Self-storage and multifamily real estate share many similarities, but which is the better investment? Both offer rental income, multiple tenants, and opportunities to build long-term wealth. However, the differences in property management, maintenance responsibilities, occupancy rates, and operating costs can significantly affect an investor’s strategy.
In this episode, Aviva Sonenreich sits down with Ian Horowitz of Equity Warehouse to compare self-storage vs. multifamily investing and explore what makes each asset class attractive to real estate investors. Ian shares how he transitioned from working as a Baltimore firefighter to building a real estate investment portfolio, why his company expanded into self-storage, and how he evaluates storage facilities while managing investment risk. They also discuss how businesses are using self-storage units as mini warehouses, the importance of conservative underwriting, and why treating real estate investing like a business is essential for long-term growth.
Key Topics Discussed
- Self-Storage vs. Multifamily Investing: How these asset classes compare in terms of rental income, tenant management, operating responsibilities, maintenance, and investment strategy.
- Why Investors Choose Self-Storage: Why Ian prefers certain operational aspects of self-storage, including fewer urgent maintenance issues and the flexibility to invest in properties outside his local market.
- How Self-Storage Facilities Make Money: How rental rates, occupancy levels, ancillary fees, and operational efficiency influence the performance of a self-storage investment.
- Self-Storage Investment Due Diligence: How Ian approaches acquisitions using conservative occupancy assumptions, mid-market rental rates, and property valuations relative to replacement cost.
- How Businesses Use Self-Storage Units as Mini Warehouses: How e-commerce companies, distributors, and delivery operations use storage facilities for inventory, vehicle storage, and business logistics.
- From Firefighter to Real Estate Investor: How Ian and his business partner started with single-family rental properties before expanding into multifamily and self-storage investments.
- Building and Scaling a Real Estate Investment Portfolio: Why developing repeatable systems, hiring the right people, and understanding financial performance are necessary for growing beyond individual rental properties.
- Real Estate Investing, Risk, and Long-Term Wealth: Why Ian emphasizes responsible property ownership, taking calculated risks, building relationships, and investing for long-term results rather than immediate gratification.
About the Guest
Ian Horowitz is a real estate investor and entrepreneur with Equity Warehouse, a real estate investment company based in Baltimore, Maryland, focused on self-storage and multifamily properties. After beginning his career as a firefighter, Ian transitioned into real estate investing and expanded from single-family rental properties into larger commercial real estate investments. His work focuses on property acquisitions, asset management, investment strategy, and building operational systems that support long-term portfolio growth.
About the Host
Aviva Sonenreich is the Managing Broker and Owner of the Warehouse Hotline, a Denver commercial real estate brokerage specializing exclusively in industrial properties. She leads the firm’s brokerage operations, negotiates industrial sales and leasing transactions, advises clients on acquisition and disposition strategies, and oversees the company’s marketing and business development efforts. Through Commercial Real Estate Secrets, she interviews leading investors, brokers, developers, and industry experts to provide actionable insights on commercial real estate investing, brokerage, leasing, development, and market trends.
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