March 1, 2000

2 Min Read
Suds and Stuff

Suds and Stuff

i021te.jpg (12793 bytes)I bought my first piece of real estate last year, but unfortunately, it lackssomething, a certain set of luxury items I swore I would never be without, a certainfundamental convenience no home should lack--a washer and dryer. And since there alwaysseems to be a more immediate financial demand for items such as mini-blinds, curtains,paint, carpeting, tile, etc., Sunday evenings will oft find me decked in my mostshamefully ragged sweatwear, hauling a hockey bag of dirty laundry down to the localcoin-op.

You'd think I'd dread this menial task, but aside from the accompaniment of a goodbook, there's something else I treasure about these excursions, and that's the unexpectedyet refreshing conveniences: The coin-op not only offers the standard equipment, but youcan buy laundry detergent and fabric softener from a vending machine. There's an ATMmachine. You can purchase long-distance phone cards and stamps. And, let's not forget thecoffee machine that offers both lattes and cappuccinos, and the ice-cream machine,complete with Klondike Bars and Drumstiks. It's nice when a chore can be lessened by somesimple perks such as these.

Now, imagine I'm a storage customer renting my unit. I'm likely not looking forward tothe inconvenience of packing, moving, loading and unloading, not to mention organizing myitems in a 6-by-6-foot space. Imagine my pleasure at finding I can purchase everything Ineed to accomplish the job at hand--from boxes and tape right down to a rentaltruck--right there at the storage facility. Now imagine you're the operator reaping theadded profits from the sale of these items. Are you liking where I'm going with this?

Storagemanagers all over the country are discovering the benefits of offering ancillary productsand services to their customers, from both a financial and service perspective. It couldbe a simple but effective way to boost business.

But as an operator, profits aren't your only concern. You need to keep on top of allyour management responsibilities, such as routine maintenance, rentals and collections.This month, Rick Dodge shares suggestions for the upkeep of one of your facility's mostimportant construction features: your roof. Read how to create an effective rentalagreement--one of your most important management tools; then follow up with CarlosKaslow's article on delinquencies, collections and liens. Also in this issue you'll learnhow to handle those occasional irate tenants, participate in virtual records managementand file an insurance claim.

We hope you enjoyed the Las Vegas Expo and returned home with plenty of ideas andresources to make your operation run smoother and more profitably. And if those don'twork, I'm telling you, get your hands on that coffee vending machine...

Warmest wishes,

Teri L. Lanza
Editor
[email protected]



For a complete list of references click here

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter
ISS is the most comprehensive source for self-storage news, feature stories, videos and more.

You May Also Like