Capture Self-Storage Tenants With Low-Cost Curb Appeal

Great self-storage curb appeal can draw new customers, while poor curb appeal will likely drive them to your competition. Consumers relate well-maintained, clean properties with safer, more secure facilities.

Think about how prospective tenants look at your facility. Many will size up a property within seconds of viewing it. Does your site look welcoming, pleasant and safe? With all of the competition in this economy, how do you differentiate yours from the other self-storage facilities in town? Sprucing up the exterior can give it immense curb appeal—and it doesn’t have to be expensive. There are a number of clever, affordable ways to improve your look and entice new customers.
 
Assess Your Site

First, stand back from your facility and consider it the way a prospect would. Look at it from across the street or do a drive-by. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
 

• Is the facility starting to look shabby? Does it need a good cleaning?
• Are the windows grimy or do they sparkle?
• Is the metal on your storefront or office clean or marked by fingerprints?
• Are the walls dull or faded? Are there cobwebs in plain sight?
• Are there weeds in the flowerbeds?
• Are your curbs faded and chipped or freshly painted?
• Is your sign faded or dull? If it’s an electric sign, are all of the lights working?
• Are your doors dusty, dirty or faded?

A thorough cleaning and some inexpensive touches can make a huge difference. Here are some pointers for enhancing your self-storage facility’s curb appeal:

Office. Wash windows inside and out until they shine. Wash away fingerprints and grime from the anodized aluminum door and windows with mild soap and water, and then dry. Microfiber towels make this job easier. If the metal is faded or dull, the color and luster can be restored with a quality clear coating. If necessary, paint the office inside and out.

Exterior. Sweep or vacuum cobwebs on a regular basis. Pick up trash or papers every day. A new coat of paint on curbs or bollards is inexpensive and makes a big difference. The paint can match your doors or be a contrasting color. New paint draws people’s attention. Pull weeds in the flowerbeds. Add a fresh layer of mulch or bark to save water and enhance the look of landscaping. Exterminate weeds growing in cracks in sidewalks or driveways.