We've transitioned our entire lead management system into Podio CRM, a customizable workspace that helps us:
Track lead stages (New → Interested → Offer → Closing)
Set automatic follow-up tasks
Use automations for reminders and drip campaigns (email/text)
Calculate offers using a built-in 7 to 9 cap rate calculator
Compared to our old Google Sheets method, Podio gives us real-time clarity and saves countless hours.
If you want to learn how to set this up, our self-storage investing course walks you through it step-by-step.
Why Follow-Up is King
Most investors underestimate the power of consistent follow-up. We don’t.
In fact, the majority of deals we've closed came after weeks or months of staying in touch.
Sometimes sellers just aren't ready the first time. But when life changes (death, taxes, burnout), you'll be the one they remember.
Build trust. Stay present. Follow up.
Automations That Save Time
To make follow-up easier, we're integrating automations into our system:
Text and email sequences
Status-triggered tasks for our team
Offer reminders based on last contact date
These systems help us scale without sacrificing relationship quality. They're also key if you want to grow from solo hustler to business owner.
Don’t Forget to Diversify
Cold calling works, but it's not the only tool in your kit. Diversify your marketing to reach more sellers:
Self-storage marketing letter campaigns
Retargeting past leads with text/email
Website lead capture (with video + credibility package)
Even gift baskets or handwritten notes for promising sellers
Think of your outreach like a full-blown marketing campaign, not just a few calls.
Deal Sources: On-Market and Off-Market
Off-Market
Cold calling mom-and-pop facilities
Direct mail
Driving for dollars
Broker referrals
Relationships from your self-storage mastermind
On-Market
LoopNet and Crexi (yes, deals are still there!)
Your self-storage broker list
Wholesalers
Storage auctions and REI meetups
The key with on-market deals is speed and strong underwriting. Know how to analyze a self-storage deal fast so you can act decisively.
Why This Matters: Real ROI
The ultimate goal of all this is a strong self-storage return on investment.
When you build a lead pipeline, refine your follow-up, and automate your systems, you're not just closing more deals, you're doing it more efficiently.
Want to increase your ROI? Spend more time improving your lead systems and less time chasing dead ends.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Letting leads go cold due to poor follow-up
Relying only on one channel (like cold calling)
Not tracking your KPIs (calls made, leads created, offers sent)
Undertraining your VAs
Ignoring automation opportunities
If you want long-term success in self-storage investing, you must treat this like a business.
Final Advice: Keep It Simple, Stay Consistent
You don’t need 10 software tools or a 15-person team to succeed. You need a simple, repeatable process and the discipline to stay consistent.
Track your leads.
Follow up like a pro.
Use a system like Podio (or even Google Sheets) to organize your funnel.
Master the basics and deals will come.
Want Help Building Your Self-Storage Investing System?
If you’re serious about mastering how to start a self-storage business, our team at StorageLife can help.
We offer:
A full self-storage investing course that teaches you how to find, analyze, and close deals
Personalized coaching from an experienced self-storage mentor
Access to our private self-storage mastermind
Step-by-step guidance on how to buy a self-storage facility
Tools to evaluate risks of self-storage investing before you commit
We've helped dozens of students learn how to invest in self-storage from scratch. Now it’s your turn.
Start with one lead system. Get consistent. And close your first (or next) deal with confidence.
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