Housing slowdown leads to boom in mini-storage units

San Francisco Business Times

2:36 PM PDT Tuesday
by Mark Calvey

Rising interest rates and concerns over the direction of housing prices are prompting more potential home buyers to remain on the sidelines, spurring increased demand not only for apartments but for mini-storage units as well, said Hans Lapping, an attorney with Miller, Starr & Regalia in Walnut Creek.

Rising demand for storage space, in part from people losing their homes to foreclosure, is a key factor in the proliferation of mini-storage operations, Lapping told investors attending a seminar Tuesday on the basics of real estate investing . . .