Powerful tools like SelfStorageDeals.com are revolutionizing the storage industry, allowing customers to find the best prices at facilities in their area. But price alone is not the only factor you must consider when searching for your perfect facility. Most storage facilities offer special deals that can drastically change the aggregate cost of your unit beyond its monthly price tag. There are a wide variety of such deals out there, each catering to a unique customer need. Finding the best deal for you is an essential part of an affordable self storage experience.
Today we’ll be comparing two excellent deals in Austin, TX, on 10×10 storage units. Each facility offers a unique monthly price and a unique special offer that drastically changes the overall cost of the unit over time. Depending on your situation one might be the bargain for you.
The first offer we’ll be examining can be found at Airport Self Storage in the south of Austin:
As you can see, Airport Self Storage offers an amazing monthly price on its 10×10 unit– at $68/mo it’s currently the lowest monthly cost in all of Austin and the first offer you’ll see when searching on SelfStorageDeals.com. That bargain comes with one caveat: a minimum lease of three months. Our next offer can be found a little farther down on the SelfStorageDeals.com search results list:
Although Texas Storage Park’s offer of $89/mo is a full $21/mo more than Airport Self Storage–and is only ranked as the fifth-best price in Austin on SelfStorageDeals.com’s search results–its special offer of a free second month changes everything, so be careful not to instantly dismiss it. Neither of these offers are in themselves essentially better than the other; it all depends on your own situation as a renter. As you can see in the graph below, each offers a significantly different bargain depending on the amount of time the unit is rented out for.
Despite its higher monthly rental costs, Texas Storage Park would actually be the cheaper option if the renter is only going to remain in the unit for four months (from July to October in the graph). This is of course because there is no charge for the second month at Texas Storage Park. A renter hoping to store his or her items for four months would save a total of $5 with a unit at Texas Storage Park versus a unit at Airport Self Storage. A renter intending to keep a unit for three months–which, of course, is mandatory at Airport Self Storage– would save $26 at Texas Storage Park, with an approximate daily cost of $1.97 versus a daily cost of $2.26 at Airport Self Storage. Over the first two months a renter would save a whopping $47 at Texas Storage Park (and remember, Airport Self Storage’s low monthly cost is only available if one stays for three-plus months).
After that fourth month (October in our example) things quickly begin to change. The effects of Texas Storage Park’s special deal of a free second month begin to dissipate, with Airport Self Storage’s low monthly cost kicking in to save you a ton. Over five months a renter will save $16 at Airport Self Storage, $37 over six months, $58 over seven months, and so on. After a year a renter will have spent a total of $828 (that’s still $2.26 a day) at Airport Self Storage versus $979 (now $2.68 a day) at Texas Storage Park, a total savings of $151.
So there we have it: Texas Storage Park offers a higher monthly cost with a special deal of a free second month, making it the choice for renters hoping to keep their unit for four months or less. Airport Self Storage on the other hand offers a significantly-lower monthly cost with the caveat that a renter must sign a three-month lease, making it the better deal for renters hoping to keep their units for longer than four months.Savings will differ significantly between the two facilities depending on the amount of time the renter intends on keeping a unit.
For those unsure of how long they might need their units, it might be wise to go with the facility with the lowest monthly costs. Most special offers benefit renters for the first few months, with their effects dwindling over time. If you’re unsure whether you’ll need a unit for less than four months, locking into that $68/mo rate at Airport Self Storage might be the safer bet–just in case you need to keep your unit for a longer period of time. If you have definite dates for your rental, and that span of time is four months or shorter, then going with Texas Storage Park is the sure bet.
When searching for your self storage deal its important that you plan ahead and determine how long you intend to keep your unit. Then when browsing SelfStorageDeals.com to find a facility near you make sure to compare not only the monthly cost of units, but also any special offers. Whatever your self storage needs, there’s a bargain out there for you.
Brian Shreckengast is a writer at Self Storage Deals.
