The Land Hunt Series: Weekly Journey to Find the Perfect Self-Storage Site in Florida!
The Hunt Begins: Finding the Perfect Land for Self-Storage Between Tampa & Fort Myers
Welcome to Week 1?of my self-storage land search journey! Over the next six months, I’ll be sharing a weekly update on my efforts to find the ideal parcel of land for a self-storage development somewhere between Tampa, Florida, and Fort Myers, Florida. Will I find the perfect site? Maybe, maybe not.?But what I do know is that this will be a fantastic learning experience, and by the end of this journey, you’ll have a firsthand look at what it really takes to find land for a self-storage development.
If you’ve ever considered finding land for self-storage, this is your can’t-miss weekly blog series.?I’ll be covering what works, what doesn’t, what setbacks I hit, and what key takeaways I uncover along the way.
So let’s dive into Week 1?– laying the groundwork.
Setting Up for Success: 20 Hours of Prep Work
Before I could start looking at actual parcels of land, I had to set up my search parameters, network with key players, and establish systems that will help me efficiently track and evaluate potential sites.?Here’s what that looked like:
1. Reaching Out to Brokers & Agents
One of the first things I did was connect with commercial real estate brokers and land agents?specializing in my target area. I reached out through LinkedIn, email, and other social media platforms to let them know exactly what I was looking for.
Here’s the simple, no-nonsense message I sent:
Subject: Looking for Land in Your Area
Hi [Broker’s Name],
I’m Kevin Harless, Development Director at Storage Authority Franchise, and I’m currently looking for a parcel of land?for a self-storage development in your area. Here are my search criteria:
? Listed under $2 million
? 5+ usable acres
? Preferably already zoned for self-storage
? Located on a high-traffic road
? 3-mile population of at least 15,000
If you come across anything that fits these parameters, I’d love to discuss it further.
Looking forward to hearing from you! Contact me at [email protected] or call me at 254-214-9659.
Best, Kevin Harless Storage Authority Franchise
2. Setting Up Alerts on Land Search Platforms
Finding good land deals requires constant monitoring.?To stay ahead of the competition, I set up alerts on multiple commercial land listing platforms. Every time a new property matching my criteria?hits the market, I get an email.
Here are the sites I’m using:
Setting up these alerts took some time, but now I’ll get instant notifications?when new properties hit the market.
3. Defining the Key Markets to Focus On
The search area between Tampa and Fort Myers is massive, so I narrowed my focus to areas that show promise for self-storage development.?After looking at demographics, road networks, zoning maps, and population density, I identified several key cities and counties to focus on:
These areas have strong growth potential?and are less saturated with self-storage than metro hubs like Tampa and Fort Myers. Over the coming weeks, I’ll do a deeper dive into each one.
4. Organizing My Search Process
Searching for land is a marathon, not a sprint, so I set up a system to track everything.?I created a spreadsheet to log:
?? Potential land deals
?? Contacted brokers/agents
?? Property details & zoning info
?? Market data (traffic counts, population, competition)
?? Follow-up status
This way, I won’t lose track?of any promising opportunities, and I’ll have a running record of everything I evaluate.
Let's hit the road running! – What’s Next?
This first week was all about getting my foundation set up.?It took at least 20 hours?of focused effort to establish connections, set up alerts, research key markets, and organize my search process.
Next week, the real work begins: diving into property listings, evaluating sites, and potentially making first contact with landowners and brokers about serious opportunities.
Will I find the perfect site right away? Probably not.?But that’s the nature of the search—it takes time, patience, and persistence. Over the next six months, this blog will serve as a real-world case study?on what it takes to land a prime self-storage development site. If you’ve ever considered finding land for self-storage, follow along—this is going to be an adventure.
Stay tuned for Week 2, where I’ll start digging into actual sites and see what’s out there!
Transforming Real Estate into Profitable Self-Storage Ventures
1 周For more great blogs and information on #selfstorage development and #landfinding go to www.storageauthorityfranchise.com