Eventually though you will finally finishall your Christmas shopping. At that point you will have dozens of presents in your possession and curious children who cannot wait to see what you got them.

You need a good hiding place to make sure that doesn’t happen, but where will you choose? You can’t leave them in your car, the attic is probably already full, and last year those nosey kids found them when they were in your closet.

It seems that any hiding spot you think off, your children get the best of you. Recently however, many parents have found that finding a self-storage unit in your area might just be the solution you are looking for.

Aside from being away from your home, there are multiple benefits to using this method of gift hiding:

• No long term commitment. Most storage facilities rent on a month-to-month basis, so you don’t have to worry about being stuck with this unit after the holidays. Just rent for the month of December, and once that’s over, your done until next year
• Wrapping location. Depending on the size of your unit, you can possibly bring all of your wrapping supplies into the unit with you and get that out of the way too
• All day access. For the most part, storage facilities now allow 24 hour access so you can tuck your kids into bed, and head over to your unit after. This will help avoid your children asking “Where are you going?” every time you head out

This holiday season, don’t let the joy of Christmas day be ruined by a badly hidden present. Make sure that there is that look of surprise when those gifts are given by using a self-storage unit as a safe, reliable, hassle-free solution to your holiday present-hiding dilemma.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Of particular importance, here, is the expedience with which self storage facilities (and companies) are going to be able to deal with lien disputes.  Whereas yesterdays disputes were bogged down by long, expensive stays in the superior courts and mountains of legal fees, today’s can be settled quickly, efficient, and most importantly cheaply in the small claims courts.  All of this, of course, means that consumers (i.e. tenants) are going to have to start taking their rent payments a bit more seriously.  It was hard to get away with skipping your payments in the past; now, it’s pretty close to impossible.

All of this brings a simple question to mind: how can self storage customers make sure that they’re not falling behind on their payments?  How can tenants guarantee that they are not going to fall behind on their rent—that they are not going to receive their own lien notices in the mail?  Fortunately for consumers, there are some fairly simple solutions to these budget problems.

Don’t rent a self storage unit that you cannot afford.  Your belongings are not worth the headache of a lien dispute.  If you’re not sure that you can afford your payments, don’t agree to them to begin with.  Sit down and work through your budget before the pen ever touches the rental agreement.  If, at the end of the day, you should discover that you simply do not have the funds for a self storage unit, then you’re going to have to find another way to deal with your belongings.

Don’t rent a large unit unless you genuinely have to.  You don’t have to store everything that you own.  Really, it’s just not necessary.  Sell the items that you don’t absolutely need, and call in some favors with your friends and family (i.e. make use of their garages, if they’re willing).  If you can get rid of some of your belongings beforehand, you can rent a smaller, thereby cheaper, self storage unit.

If you don’t have the discipline to pay your bills on time, set up an automatic payment.  Many facilities can draw rent payments directly from your checking account.  If you’re forgetful; if you’re dealing with other problems—it might be nice to set up an automatic payment schedule.  That way, you’ll never forget that your rent is due.

Now that major companies don’t have to worry about excessive legal fees, self storage customers are going to have to be sure that they are staying on top of their rent payments.  Forethought, we’re going to find, is going to define the self storage experience.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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If your workers have to sit down all day long, then you are going to want to provide them with some kind of venue for exercise in your break room.  Believe it or not, I have seen break rooms that are fully equipped with workout equipment, and we are not talking about the cheap stuff, here.  Treadmills are a great thing to have in your break room, as are stair climbers.  And of course, you are not simply providing these things out of the goodness of your own heart.  Research shows that moderate exercise can tremendously improve your workers efficiency and morale.  That is right, reader.  You are going to be able to expect a return on this investment that you are making, here.

Of course, there are other things that you should consider when you are putting together your break room.  Some of the best break rooms that I have seem have come equipped with video game stations, believe it or not.  And really, I think that this is a really good idea.  IF there is one thing that can be said about stress, it is that getting your mind off of what is bothering you can entirely kill it.  Thus, allowing your workers to play a few minutes worth of video games when they are getting stressed out is going to help them enormously.  Once they clear away a little bit of that stress, they are going to be ready and willing to dive back into their work with double the energy.  IF you do not believe me, simply try this out for a week or so.  IF you do not see any improvements in efficiency and morale, then I will be genuinely surprised.

And who could forget about food?  One of the best things that you can do for your workers is be sure that they are never going hungry.  While you can stick a few snack machines in your break room, you can also take things a step further and actually provide your workers with some food.  This is going to cost you a bit more money, but man oh man, is it going to keep your workers nice and happy.  Truly, food is the key to the hearts of your workers, reader.

