Podcast

Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing with Jonathan Greene

292: Why Self Storage is a Recession-Resistant Industry with Joe Downs

Joe shares how he transitioned from capital raising and distressed second mortgages into storage after realizing how fragmented and mom-and-pop dominated the asset class still is. He and Jonathan dig into why small facilities under 30,000 square feet are often ignored by institutional buyers, how technology has transformed operations, and why the “boring” parts of storage—websites, autopay, security, and expense ratios—are exactly where the opportunity lies.

They also explore storage derivatives like boat and RV parking, industrial outdoor storage, and converting big-box retail into multi-revenue storage campuses. If you’ve been curious about self-storage but thought the window had closed, this conversation will give you a clear, grounded view of where the real opportunities still exist.

In this episode, you will hear:

How one email about “real estate without tenants, toilets, or trash” led Joe into storage
Why mom-and-pop ownership and aging operators still create a huge acquisition pipeline
The role of SBA loans, technology, and remote management in making smaller deals accessible
How to approach older owners as a caretaker of their “baby” and structure win-win exits
Why conservative expense underwriting is critical so you don’t overpay for facilities
How storage branches into niches like boat/RV storage, IOS, and big-box retail conversions

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