Effective space management is an issue for plenty of businesses. But effective space management starts with having space to manage.
Whether it’s office space or storage capacity, real estate professionals are susceptible to asking the same business storage questions as any other professional.
But to be successful in the real estate industry, you need more than a big smile and the ability to sell. You need access to client files, yard signs to direct potential homebuyers to an open house, and reusable home décor to makeover a house for showings, all of which can take up a lot of space.
Unfortunately, many real estate offices don’t have the storage solutions to store all of these items.
Take it from Chris Speicher of The Speicher Group in Olney, Md., who says that his office has “boxes and boxes of files that need a safe, secure place to be stored.”
In states like Maryland, real estate agents are required to keep closed files for several years, which means Speicher can’t just throw his records into the dumpster. So where does that leave Speicher and anyone else working in the real estate market who needs additional storage options?
Storage.com is here to offer a convenient business storage solution: Self-storage for real estate agents.
The idea of dropping an entire portable storage container just for the paraphernalia of your job may sound like it’s a bit much. But a business storage unit, on the other hand, is the perfect business storage solution for any and all real estate operations!
From client file storage to yard sign storage to furniture and reusable home décor storage and a safe place to store seasonal decor—you name it, self-storage can help you with it.
This article covers all the ways self-storage can provide additional storage for real estate agents. We’ll also reveal how Storage.com can help you find affordable access to storage options with all the amenities you need close to the office.
Using a Storage Unit as Real Estate Business Document Storage
Real estate practices aren’t the only industry using self-storage services to keep their offices free of filing cabinets while complying with industry standards of safety and security.
Nora Ashcraft Muccino, manager at Ashcraft Self Storage & Truck Rental in Monongahela, Penn., sings the praises of file storage for the commercial real estate sales community.
With close monitoring and climate-controlled storage, it’s easy for real estate agents to protect and organize essential documents over the years. We recommend a climate-controlled unit, as climate control means more than just heating and air conditioning.
Climate-controlled storage units also protect paper from damage by regulating humidity levels.
A smaller storage unit size, such as a 5×5, will usually do for a handful of file cabinets or plastic storage containers with enough extra space to serve as real estate sign storage as well.
Storage for Real Estate Signs and Other Hardware
Between signs, banners, and brochures, real estate agents use tons of essential items to promote their commercial properties and maintain their strong reputations.
Real estate agents compete against other realty companies to promote their property listings and gain access for clients. Once they score new clients, their swag helps to maintain client trust. “The list is endless,” adds Speicher, “and signage takes up the most space.”
- When not in use, clunky “for sale” signs take up space, but that’s only one reason agents need storage for real estate signs.
- There’s also their personalized riders–the signs that go on top or bottom of “For Sale” signs and include contact information and the basic property presentation info.
- How about the property marketing directional signs to drive potential buyers toward listed properties?
Some agents opt to store these signs in their houses rather than renting a unit at a storage facility. But there’s no doubt about it, it’s easier to sell well-decorated, clutter-free properties than properties with yard sign stored in one of the bedrooms.
Regardless, these signs, banners, and brochures are critical aspects of property sales. Without them; the house doesn’t have the same amount of curb appeal.
For a single open house, Speicher says an agent typically needs 20-30 directional signs alone. “That’s a lot of signs and associated hardware.”
With so much stuff to keep on hand, signage can easily get dirty or damaged. And if you’re storing it in a garage or shed behind one of your rental properties, humidity can still cause rust and corrosion.
Think about it—If you were driving around looking for homes, how likely would you be to follow a sign that’s rusted and dusty? Damaged signs damage your brand’s professional appearance, making the home-selling process much more challenging.
By renting a unit for real estate sign storage—on your own or with other agents in your office—you can keep all of this signage and hardware in one organized and accessible place.
Since the majority of these signs are fairly sturdy, as they’re intended to be outside for extended periods, the storage space doesn’t have to be gigantic. A 5×5 or 5×10 unit would certainly do the trick.
Another thing to keep in mind, too, is how often you want to access your signage, as storage facilities vary in their accessibility. It’s best not to make assumptions about storage units without knowing exactly what you need and checking beforehand.
For example, some units offer 24-hour access, while others have traditional business hours. If you think you’ll need to access your real estate storage unit early in the morning or on the weekends, you want to get a facility that offers 24-hour access.
Add or Remove Extra Furniture for Home Showings
An open house is all about selling people the potential of a home. If a house is too full of the current owner’s used excess furniture, it can appear cramped and dirty rather than clean and cozy.
One of the other benefits storage provides is providing a place to store the furniture you use to showcase properties when its between properties. This is especially true for larger, 10X20, or even 10×30 unit sizes.
“By taking what doesn’t fit out of the home in advance and placing it in a self-storage unit…sellers can ‘stage’ the home in a manner where the home becomes appealing to the prospective buyer,” says Muccino.
On the other hand, if a house is too bare, it doesn’t sell potential buyers on the idea of a cozy home. Once again, using self storage for real estate can help.
- Real estate agents who keep additional furniture or home décor just for showings can store these items in a storage unit away from their offices or personal homes.
- Then, when it’s time to prepare a home for a showing, they can swing by, pick up the items, and get decorating.
- A real estate agent using self storage can offer support to their clients looking to purchase a home as well.
“Oftentimes, a notice of termination is given to the landlord before the sale is finalized on the new home,” Muccino says.
In this situation, a real estate agent can refer a storage unit to the seller during the transition period, which takes real estate service to the next level. Just think about those good reviews from former clients.
How Storage.com Can Help Find Offices and Storage for Real Estate Storage, Storage For Real Estate Signs, and a Secure Place for Real Estate Documents and Client Files
Some storage facilities—like the one Muccino manages—are looking to forge relationships with area realtors. “We have a referral program that offers discounts to realtors [who] bring business to us and discounts to the business they bring.” In other words, everybody wins!
Since real estate is built upon the concept of location, location, location, it shouldn’t require a second thought that a storage location can take the hassle out of real estate work. “The pride that you take in your organization should be enough of a reason for you to want to utilize everything self-storage has to offer,” Speicher says.
But you want to make sure you’re renting a storage unit that has climate control, so your real estate signs,
The last thing anyone wants is to open their storage unit and find your signs and client files damaged from moisture and humidity.
And don’t forget to consider other storage facility features that may be important to you, like 24-hour access and security cameras.
But after you’ve mulled over all the ways storage for real estate agents can be used and made your decision, how do you find the storage unit that has all the features you need?
Don’t fret–Storage.com is here to help.
Storage.com is a browse-and-compare website for renting and reserving self-storage units. Just punch your zip code into our handy Storage.com search tool, and you’ll see what we mean.
We’ll filter through the thousands of local storage facilities across the U.S. listed on our site for you, making it easy to find the storage unit that best fits your storage needs.
Whether you’re looking for a storage unit with climate control or electricity or storage for your car or RV, Storage.com makes the process quick and painless.
All you have to do is choose a storage unit and your move-in date, and we’ll take care of the rest. If you ever have any questions, our storage representatives are just a phone call away!
