A Year for Expansion: Self-Storage in Canada 2007

On the positive side, there are now considerable resources “made-in-Canada” to assist new developers and investors in evaluating opportunities in the Canadian markets. The growing list includes brokers who specialize in the marketing of self-storage; appraisers who specialize in the valuation and feasibility analysis of self-storage; management companies who train personnel and offer management services to the self-storage industry; construction companies and engineers with extensive experience in self-storage development; and insurance brokers with self-storage focus.

The market of today is not the market of six months ago—deals are harder to make and financing is more difficult to arrange. However, self-storage will continue to be an excellent investment opportunity and there are significant development prospects in the majority of Western Canadian markets.

Candace Watson is a professional real estate appraiser who has been appraising self-storage for 30 years. Her company, Canadian Self Storage Valuation Services Inc., specializes in the valuation and feasibility analysis of self-storage, and conducts regular surveys of supply, occupancy and rents in the Vancouver Lower Mainland and Victoria, as well as in several Alberta urban centers. In 2007, the company provided valuation services in Winnipeg, Regina and Montreal in addition to Western Canada. For more information, call 604.681.2929; e-mail cssvs@shaw.ca.