As you can see, there is not that much that goes into making a great break room.  You simply have to be sure that you are giving people the things that they need to stay happy, and you are going to find that your break room becomes a powerful motivation tool.  And of course, you will be thought of as one of the coolest bosses in the world.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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More often than not, people are going to object to your pricing.  They are going to express their surprise that your rates are as high as they are, and nine times out of ten, they are going to tell you that your competitor is charging less than you are.  Considerably less.  This objection, as I am sure that you know, is rather difficult to overcome when you are just starting out.  That, however, does not mean that there is not a good way to respond to it.  You are going to want to start out by figuring out who your caller is talking about.  Once you know which property they are getting their prices from, you can begin to place your prices within a reasonable context for your caller.  If you know, for a fact, that the facility that they are talking about does not match up to your property, then you are going to want to explain to them that quality and price are very much tied together when it comes to self storage.  Explain to them that they cannot expect to get a high quality unit if they are not willing to pay a few extra dollars more.  OF course, you are going to want to phrase this as delicately as you can, as the last thing that you are going to want, here, is to come across as snobbish or dismissive.

If you find that your caller is still unwilling to budge when it comes to your prices, then you are going to want to invite them down to the site to take a tour of your property.  This, of course, is where you are going to have to be sure that your face to face sales skills are in tip top shape.  If you can manage to get them on your property, you are going to have to give them an excellent presentation and convince them that your property is worth the extra money.  OF course, it is also going to help if you can come up with some kind of special for them, because at this point you know that they care a great deal about the price.

Convincing your callers that your prices are reasonable may not be the easiest thing in the world, but it is not the hardest, either.  All that you have to do, here, is convince them that you have their best interests in mind, and place your prices within context.  Sooner or later, you are going to get the hang of responding to this objection.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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But not all storage companies are able to offer indoor storage for autos, since the storage spaces obviously have to meet certain criteria. These units must have drive up accessibility in order to get the vehicle inside of it. There needs to be enough space outside of the storage unit in order to maneuver the car around. And the storage facility has to be in an area where local and state ordinances permit parking vehicles inside of a rental unit. 

Most cars require a storage space that is about ten feet wide and twenty feet deep; the size of a standard one car garage. There are of course exceptions. Small sports cars and subcompacts can fit into something smaller, while long limousines and hearses require something larger.

Salesmen are a popular group of people that oftentimes rent an indoor self storage space for an automobile. They drive a company car and it is only in the way when it is parked at their house. They keep their samples and other work related items in the car, so they do not want it left out in the open where it can be a temptation to nosy busybodies. And besides, the company foots the bill for the extra expense for the inside parking.

Military personnel are a very transient group of people. It is not uncommon for someone to be deployed for anywhere from a few months to a couple of years. They do not have any family members or friends that reside permanently in the area. And they understandably cannot take their automobile on assignment with them. So they choose to store it at a secure indoor storage facility. Store managers will sometimes agree to start the car from time; to keep a close eye on it for them. After all, our military men and women are serving for our country.

Empty nesters are another group of people that enjoy the benefits of utilizing an indoor storage unit to park a vehicle. The kids have graduated from college and moved on with their lives. Dad and mom finally have some extra mad money left over in the monthly budget. This is just the right time to purchase that fun and non-essential car that he or she has always dreamed about.  Maybe it is that 1968 high performance car that dad could never afford as a teenager. Or that adorable yellow convertible mom drove by in the minivan everyday while carting kids around. Either way, now is the perfect time of their lives to buy that dream car.  

These vehicles are tons of fun for gallivanting around town with or going on a road trip in.  They are fun to drive around in the middle of the summer on those hot humid nights. But these vehicles are pretty much worthless when it comes to icy wintertime driving. Dad and mom worked too hard and dreamt to long about this car.  It certainly cannot spend the winter just sitting on the driveway, exposed to all of the elements. So they park it away at a storage facility that has inside drive up units. Maybe one located nearby, so it can be taken out for a spin from time to time on nice winter days.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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First and foremost, reader, you have to be sure absolutely sure that you understand the terms of your lease agreement.  Believe it or not, there are plenty of clauses that can trip you up in these agreements.  So long as you know what they are, though, you are not going to have to worry about a thing.  IF you know that you are not going to need your self storage unit for very long, then you are going to want to be sure that you are signing a short term lease, preferably something that will not require that you commit to more than one month at a time.  Of course, you are going to want to be sure that you understand how your billing structure is going to work, as you are not going to want to pay the late fees that are associated with missing your bill.  Needless to say, you are going to want to read up on late fees, because the last thing that you are going to want is to be blindsided by fees that you simply cannot afford to pay.

