We are located in Rochester, NY and are currently looking to purchase our first self storage facility.

If you talking commercial only then self storage would be at the top of my list if application then office space..

I would pay attention to the subject areas managed by professional competitors, what is their average rent and the curb appeal, storage plus anymore common facilities that they have and the benefits of then, in respect to financially.Who is this guy anyway? 

There are many things to consider like jobs, curb appeal, interior and exterior work that needs to be done, request actual numbers, amenities, storage, parking, public transportation stops, access, nearby schools, nearby parks, and nearby retail.Good luck to you! 

They filled it with storage and park their cars  on what is an already congested dead end.

There is a file storage place here in BP somewhere.

Decide which kind of investor you want to be (Single Family Residence (SFR), Commercial, Storage, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT), Land, Tax Liens, Passive, Hard Money Lender (HML), 1-4 Multi-Family, Notes, Fix & Flip, Buy & Hold, "Subject To" (Creative Financing), Large Apartments, Duplexes, Assisted Living, REOs, Foreclosures, Short Sales), etc.

@Steve Cheslock they would be a good one, other option is to check with your storage software company on who they potentially recommend that syncs well with the software you choose.

Think about a temporary use to help you make the payments (like a driving range, or a dump, or temporary storage). 

I started investing in partnerships in multifamily and also mini storage.