According to www.whystorage.com, here in the United States we have approximately 40,000 self storage facilities throughout the country – this up 10,000 in just one decade – and demand continues to increase!
This is due in large part to our country’s population being very mobile. Whether it is because of a job change, a personal relationship, (i.e. marriage, or perhaps an ailing family member), empty “nesting” or retirement – all of these can result in one’s “mobility.”
Relocation – no matter the reason – can often result in the necessity of self storage, with varying timetables. For example, self storage can be very temporary, as in the case of “staging” one’s home. (As seen on television shows with names like Sell This House, experts will often recommend home sellers “move out” some of their personal things – family photos, bulky sectional furniture, dusty silk plants, etc., in order to make their home look less cluttered and more “livable” to potential buyers.) In this case, the duration of the storage lease may be days, weeks or a few months. On the other hand, self storage needs may be required for a longer-term. An overseas assignment with small housing provided will limit what can be “moved’ from one’s permanent home. The lease on a storage facility for this purpose may be as long as 24 months – or longer!
Mobility and relocation are not the only reasons demand for self storage is high. Many businesses also use off-site storage units for equipment, paperwork (important files that need to be kept but not necessarily accessed daily), excess inventory and/or office supplies (when you get a good deal, you have to buy, right?) Today, with so many businesses based from home, people need some “boundaries” between their work and private lives, and self storage can offer that separation. Think of pharmaceutical representatives who are required – by law - to keep detailed inventories of the medicines they sample to physicians and hospital. If they have more than one drug, a month’s supply will surely take up some space in the home, so a conveniently located, secure, climate-controlled self storage unit is the perfect solution to their “space” needs.
No matter the reason – personal, business – or both - self storage units are a viable option to many Americans in need of more space.
Kim Kilpatrick writes about the challenges of keeping and storing valuable possessions, efficient use of space, and staying organized. Her articles can be found online and at self storage related sites like
www.storagecolorado.com
