What if the deal you lost to another buyer becomes your very first storage facility?

Joe Downs sits down with Austin McLeod, who launched the self-storage division at Matthews in 2018, closed the firm's first storage deal, and has since closed roughly $850 million in self-storage transactions across 26 states.

Austin pulls back the curtain on how brokers size up first-time buyers within seconds, why a lower offer backed by proof of funds and a clear underwriting story can beat the highest bid, and which offering memorandum details, from flood zones to property tax reassessments, catch new buyers off guard.

With 2021 and 2022 bridge loans maturing at much higher rates in 2026, motivated sellers are surfacing now.

This is the storage investing playbook for getting the broker's first call before a deal ever hits the market again.

Listen For:

3:32 Can a storage broker tell you're a first-time buyer in 30 seconds?

10:22 Should you still send an LOI if the storage deal is under contract?

14:38 Will a storage broker recommend a lower offer over the highest bid?

24:24 Is asking about seller financing a red flag to storage brokers?

28:21 Should you submit an offer that's $500K below the asking price?

CONNECT WITH GUEST: AUSTIN MCLEOD, SENIOR VP AND DIRECTOR OF SELF STORAGE

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Storage Moguls Live. Friday, October 16 in White Marsh, Maryland. One day with self storage owners. Walk through a real facility and learn how they find, finance, and close deals. Only 15 tickets. Register at https://go.storagemoguls.ai/white-marsh-md before Thursday.