How to Raise Capital for Self Storage Development

Good morning,

I want to take the leap and raise capital to fund a small self storage development. I have $100k of capital to commit myself.

What steps would I take to raise capital and tie-down a parcel? Assume I find a parcel that has by-right zoning for a ~100 unit self storage facility that has room for additional phases.

Do I tie-down the land and then send around a deal teaser to HNW/Doctors & Lawyers/Family offices? Do I send around general real estate investment intros to family offices now to gauge interest in the space? Help me out here!

Thanks

13 Comments
 

Just don't.  If you have to ask this question, you are not experienced enough to be doing so in the first place.  (Rant over).

To truly answer your question: you need to have your relationships built with equity investors long before you ever try to tie up deal.  Go out and start networking with HNW individuals, doctors, lawyers, family offices, etc.  How?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Join a country club, play pickleball with them, meet them at the gym, etc.  

Once you have their ear, they are trusting you as a person and you are educating them on what you are looking to do and why it makes for a good investment, then you look for a deal and start pitching a deal.

 

Listen guys, just because I didn't prove to you the entirety of my knowledge does not mean you can assume you understand the totality of my knowledge. I did not ask if you thought this was a good idea. I did not ask you to comment on whether you think I can do this. 

 
Most Helpful

The problem is that by asking this very question, you kind of prove the entirety of your knowledge or at least your limitations. It's like if I were to ask someone what 1+1 equals, they can probably assume that I don't know what 2+2 equals.

The reason that you are not getting any real answers is because there are no "real answers." The way that I raise capital could be very different from the way you raise capital.  Perhaps you grew up with a bunch of wealthy friends or you worked on wall street and made some wealthy connections, or maybe you are an absolute killer in this business and your reputation speaks for itself. Everyone's ability to raise capital will be unique to them and their background.

However, as much as you may dislike WSOEAN's comment, he is correct. You need relationships built already. Let's take a look at the acquisition process. Imagine a scenario where you find a home run deal with no investors or capital lined up. You submit an offer, move straight to PSA, and put up your $100k as earnest money. You have 4 months to close. How are you going to finance it and what happens if you are unable to finance it? It' highly unlikely that in that 4 months of time you not only meet investors, but are able to convince them to trust their money with you. And just like that your $100k is gone.

Now imagine the same scenario, but let's say you've spent the last year or 2 cultivating relationships with HNW individuals, doctors, lawyers, dentists etc... and every now and then you all grab drinks together where you talk to them about your real estate job and give them some advice on their own real estate investments and perhaps some of them have even half-jokingly suggest that you all invest together. Now when a home run deal lands in your lap, you already have a group of investors that trust you and you can run the deal by them. So yes, you need to have at least an idea of how you are going to finance the deal, not just "i'll tie the deal down and then cold call."

Lastly, just a piece of unsolicited advice. I know it's exciting to always think about the upside and how everything will sunshine and rainbows and how much money you will make, but you should really think more about your downside and what happens when shit hits the fan. If you were to find a great deal, have you asked yourself what you would do if you tied down the deal, but couldn't tie down financing? If you have investors, how confident are you in them? What if they walk away last minute? 

 

Get a more experienced partner who actually knows what they are doing. Do the grunt work yourself and lean on their specific knowledge instead of crowd sourcing people on WSO

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

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