279. How I Bought a $1.5M Self Storage Facility as a Complete Beginner w/Ben Kall

·1 hr 13 min·5 clips

Ben Kall bought a $1.5 million self-storage facility as his very first investment, closing the deal in just 30 days.

The episode features an interview with Ben Kall, a former college football player turned real estate investor. Kall recounts buying a $1.5 million self-storage facility as his first investment, securing the lead and closing within 30 days. He discusses overcoming the fear of such a large initial purchase by partnering with an experienced investor. Kall explains his operational strategy, which involved modeling the storage facility after hotels, focusing on concierge service and convenience through online rentals and automated payments. He adopted technology like DaVinci locks and Google ads to enable remote rentals and charge premium rates. Kall shares how he scaled his portfolio by building relationships, such as with a contractor who later sold him additional facilities. He reveals that after hiring a coach and attending conferences for the first time, he is on track to close $25 million in real estate deals this year. The conversation covers financing, with Kall detailing a shift from accepting standard bank terms to negotiating creative seller financing, including a deal with 4% interest and less than 10% down. He stresses the importance of stress-testing deals for downside scenarios and building a buy box to focus investment criteria. Kall also talks about the role of brokers, advocating for consistent follow-up to build deal flow. The episode concludes with advice for beginners to start simple, focus on cash flow, and gradually build knowledge and confidence.

As heard by us

A grounded first-deal review that puts downside underwriting ahead of self-storage ambition.

Self-storage investing is framed here through the lens of a first facility purchase, with the appeal grounded in a practical life goal: building passive income that creates more space for family rather than another job tied to a phone.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when a first self-storage facility has you weighing the deal, the debt, and the life you actually want it to fund.

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