Then, understand your exit options based on the initial conversation.

Based on the price per sqft a builder gave me a duplex would be $280k and Triplex $420K roughly.

I'm not currently operating in MT, so don't worry, I'm not going to try to pitch you on my company, but I'd be happy to talk you through both sides of your options based on my 20 years in this industry niche.

I need to find a set of plans similar to his or have someone look at his units and draw a plan for me so I can meet with a contractor for pricing. 

Yes, The way it works is you can take out 80% LTV based on the purchase price and any repairs or receipts as a total.

 Where you’re based and where you invest (or plan to invest)- I'm based in Dallas, Tx where I was born an raised.

View report*This link comes directly from our calculators, based on information input by the member who posted.

Done and done.If you realize that those above topics are pretty much everything about Self Storage AND you learn those three (precursory will work, in-depth is better), you've got all your bases covered.  

If I'm in your shoes, I recommend chatting with some local investors (attend a few meetups) to get a good sense of whats possible and not based on others that have a similar W2 scenario as yours. 

Ask for a comparison based on the current coverage and also any recommendations for better coverage.