Self-storage auctions are more than just a reality show. In fact, the reality is self-storage is a $22B—yes, that's a B—industry. SpareFoot, the online self-storage marketplace based in Austin, recently launched a new nationwide auction directory website that lists more upcoming auctions than any other free service of its kind. SpareFoot observed that people had little choice but to check local print newspaper listings to discover upcoming auctions. A disruptive three-year-old start-up company that aims to make self-storage easy for consumers, SpareFoot built a live searchable database of auctions. Users can sort local search results by distance from zip code or by how many days away auctions are. The immense recent popularity of storage auctions, sparked by hit TV showsStorage Warsand Auction Hunters, helped inspire the project. Customers frequently call and email SpareFoot’s support team with questions about auctions. Tony Emerson, SpareFoot’s SEO Analyst, found search volume for the phrase“storage auctions”rivals that of broad search terms like “self storage” and “storage units.” With all this growth, SpareFoot isn’t the first to enter the auctions directory space. Competing sites either require facilities to pay a fee to be listed, or feature limited functionality and limited inventory for free. SpareFoot Auctions is the most comprehensive free storage auction list available. A major benefit of the effort is that it will help drive web traffic to the company’s website and make a branded impression on these visitors. Of the approximately 10,000 abandoned storage units auctioned off nationally every month,SpareFoot Auctionslists between 35-50% of these, and that reach will only expand. Plans include adding a Notes section to provide unit descriptions and number of units up for sale. SpareFoot will also integrate back-end functionality so facility owners and managers can easily add and promote their auctions on the site. “We’re going to keep building this and making it more functional,” Emerson said. “We eventually want to serve as a resource to help facility operators improve the auctions process to the point that they look forward to having one.” ...read more

Dena worked as a personal assistant for the president of a major company that was growing and expanding. She was helping her boss organize and structurethe move of their office space into a brand new building. The office was getting cramped and personal work space was limited as the company continued to grow and expand and hire new employees to handle the workload. The building stayed the same. One of Dena's jobs was helping the office transition run smoothly. With so many to-do lists, Dena, understandably, felt like she needed a personal assistant to handle it all. She also realized the chaotic, break-neck pace was atemporary problem. Soon the office would be completely moved and the business would return to normalcy once again. One day Dena was working on labeling the filing cabinets with a number that corresponded with a room in the new office space. She hoped when everything was moved over the cabinets could make it into the correct room and it would be one less hassle that she would have to oversee. While labeling the cabinets with the correct corresponding number, she realized many cabinets contained files that they did not need on a daily basis or on any type of regular basis. A few of them were old customer files that they kept to reference and many of the cabinets were old employee files that had to be kept for a certain number of years. They took up a considerable amount of office space and it would be great if they could find a place to store them off site. Dena began to research herstorage optionsand discovered the portable storage option. She learned that she could not only have all the files and boxes stored for an economical price at a secure facility, she didn't have to transport the boxes to the facility herself. Dena created a small presentation about how using a portable storage container would benefit their company by allowing them to use asecure off-site storage facilityfor the files and how this would free up more office space for the employees. She presented the win-win situation to her boss and he loved the idea. When the office relocation was completed and everyone was settled into their spaces, life in the office returned to normal. Dena went back to her normal duties and gladly threw away all of her scratched out to-do lists. And every day she stepped into the office, she knew that all the off-site files were safe and secure as she was reminded by it with all the extra space in the new office. ...read more

We've just published a new edition of our newsletter! You can check it out on our website and get the latest information from SmartBox Portable Storage of Texas. Let us know what you think! Read It Now Here ...read more