The self-storage industry started its upswing during the Great Recession as more and more Americans turned to storage units as a result of being forced to downsize or foreclose on their home, recalls Alec Pacella, president with NAI Pleasant Valley in Medina, Ohio. “That’s when the industry sparked, but it’s never stopped,” he says. There are three main reasons that the self-storage sector has continued to perform well as a commercial real estate property type, according to Pacella. First, an increase in consumer spending has left Americans with more goods to store. Second, there’s been an influx in larger institutional investors and regional aggregators looking to acquire self-storage properties. Lastly, the advent of technology has enabled operators to run properties remotely and offer services such as automatic payment systems and 24-hour access. While the industry has long been dominated by the local mom-and-pop type operators, there are examples of regional players expanding their portfolios today. One such company that Pacella cites is Valley Storage, which has entered the Ohio market from its headquarters in Maryland. The company now has five locations in Northeast Ohio in addition to facilities in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. Oversupply concerns The supply of new …
