• September 16, 2025

MSM Exclusives

MSM Exclusives

11 Dec, 2020

2020 Facility Of The Year Overall Facility Winner: Brickhouse Self Storage

When the owners of Brickhouse Self Storage began envisioning their dream, they didn’t have a cookie-cutter facility in mind; they had a dream of...

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marijuana at work

10 Dec, 2020

Marijuana In The Workplace

As of Jan. 1, 2020, there are 11 states (and the District of Columbia) that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Those states are...

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10 Dec, 2020

Lease It Up! Tackling Tenancy Troubles In Tough Markets

Owners and operators who were part of the first- and second-generation wave of self-storage may have lived by the “build it and they will come”...

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arbitration

3 Dec, 2020

The Benefits Of Arbitration To Resolve Tenant Disputes

It is inevitable that disputes will occur between self-storage tenants and facility operators. Those disputes can range from alleged property loss...

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3 Dec, 2020

Merry Marketing! Unwrap The Seasonal Slump

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but if you’re not effectively marketing during this historical slower season you might find a lump of coal in your...

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19 Nov, 2020

Is It A Great Site? Factors To Consider Before Developing Self-Storage

From vacant big box buildings and urban infill locations to parcels in secondary markets or municipalities with high barriers to entry, there is no...

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jeffrey s. dallenbach

18 Nov, 2020

Look Who’s Talking: Jeffrey S. Dallenbach, ARCHCON / DALLENBACH-COLE Architecture

Although there is still plenty of capital and investors for new self-storage development, as well as demand for additional supply across the...

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10 Nov, 2020

Safeguard Your Site: Planning And Preparing For Disasters

Editor’s Note: This story was written prior to the coronavirus pandemic challenges. The sidebar in blue at the end of this article was added...

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10 Nov, 2020

Improving Collection Rates: Valuable Tips From Industry Experts

Self-storage facility operators have a long to-do list to keep up with, including facility maintenance and upgrades, safety and security,...

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pandemic responsibilities

29 Oct, 2020

What Are A Landlord's Obligations To Its Tenants During The COVID-19 Pandemic?

As we move into the fifth month of the pandemic, there remain conflicting signs of our future. Infections are rising, and deaths are mounting while...

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14 Oct, 2020

Implementing New Ideas: 10 Key Preparations For 2021

Cooler temperatures have arrived in many parts of the country. Before we know it, we’ll be ushering out 2020 (many say, “Good riddance!”) and...

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5 Oct, 2020

Varied Valuations: Is It Time To Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment?

Higher property tax bills can deliver a body block to self-storage facility owners’ budgets and business models, and the appeal process can be...

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23 Sep, 2020

Winning With Websites: Steps To Maximum Self Storage Marketing

Automated technology is supposed to make our lives less complicated and it has in many ways. It has done wonders for many industries, including...

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23 Sep, 2020

Pandemic Lien Sale Restrictions: Going Forward After Commercial Eviction Bans

The self-storage industry has not gone through the COVID-19 crisis unscathed, especially in regions where moratoriums on lien sales have prevented...

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15 Sep, 2020

Strategy Shift: Structuring Transactions In The COVID Era

2020 has ushered in a dramatically different landscape for not only the self-storage industry but the entire economy as well. As brokers, we may...

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15 Sep, 2020

Raising Rents on Existing Customers: It’s A Must Not An Option!

Editor’s Note: This story was written prior to the corona pandemic challenges. Raising rents. Just those two words can strike fear into many...

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8 Sep, 2020

Smart Storage: How to Integrate Your Technology for Contactless Rentals

What makes a storage facility smart? Twenty years ago, you might have said naming it AAA Storage to be first in your local yellow pages. Now, you...

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25 Aug, 2020

Securing Credit Card Information

By J. Ashley Oblinger, Esq.Associate Attorney Over the last few months, we have all experienced many changes to our daily activities, from...

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BETCO SELF STORAGE BUILDING

3 Aug, 2020

BETCO, Beavers & Virginia Properties: Dam Good Self-Storage

In the heart of a military town in Stafford, Virginia, this Extra Space Storage Facility is owned and developed by Virginia Properties, operated by...

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3 Aug, 2020

The Complete High-Tech Guide to Upgrading Your Self-Storage Security

Get the facts on modern security tools like thermal motion sensing and smartphone access with this all-in-one guide.

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17 Jul, 2020

The Sky’s The Limit - Architectural Trends In Self-Storage

The days when storage facilities consisted of rows of single-story metal buildings sprawled out over large parcels within industrial locations seem...

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13 Jul, 2020

Insurance for Weather Disasters & More | Mini-Storage Messenger

While the 2019 California wildfires caused less damage than the two previous seasons, a total of 253,354 acres burned last year. That compares to...

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13 Jul, 2020

The Perfect Storm: It’s A Hard Insurance Climate For Business Owners

Natural disasters and other factors are beginning to take their toll on business owners who are renewing their commercial insurance policies...

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1 Jul, 2020

Two Industries Are Better Than One: The Convergence of Moving and Storage

The moving industry and the storage industry have long been considered quite different from one another. One business moves goods and the other...

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1 Jul, 2020

Profits by Diversification: The Utility of Portable Storage Containers in the Self-Storage Industry

The self-storage industry continues to be one of the fastest growing segments of the commercial real estate industry in North America. The industry...

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12 Jun, 2020

2020 Managers Of The Year | Mini-Storage Messenger

Each year, we like to recognize the self-storage industry’s finest property managers through its annual Manager of the Year awards. Candidates are...

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lonnie bickford

1 Jun, 2020

Look Who's Talking: Lonnie Bickford,  Appletree Storage

Throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic, the self-storage facilities across the country that were deemed an essential business by their states made...

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27 May, 2020

My running journey saved my life

During the late 16th century it became fashionable for young European aristocrats and wealthy upper-class men to travel to significant European...

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8 Apr, 2020

2016 Facility Of The Year: Overall & Construction Winner

M3storage Tobalaba, Santiago, Chile Santiago, the capital and largest city in Chile with nearly seven million residents, is surrounded by the Andes...

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1 Dec, 2019

Construction Winner - Armour Self-Storage III, El Paso, Texas

The El Paso, Texas, site was located at the crest of a natural drainage arroyo in a flood zone with steep banks that rose over 35 feet above useable...

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