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Self Storage Investing Riches from David Lindahl

Archive : Self Storage Investing Riches from David Lindahl

Dear Careful Investor,

I know I know—it’s all over the newspapers and the TV news. The “talking heads” are telling us that real estate’s hurting bad right now, and this is not the time to invest. I have a simple question: If they’re so smart, why aren’t they rich?

Well I am rich, and in this letter I want to tell you about a type of real estate that’s quite unique. That’s because…

…The Worse The Economy Gets,
The More Cash This Type of Real Estate Generates.

What kind of real estate am I talking about? It’s self-storage investing. In addition to being a great investment in a soft economy, there’s not nearly as much competition for this type of real estate. That’s because people don’t understand it.

By the end of this letter, you’ll understand the opportunity. Better yet, your head will be racing with how you can extract more profits right from your own backyard.

First let’s talk about you.

If we were out somewhere having a beer, I’m guessing this is what you might say to me:

“Dave, am I asking for that much? I mean, all I want at this stage is to supplement my income with real estate. My problem is that I’m working full time, and don’t have much cash in the bank. I know I’ll be fine once I do my first deal, but how can I get that first one done?”

Is that good guess about what you’re thinking? It is?

Okay, let’s look in more depth at your situation, and break it down into four requirements:

Requirement #1: You need to invest in a type of real estate that’s doing well in a lousy economy, because that’s what we have right now.

Would you like some straight, honest talk? Here goes: There is no perfect real estate investment. That’s an odd thing for a “guru” to say, because some of them are known to scream at you with how they have the be-all, end-all investment opportunity if you just sign right here on the dotted line….

Well that’s garbage and I’m not going to insult your intelligence. Real estate can be a great opportunity if you match the right type to the right market.

For instance, if you’re trying to build condos in Florida right now, some nice men in white jackets will come and take you away.

That’s where the special opportunity comes in that I referred to above: Self-storage units work very well in down markets. Why? Here are some of the reasons:

When foreclosures are high, many people move to small apartments and store their stuff in self-storage units.
When businesses are down-sizing, they lease less space and move their records and furniture into self-storage units until times get better. It’s way cheaper than paying for better-quality space.
Even when times are good, tens of millions of Baby Boomers are downsizing. They’re moving into smaller homes and condos as they become empty-nesters or just want less space to maintain at lower cost.

Self storage can also work in strong economies, but it’s sometimes harder because people have more money to throw around.

Requirement #2: You want a system that allows you to do your first deals—or any deal—in the absolute minimum time.

In other words, it must be doable not with big blocks of your time, but with bits and pieces of it. That’s where my self-storage investing system comes in.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand opportunities that require you to commit major time to get them off the ground. I didn’t have much time when I was a starving landscaper, and here’s the funny thing: It doesn’t get any better when you get rich.

Even after I became a multi-millionaire, I was short on time. That’s because I wanted to do more deals and take more vacations, so any investing system had to be fast and efficient.

I’ve done just that with my self-storage investing system. You do NOT need to go out and pound the pavement looking for deals. You do NOT drive around with a ladder, pounding up “We Buy Houses” signs. You do NOT “dial for dollars” by calling ads in the newspaper.

What you instead do is send out my tested and proven letters until some of them result in interested sellers. (I also have other low-time techniques that work.) Then you use my system to sift and sort the incoming responses into live deals and dead dogs.

Requirement #3: The investment cannot require a big bank account to get started. Preferably you want something that requires none of your money for a down payment.

The stupidest quote I’ve ever heard is “It takes money to make money.” No, it takes a proven system to make money. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to invent that system because it already exists.

Part of my Self Storage Riches system involves how to attract all the money you need to finance your deals.

You see, most of the late-night “no money down” gurus will have you barking up the wrong tree. Only the lousiest deals are “no money down”. The much better deals do require a down payment.

But that’s where I have more good news for you—It doesn’t have to be your money that’s being used for the down payment.

Requirement #4: Finally, the deal can’t consume much of your time to run.

There’s no point getting into a deal if it becomes a time vampire. My guess is you already have enough time vampires in your life.

This is where self-storage deals really shine. Because a self-storage facility doesn’t house people, the rules are way simpler than dealing with tenants.

If a renter at your storage facility doesn’t pay, you simply “overlock” the door with your own padlock. That prevents the renter from getting to his stuff until he pays you.

He still doesn’t pay? No need to hear sob stories or deal with an eviction—the renter’s stuff is auctioned off relatively quickly.

For the vast majority of renters who do pay, just think how little maintenance there is: No toilets, no kitchens, no electrical service other than simple lights, and no kids living there.

You can even keep an eye on your entire property while someone else runs it by using cheapo “web cams” that hook to a computer over the Internet!

Who’s Not Right For Self-Storage Investing

You know as well as I do that no investment is perfect for everyone. So who’s a good and bad fit for self-storage investing?

If your idea of investing is the hands-on sweat equity approach of rehabbing a property in order to increase its value, then self storage is not for you. There’s not much to break down and therefore not many things to repair.

You may also not like self storage facilities if you want to create a “community” at your property. Self storage is kind of an impersonal investment. There are a bunch of locked rooms, and only occasionally will you see a renter drive to any one unit.

On the other hand, many people feel no need to get cozy with their investments. They just want them to generate cash flow and profits.

Self-storage facilities are great that way.

Salepage : Self Storage Investing Riches from David Lindahl

About Author

David Lindahl

If you need a refresher on my background, I was a burned-out landscaper 14 years ago. I had:

No money (OK, that’s not totally true; I did have a whole $800 in the bank);

No time (that one is definitely true, because each night after a full day of grunting dirt and railroad ties around in my landscaping business, it was all I could do to pop a cool one and collapse in my chair in front of the TV);

No experience. My family didn’t know anything about real estate. In fact, I got the “Dave, you’re making a big mistake!” speech when I mention real estate.

I didn’t “luck into” a fortune. I instead made it using tested and proven systems I developed over time. At first they were crude, but I hate making the same mistake twice, so I got better fast.

Dave Lindahl is an accomplished real estate investor who has been involved in over 550 deals and controls over $240 million in real estate. Dave is the principle owner of the Lindahl Group and the Bostonian Investment Group, a real estate investment company that acquires properties in emerging markets across the nation.