🎯 The business: every downsizing, divorce, death and job change is a move plus a unit. A local moving company is the low-capital entry; a small self-storage facility is the real estate play. Both do well in downturns because the reasons people move get stronger, not weaker.
Moving: households and small offices at $120 to $200 an hour for a two-person crew and truck, with a three-hour minimum; local moves average $800 to $2,000. Storage: $80 to $250 a month per unit depending on size and climate control, paid for an average of a year or more by people who meant to stay three months. Occupancy at a good facility runs 85 to 95 percent.
| Moving company: used box truck, dollies, pads, straps | $20,000 to $40,000 |
| Moving company: state mover license, DOT number, cargo and auto insurance, LLC | $3,000 to $8,000 |
| Small self-storage facility, bought existing (100 to 200 units) | $1 million to $3 million |
| Storage down payment and improvements (SBA or conventional) | $200,000 to $700,000 |
| Cash to get in | ≈ $25,000 to $50,000 for moving; $200,000 and up for storage |
Moving: get the state license and DOT number before the first ad; unlicensed movers get fined and cannot be insured. Hire two careful people, not two strong ones. Introduce yourself to realtors, apartment managers and senior communities. Storage: find a facility with a tired owner and no website, or land near new apartments; occupancy history and the local supply pipeline are the diligence.
Moving: a crew billing $160 an hour for six hours a day, five days a week, is about $4,800 a week, with labor around 35 percent and the truck, fuel and insurance about 20 percent. Storage: 150 units averaging $130 at 90 percent occupancy is about $17,500 a month, with operating costs commonly 30 to 40 percent and the loan on top. Moving customers become storage customers and the reverse.
Movers need a state household goods license in most states and a federal DOT number, with tariff, estimate and claims rules. Storage facilities operate under state self-storage lien laws for non-payment, zoning, and insurance requirements. Climate control, security and ADA for new builds. Workers’ comp for the crews, whose injuries are the industry’s main cost.
Moving: damage claims, a no-show crew on a closing day, and the truck breaking down with someone’s furniture inside. Storage: a new facility opening nearby, a slow lease-up on a build, and the costs of auctions and delinquencies. The operators who last are the ones people recommend by name, with the insurance and the paperwork to match.