Self Storage has always been near and dear to the heart of this humble blogger. Even the casual observer knows that the accumulation of "stuff" is what we Americans do, and we do it well. This accumulation of "stuff" requires that we have a place to put our "stuff", in both good times and bad. A large segment of our population is always in transition and will always need storage. During good times, our accumulation of stuff increases, thus a need for places to store it. Small businesses and home-based businesses tend to use the convenience of storage facilities to grow their business. During bad times, downsizing means we now don't have room for the stuff we already have, thus we must store it elsewhere. Small business failures and mid-size business downsizing has pushed many storage facilities until they are bursting at the seams. I have always understood this recession proof business but have not had the capital to follow my instincts to own my own Self Storage facility. So I did the next best thing, I have invested some of my retirement in Self Storage REITs. These investment vehicles have been returning well above the market average so I'm not complaining - but my heart wants to own and operate my own facility. California is a big nut to crack because of the cost of real estate the not so business friendly environment to developers, so the best option in CA is to take over an existing facility. Unless said facility is poorly managed, the owner knows the gold mine he owns and expects a high price which translates to low cap rates.  I refuse to be discouraged so I am constantly alert to opportunities, both near and far, that may arise. I have studied and researched this sector for several years so if you know of any opportunities in this industry and need advice, feel free reply to reply this blog. I am looking for opportunities to become more involved.