As we continue to grow our community of private investors, we have more and more landlords coming to us looking for a way to earn passive income after retiring from the residential real estate game. If this sounds like you, here are five challenges we know you’ve probably faced and, most importantly, how self-storage investing with Belrose can help you never have to face them again.

You’ve likely experienced in some way the economic challenges impacting nearly every financial sector in recent years—high inflation, rising interest rates, a competitive housing market, and more. Now, as these hurdles start to ease up and we enter into a period of growth a recovery, the forecast ahead is looking much brighter.

Despite ongoing challenges with the global economy and volatile markets, 2023 was a significant year of growth and development for Belrose, our self-storage facilities, and our community of private investors. This has led many to ask us—what’s our secret?

Alternative investments have for years remained just that… alternative (in other words, not mainstream). So anytime we see a major industry powerhouse or publication praising alternative investments, we feel validated in our own findings and excited that more investors are learning about them.

Being able to purchase insurance that protects us financially against natural disasters, theft, vandalism, and damage is what makes real estate investing so appealing. Traditional investment vehicles lack that layer of protection, which can make them less reliable than some alternative investment opportunities.

If you’re considering jumping into the world of alternative investments, maybe you’ve already started exploring your options. The question is, how do investors compare different investment opportunities to find the one that’s right for them?

There’s nothing more synonymous with a new year than setting resolutions. January’s like a blank slate, and it gives so many of us the motivation needed to set positive intentions for the months ahead. But setting resolutions and keeping them are two very different things.

Our team at Belrose opts to invest in facilities located in secondary markets — small towns and rural areas well beyond any major city limits. In fact, by acquiring, operating, and selling self-storage facilities in secondary markets, we’ve helped our community of private investors enjoy 35%, 55.5%, and even 62% ROI on self-storage facilities.

Residential customers aren’t the only target audience for self-storage facilities. In fact, we’ve found that alternative uses are becoming more popular, and facilities are adjusting their offerings as a result.

Our team at Belrose and community of private investors understand the benefits of self-storage investing, especially in the wake of ongoing market volatility and economic turmoil. Commercial real estate is, however, still considered a type of alternative investment, which means many investors (and their advisors) remain wary.

How many asset classes can say they’ve had a “winning streak” for 30+ years? Self-storage can. Through the Dot Com bubble burst, 2008 housing crisis, geopolitical unrest, and a global pandemic, self-storage has remained the best-performing real estate asset class since 1993, according to NAREIT.

As a commercial real estate syndicator, in order for someone to partake in one of our investments, they must be considered an accredited investor. What, exactly, is an accredited investor, and how do you know if you qualify?

In 2021, self-storage facilities were considered the hottest property investment of the pandemic, with record-high occupancy rates and vigorous sales growth. But as the economy shifted into a period of recovery following the height of the pandemic, the self-storage industry (along with many others) faced new challenges like rising mortgage rates, high inflation, and the reopening of office spaces.

The onset of Covid-19 in early 2020 initially created a decline in occupancy and rent levels, before eventually driving an incredible amount of demand for self-storage in 2021 and 2022. But now we’re three years past the height of Covid, that initial boom in demand has slowed, and consumers are facing new economic hurdles—such as rising interest rates. Where does that leave the self-storage industry and its investors?

As experienced investors, we here at Belrose subscribe to a common saying in real estate, “You make your money when you buy.” In other words, the amount you pay for a piece of property will be a determining factor in how much you make in return when selling it. But purchasing a commercial real estate property is a bit more involved than buying a house.

As someone who’s considering investing in commercial real estate, it’s likely you’ve come across a few possible options—do it yourself or work with a sponsor. When pursuing an investment opportunity on your own, every single aspect of the process is in your hands. By comparison, a real estate syndicator does the behind-the-scenes work for you.

It seems like all year round, every part of the country faces its own set of natural disasters. Not to mention smaller, yet still impactful, natural events like flooding, snow, falling trees, and damaging winds can all cause serious damage to property. When you put your capital into a hard asset, like a self-storage facility, a natural disaster or emergency can threaten your investment.

As someone who’s considering investing in commercial real estate, it’s likely you’ve come across a few possible options. You could invest in a real estate investment trust (REIT), work with a real estate syndicator (like Belrose), or pursue investment opportunities all on your own (DIY). These are the three most common options for investors, and they all come with their own sets of benefits and considerations.

If you want your money to grow, you need to invest. It’s an idea that’s been ingrained in most adults, even if we don’t think about it much on a day-to-day basis. Following the past few years of intense volatility and economic upset, however, the spotlight has certainly been on the stock market as of late.

If you’ve ever sold or bought a home, you already know that there’s often a “middleman” involved in real estate transactions. For commercial real estate sales, like self-storage facilities, it’s common for sellers to work with a broker. While a broker can help negotiate the highest sale price, the relationship tends to be transactional and not necessarily in the buyer’s best interest.