Auctions 2013, we work hard to make them small.

Auction Day!!!!  Another chance to sell other peoples stuff to pay for debts owed.  That sounds kind of cold doesn’t it? The cold hard fact is, that is exactly what it is.  If you do not keep up you monthly payments a self-storage company can sell your stuff, but that is not the end you want.  If cash gets tight and you get behind the first thing you need to do is contact the manager and find a way to get caught up. Remember a working payment plan will keep you out of an auction only if you keep working it.

So where do you start when you need to save your stuff from auction?  The first and most important step is to choose your Self Storage Facility well.  You may feel more secure with a big name nationally known company, but the bureaucracy that comes with the big company can often keep the managers from being able to work with you.  Owner manager facilities mean that when you talk to the manager you are talking to the decision maker. Smaller companies tend to trust their managers more and you get to deal with decision makes again.

What can you do if you get into trouble? Payment plans is always a great way to get back on track.  A pay and move is a technique that is as close to a cut and run as you can get.  The moment that the manager says auction status, you offer 50% to 60 % of what you owe and you get yourself out a.s.a.p. That storage company gets more money than an auction would bring and their unit back that they can rent again. When all else fails a letter of abandonment is a polite way to walk away.  When you just walk away because the amount owed is too much not only do you lose your stuff but you make the storage company go through the auction procedure. Please remember it was not the managers’ fault that you got behind, so don’t take it out on them. The letter of abandonment will allow the manager to do with the space as they see fit. They can throw it into the next auction or throw it in the trash; it does not matter because you have given them the permission to do it.

Remember the managers are just people trying to follow the laws and make the owners happy. By treating them nice you can make life easier on yourself.

If all else fails and auction happens make sure that the storage company has your updated contact information.  Many times auction buyers will leave photos and important documents behind and without good contact information you won’t know if any is left. Another thought is that on the rare occasion your unit sells for more than you owe that money goes to you, but only if they can find you.

As for our auction day it went off without a hitch both units at my facility were paid off the night before so I ended up with nothing to sell. Linda started with four or five units and ended up only selling two. Not a bad day for auctions .

Auction and More

It has been a long January and the truth be told I have not felt like blogging …. Sorry…. But I am back with lots to tell.

First let me tell you the first and most important thing will have to wait till anther time … and again sorry… but now for the fun parts.  Auction time is coming!

 

In the last auction, we had two of the units get bought back less than 24 hours before the auction.  It seems like most of the units that I have seen saved at the last minute end back on the auction block.  Why this is I can only surmise, one if it takes you to the last second to raise the money to save the unit once, you will probably not be able to do it twice.  Once in Pasadena, we had the same unit go to auction 3 times before it finally sold. What a waste of money.  There is another type of personality that thinks that if they only pay for the storage when it is going up to auction, then they have saved the three months of rent.  I have had customers try to explain this theory to but I just don’t get it.  I don’t think Dave Ramsey would understand it either.

My auction is the 19^th and where I hate the prep work for an auction, auction day is always fun.

Another big change is I have merchandise to sell.  This is cool on several reasons. First is the long range foot traffic that will build as we get to be known for moving and packing supplies.  Another reason is the instant impact that people will have when they come into an office and it looks like a real store.