Moving on, here, you are going to have to be sure that your unit comes with the sorts of accommodations that you need for your belongings.  IF, for example, you know that you are going to be storing a great number of wooden articles, then you are going to want to be sure that you are storing them in a climate controlled self storage unit.  That way, you are going to be able to rest assured that they are not going to bevel and crack as the temperature changes.  The same goes for electronics, which are not going to fare too well if you store them in a standard environment without the proper climate controlling.

Of course, you also have to be sure that you are renting a self storage unit that is going to keep your belongings safe, which means that you are going to have to keep your eyes open for security features as you are shopping around for that perfect fit.  Never rent a unit that does not come equipped with door alarms, video surveillance cameras, fencing, lighting, and an on site property manager.  If you let yourself go without any of these things, then you are going to find that you cannot stop worrying about the safety of your belongings at the end of the day.

Once you take all of this advice to heart, you are not going to have any problems when it comes to shopping around for your very first self storage unit.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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The first thing that you are going to want to do, here, is make sure that you are reading the classified ads in your local paper.  If a property is trying to rent its self storage units out very quickly, then you might find that they are posting smaller little ads in the classifieds section of the local paper.  Of course, these are units that should always catch your eye, because you are going to be able to save yourself quite a bit of money when you decide to use one of these.  Just be sure that it is going to be able to fit all of your needs, and you are golden.

Moving on, here, you are go;ing to want to be sure that you are checking all of the corporate websites of the companies that are in your local area.  Sure, you can check around on the price aggregators, but a lot of the time, you are going to find that the biggest companies in your area only offer their coupons on their own sites.  Thus, before you begin to call around, you are going to want to be sure that you have checked all of these sites, and that you have printed out the coupons that you have found on them.  Have them in your hands as you call around to get your first round of pricing information.  In my personal experience, I have always found the best specials hosted on these kinds of proprietary websites.

Of course, you are also going to want to be sure that you are checking around for the facilities that have short term leases.  The best way for you to save money, here, is to make sure that you are not commiting yourself to a long stay that you are not going to need.  If you call around and find yourself a month to month lease, then you are not going to have to worry about getting stuck with your unit for longer than you had wanted.  You will be able to rest assured that you are not spending a dime too much on your self storage unit at the end of the day.

Finally, reader, you are always going to want to be sure that you at least stop in at some of the larger aggregate sites.  These sites are going to spend all of their time hunting down deals, so they are a great way to make sure that you have not left any stones unturned, as the saying goes.  You should not base all of your research on these sites, but they are nice to use every now and again.

And there you have it, reader.  Savings are not hard to come by when you know what you are doing.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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First and foremost, reader, you are going to have to be sure that you are hiring someone who works well with other people.  Chances are that your property manager is going to be dealing with everything that goes down on your property.  If you need repairs, and you need someone to be there dealing with the repairman, then you are going to have to rely on your property manager.  If you make most of your sales in the front office, rather than over the phone, then you are going to have to be able to rely on your property manager as someone who can close the deal when the time comes.  Of course, the best way to get a feel for whether or not your applicant is going to work well with others is to call him or her in for an interview.  If they do not interview very well, then you might not want to use them as a salesperson or a property manager.

Moving on, here, you are always going to want to be sure that you are hiring someone who has a little bit of experience dealing with your field.  As a self storage property manager, they are going to have to be in charge of handling some money, conducting simple repairs, and helping move people into their units.  Several other fields are going to give your applicants these kinds of experiences, so you are going to want to keep your eyes open for them.  If they have ever worked in property management at ALL, then you are going to want to give them a shot.  Residential property management is a different enterprise, sure, but the experience is highly relevant.  So, too, is restaurant management, though you might not think so at first.  Those who have experience in restaurant management are very used to dealing with people on a face to face basis, and they are also used to the process of responsibly handling money.  So before you write people off of your list, be sure that you are taking their past experience into careful consideration.  You never know when someone is going to break out and really surprise you with their skills.

At the end of the day, it is very important that you pick the right property manager for your position.  If you choose the wrong person, i.e. someone who is not well equipped to handle the work, then the performance of your entire property is going to suffer.  Review your applications carefully, and be sure that you are not forgetting to follow up on any of the promising leads that are coming your way.

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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