Self Storage Tips?

[BigMoneyJim]

I decided to dump my job and move back to Texas (North Richland Hills; from Indianapolis). I'll need to store my stuff while I find a new job and then rent or buy an abode.

At first glance the pricing seems to vary wildly. I think I'd prefer a ground floor unit with an outside door. I don't know that I need climate control but don't know why anyone would. I may add/remove some stuff from the unit after loading it, but not much.

It's hard to compare prices online as most places want you to give them your contact info. I may have my family in the area scout some places for me.

I expect I'll have the storage for at least 3 months...possibly up to a year.

Any tips on how to find a decent deal and whether or not upstairs/downstairs or inside/outside really factors in to the PITA and cost factors?

 

[Martha]

Just move in with REWahoo.  Problem solved. 

I have heard about people's stuff getting moldy really quick if there is no climate control.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I just helped my sister move stuff into a storage garage. We just went with public storage since it was nearby. I suspect that will be your biggest issue so that you dont have to move far. I have no idea why you would need climate control unless you were going to sack out in it, which they dont want you doing anyway....

 

[Martha]

Guide on storage:

http://www.vanlines.com/storage_guide/environment.html

 

[lets-retire]

Do they have a PODS type company in your area. They drop off a storage container, you load it they transport it to the new location and will store it until you need it delevered. It seems like it's a lot easier than load a van-unload into storage-load on a van-unload into house. I was looking into this option for my next move. just the moving part is about 300 dollars cheaper than U-Haul. I don't know what the typical storage fees are where I'm moving, but PODS' storage is a lot cheaper than the storage place I used when I moved down here.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

PODS:

Yikes! I just got a quote online. $2742.22 for the move plus $200.34 monthly storage!

I like the idea in concept, but the price seems to be 2 - 4 times what I can get from U-Haul and the like. In this case they're making the 900-mile drive and delivering the pod to two doors, but for the price difference I can drive the rental truck around a bit.

 

[justin]

dang! for that price I could throw away everything that wouldn't fit in my car and then buy it back!

I have seen those big 40' ocean-going containers on sale/lease around here (Raleigh NC) for ~$2000 or $70-80/month. Might be cheap to park it on family/friends back yard for a few months till you find a place. Not sure how much to ship the container though...

 

[Nords]

I decided to dump my job and move back to Texas (North Richland Hills; from Indianapolis). I'll need to store my stuff while I find a new job and then rent or buy an abode.
I expect I'll have the storage for at least 3 months...possibly up to a year.

dang!  for that price I could throw away everything that wouldn't fit in my car and then buy it back!

What he said, Jim.

You're a single guy unaccompanied by kids, right? How attached are you to this "stuff"? For example, you could sell your furniture via Craigslist in about two weeks (or in a weekend at a garage sale) and buy Craigslist replacements in your new town-- probably for less than the cost of storage, too, let alone the money you get by selling your old stuff. I say this because we've furnished several rooms in our house from people's Craigslist ads, and the best deals come from those who are moving.

Photo albums & sentimental items I understand, but you might be able to cart those around in the trunk of your car or in your new hotel room or in storage at your new location.

As for the quality of storage, you want climate control wherever there's humidity with no air movement. The storage businesses won't talk about mold/mildew damages but their employees sure have a lot of scary stories...

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Other people paying too much for storage is something I've talked about before; I hadn't yet given serious thought to how much I'm talking of spending and what I'm storing. I've thought about dumping a couple of things...there are a couple of big things I want to hold on to, but I could reconsider a lot of the other stuff. I hadn't really added up the cost of a year's storage...that would be at least $600 from what I've seen so far.

<Thinking> If I could get rid of a couple of big items and a lot of small-stuff bulk I might be able to avoid getting storage and also get a smaller/cheaper moving truck--don't think I can quite reduce it to fit in a borrowed pickup plus a borrowed van without cutting too deep.

I actually thought about selling my washer and dryer on Craig's List for moving-and-storage-space reasons but hadn't thought of going hog wild and reducing further.

I'll go home tonight and start thinking about bulk and replacement costs. Kitchenware is something I hadn't thought of dumping, but $600 could buy some decent kitchenware for a single guy. My stereo system is nice but relatively bulky and approaching 20 years old, and all I really use these days is the receiver/amplifier which are pretty cheaply obtained.

My two big items are a king size top-of-the-line mattress set that would probably cost $2k to replace even though I gave $500 for it. (Can't repeat the deal anymore.) And a queen sized wood frame futon that was a relatively recent present. I don't really need either of those, but at the moment I'm having trouble imagining getting rid of them. If I could then I might not even need to rent a moving truck.

 

[brewer12345]

PODS:

Yikes! I just got a quote online. $2742.22 for the move plus $200.34 monthly storage!

I like the idea in concept, but the price seems to be 2 - 4 times what I can get from U-Haul and the like. In this case they're making the 900-mile drive and delivering the pod to two doors, but for the price difference I can drive the rental truck around a bit.

Try Mobile Mini for another quote.

I think I'd probably just liquidate/throw out as much as possible and cut down on the hassle and expense.

 

[Martha]

You are running a big risk storing the mattress and futon without climate control. I say ditch the stuff.

People tend to overpay for mattresses. Next time we get a mattress I am going to make my own by buying latex foam with a memory foam layer for the top.

 

[Nords]

<Thinking> If I could get rid of a couple of big items and a lot of small-stuff bulk I might be able to avoid getting storage and also get a smaller/cheaper moving truck--don't think I can quite reduce it to fit in a borrowed pickup plus a borrowed van without cutting too deep.
I actually thought about selling my washer and dryer on Craig's List for moving-and-storage-space reasons but hadn't thought of going hog wild and reducing further.
My two big items are a king size top-of-the-line mattress set that would probably cost $2k to replace even though I gave $500 for it. (Can't repeat the deal anymore.) And a queen sized wood frame futon that was a relatively recent present. I don't really need either of those, but at the moment I'm having trouble imagining getting rid of them. If I could then I might not even need to rent a moving truck.

Eh, see, your thought process is why self-storage is one of America's fastest-growing businesses.

Your washer/dryer will go on Craigslist in about two days. When we started putting our phone number in our ads we'd get a call within 30 minutes, so people either have RSS feeds with speaker alerts or else they're perched on the board all day long like vultures.

Your mattress & futon will go quickly too. Even better, you'll find new mattresses/frames in a couple weeks. You had some great deals to get you where you are now, true, but there are just as many more great deals out there that don't require storage fees!

 

[lets-retire]

PODS:

Yikes! I just got a quote online. $2742.22 for the move plus $200.34 monthly storage!

That's way too much for a single guy. I have a family and all the trapings to go with it. The U-Haul would cost $200 less, but then I would have to buy gas and there goes the savings.

 

[Jeb-NY]

This is a bit off the wall but I suggested it to a friend a few years ago and it worked for him. Since you are in Indiana it is even better.

Buy an enclosed trailer (factory pick up is cheaper and a lot of them are made in Indiana). If you need one large enough that it is car size even better (better resale), be sure to get one with a drop ramp door. Load your stuff haul and find a secure location to park it, if you don't have a friend or relative that is willing there are fenced storage areas for campers. When you are ready to move in unload and sell the trailer. If you buy factory direct you will probably get close to your purchase price when you sell.

Three negatives: no climate control, upfront cost and a vehicle big enough to tow the trailer.

Jeb