What are the indicators of a good unit, whether at a live storage auction or in an online storage auction?
First rule is not to take what you see at face value. Second rule is to take what you see at face value. Confusing, I know, but let me explain.
Here’s a true story.
One storage unit up for auction had two large boxes labeled “clothes.” Take that at face value. First thought – junk. At the auction no one wanted the unit and it was sold for $5. What was inside the boxes? Clothes. Brand new authentic designer clothing, many still with price tags.
Of course, you can buy two large boxes labeled clothes and the opposite happens. It’s trashy clothes that you couldn’t donate to the poor. That’s why it’s difficult to take a storage unit at face value.
However, consider indicators of what might be a good unit.
Neatly Stacked Boxes
Anyone who goes through the trouble of stacking boxes neatly one on top of another cared about the items they left inside that storage unit. The use of professional moving boxes also a plus.
Wrapped in Plastic
Furniture, rubber containers or boxes wrapped in plastic is a good sign. It’s time consuming and can be expensive to wrap the majority of the items within a storage unit.
Visible Items
You may see electronics or furniture. Take a good look at the electronics such as televisions and computers. Are they dated or new? Is the furniture good quality, or torn and worn? What value you put in what you can see may correlate to the value of what you cannot see inside boxes or containers.
Garbage Bags
People do load up garbage bags full of clothes. But people also fill garbage bags full of receipts, files, paper trash, and well, trash-trash. Why they store trash inside of a unit instead of throwing it away, who knows?
Clean vs. Dust
A clean, well stacked and stocked unit beats a dusty, trashy unit everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. But there’s a flip side. A dusty unit could also mean someone kept up the payments for a unit but never returned to the facility. You could find antiques or collectibles within. Dust is one thing. Mess is another.
As you look at a unit online check it carefully for the indicator listed above. From there you can ask questions from the seller to help ease any concerns you may have.
Most of all use common sense. If it looks like trash, stacked like trash, most likely it is trash. Some things really should be taken at face value.
Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.