EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 57 MIN
#148 Self-Storage Real Estate with Jacob Vanderslice of Van West Partners
from Alt Funds Network · host Mike Schroeder, Skyler Steinke, Jacob Vanderslice
Find us online: https://altfunds.io/ Email us with topic ideas: [email protected] Spotify: https://bit.ly/4afXcan Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4akXAUS Google: https://bit.ly/4am9oXk 👇 Click Below to be a guest on our video podcast: 👇 https://bit.ly/46X7cSQ Connect with Jacob Vanderslice - Van West Partners: Website: www.vanwestpartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vanwest-partners Timestamps: 00:00 Self Storage Teaser 01:34 Meet Jacob Van West 02:01 From Firefighter To Investor 02:46 Why Pivot To Storage 04:48 Storage Risks And Realities 07:55 Supply Shock And Mobility 10:02 Who Uses Storage Units 14:19 Why Storage Stays Resilient 16:28 Deal Flow And Competition 19:06 One Deal That Worked 20:39 Sourcing Off Market Deals 21:52 Self Managing Operations 25:25 Staffing And Customer Experience 28:00 Retention And Expense Pressure 29:50 Inflation And Ops Pressure 30:12 Raising Capital Gets Harder 31:27 Risk Return And Leverage 32:58 Equities Versus Storage 35:30 Rates Bonds And Cap Rates 38:42 Cap Rate Math Explained 40:12 Micro Wins Denver Case 44:51 Tertiary Markets Strategy 46:15 AI In Storage Operations 53:09 Wild Storage Unit Stories 56:19 Outlook And Where To Connect Disclaimer: Alt Funds Network LLC and its affiliates, episode guests, and the companies they represent do not provide tax, legal or accounting or investment advice. This material has been prepared for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, accounting, and investment professionals before engaging in any transaction or making any financial or legal decision based on your specific situation.
What this episode covers
Background: Jacob is a principal at VanWest Partners, a self storage owner/ operator based out of Denver. Description: Mike Schroeder and Skyler Steinke interview Jacob Vanderslice, principal of Van West Partners, a Denver-based self-storage owner-operator with 42 assets (~21,000 units, ~3.3M sq ft). Jacob shares his 20-year real estate background—starting with single-family (1,000+ projects), expanding into commercial, then pivoting to self-storage to become a longer-term operator. He explains why storage is operationally intensive (break-ins, gate damage, illegal activity), highly supply-sensitive within a three-mile radius, and difficult to forecast due to month-to-month leases and varied unit pricing. They discuss demand tied to mobility and higher mortgage rates reducing moves, resilience vs other asset classes, challenges in acquisitions (modeled ~900 deals, bought one small deal with seller financing), the benefits of self-managing via Clear Home Self Storage, staffing and expense pressures, capital raising headwinds, and using AI for revenue management, call center automation, and investor reporting.
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#148 Self-Storage Real Estate with Jacob Vanderslice of Van West Partners
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