I was leveraged to the point of being uncomfortable when I was single and in my 20s so I get the idea but don’t recommend pulling money out of a retirement fund.

Low risk investments sell at a premium, that's the whole idea of cap rates.

However I do have a few other ideas but I would need to know a bit more about your situation, timeframe, overall financial objectives.

Do you have an idea of how much you can afford to put down? 

I believe the idea is that if you transfer a property from your name to a trust you own, the Due On Sale isn't called.

But it might be a good idea to raise rates each year or so by $50 to $100 because it can communicate that you aren't completely checked out, and you value your property, your time, your investment.

I was just throwing out an idea, but I will definitely look into that from TVA.

@Luke Spencer I am not on the management side but I can tell you it took 2+ years to fill 300 units at one of our facilities and the other just hit 300 units in 12/13 months so it really depends on the demographics, and local housing market trend, the more people moving in and out the higher the demand for storage.I think if you're looking at a saturated market then the upfront cash to turn the warehouse into self storage is not a good idea but then again, maybe those operators are on back roads ( low visibility ) and don't push google ads well.

Expectations for a higher standard of decor and theming has infiltrated this industry and those are the ones that do well.

If you have any tips, resources, or advice for someone just starting out, I’d greatly appreciate your insights.Some specific things I’m working on right now:Building a strong buyers list.Identifying motivated sellers and honing my outreach.Learning the ins and outs of structuring win-win deals.I’m open to partnering, collaborating, or just grabbing coffee to exchange ideas.