You couldInvest in your local marketInvest out of state (Long Distance Real Estate Investing)Partner with someone locally.Partner with someone out of your area (through a syndication perhaps)There are more ways to invest in real estate than simply buying a house in the area you live in, so even if your place in NY is crazy expensive, there are places nearby and all across the US that are less expensive and could be good places to pick up a home with your $20,000 and start working towards a stable of rental properties. 

Plus, if you decide to move after a year, you can still rent out the other unit and have someone you trust nearby to watch the unit.

There are 3 other storage facilities nearby.

Many who live here choose to invest elsewhere, some in nearby communities outside of Dane County where they can find properties that meet their specific deal criteria. 

The current owner was offered $5000 per month from one of the nearby corporations to use it exclusively as their rental property for their executives / employees.

If you purchase any of these units in undesirable areas I would make sure that a college is nearby or in the MidTown or Downtown area.  

There are quality food options and a lot of tourism traffic with 2 grocery stores nearby.

Hello fellow investors,We have been investing single family homes in Charlotte and nearby areas.

Not having a stockpile of cash to fund his 1300/mo would a reverse mortgage work to fund a trust which would payout the current owner until his passing? 

The deal sound like it could be a great deal at $90k, if other properties nearby are worth $200k and you are getting $1380/month in a market that is good and improving.