Self Storage Facilities Auctions

Over a million storage lockers' contents are auctioned off each year in the US and various economic conditions indicate that each year's total can be even higher. There are over 2 billion square feet of personal storage facilities in the US and that area grows annually. The number of foreclosures over the past few years mean that many people who only intended to store things temporarily have ended up losing their property when they can no longer afford to pay the monthly or annual fees.

Businesses also rent storage facilities and whether due to a financial downturn, an untimely death or simply forgetting about seasonal storage, these storage facilities frequently need to hold auctions to recover some lost income. While we may all feel badly to think of people losing thier property, it happens. It happens frequently enough that there are people who concentrate only on this type of auction.

You may think that only unwanted things are stored in these lockers, but the auction afficionados say that just isn't true. When companies or individuals decide to rent extra storage it is because they want a safe, secure place to store property that is worth paying to store. It could be a business's seasonal inventory or a personal art collection that warrants monthly payments.

Large items like boats, lawn equipment, tools and appliances, even travel trailers are frequently stored. The kinds of finds that turn up in these storage facilites is limited only by your imagination. There may be antique wedding memorabilia, fine fashions and true works of art. You may find heirloom quality jewelry and furniture of every description. Maybe a grandfather clock - who knows what people have set aside until "later"?

While it is nothing at all like treasure hunting with a metal detector or panning for gold by a rushing river stream, it is a way to acquire real treasures for pennies on the dollar. Not knowing the how and who and where details keeps more people from looking into storage auctions. Knowing the legalities of ownership and what to avoid gives insiders an edge. This is information available to anyone who is interested. It requires no special training, just common sense and a little reading.

Granted, it is not for everyone. There may be heavy lifting involved. If you are planning to resell your finds, you will need to look at how and where you plan to do that. There may be heavy lifting involved. OK, I said that - but it matters. And don't forget that you will need to remove your new "stuff" right away - or start paying storage.

If learning the ins and outs, the where and how of these small auctions interests you, see the How-To information. Find out how you can profit from storage auctions!