Traffic counts are overrated

When evaluating a potential self-storage site, it's easy to get caught up in metrics that sound important but often have surprisingly little impact on long-term performance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m plenty guilty of initially falling for sites with a certain wow-factor, only to become skeptical once we dive into the numbers.

Here are three factors that are somewhat overrated when it comes to site selection:

1. Traffic Counts

Traffic is great—but only to a point. Self-storage isn't an impulse purchase. Most customers are willing to drive 10–15 minutes for the right facility, and many find you online rather than by driving past your property. I'd rather have a site with average traffic in an underserved trade area than a high-traffic corner in an oversupplied market.

2. Visibility

Everyone loves a trophy corner lot. The reality is that strong signage and digital marketing often matter far more than being visible from the busiest intersection in town. Visibility certainly helps, but it rarely compensates for weak demographics or too much existing competition.

3. Being the "First" Facility

Developers often get excited about being the first self-storage facility in a community. Sometimes that's a huge advantage. Other times, there's simply a reason nobody has built there. Being first doesn't create demand—it just means you're first to test whether sufficient demand exists. I'd much rather be the second operator in a proven market than the pioneer in one that never needed storage in the first place.

A quick clarification: I'm not advocating for low-traffic, hidden sites. Traffic and visibility absolutely matter, and all else being equal, I'll choose the better site every time. I simply believe investors often overpay for those attributes while overlooking the factors that have a much greater impact on long-term success.

What does matter? Population density, projected demand, rental rates, competitor occupancy, barriers to future supply, and the right unit mix. Those fundamentals almost always outweigh the "wow factor" of a site.