Storage Auction Treasures

Bidders sometimes score at Sacramento-area storage unit auctions

Bianca Karres and Anne Williams stared into the darkened storage locker. They'd just paid $1,050 for its contents, but had little idea what they were.

About all they could see was a wall of wood, leather and medieval-looking metal blocking the entrance.

They guessed it was the side of a big piece of furniture. A desk maybe? Hauled from the unit, it turned out to be a bar.

"It's beautiful," Karres said excitedly. "Wow, that looks like copper."

Along with scores of other hopefuls, Karres and Williams showed up last week at self-storage facilities in Orangevale and Auburn to bid on the contents of dozens of lockers seized after renters stopped paying.

Storage auctions used to draw only small groups of regulars. But the success of cable reality shows – A&E's "Storage Wars" and Spike's "Auction Hunters" – has turned a little-known pursuit into a popular phenomenon.

"It's just gotten crazier with the TV shows," said Don Krajewski of Carmichael, who attended last week's auction at Mini Stor Self Storage, on Hazel Avenue in Orangevale. "You keep thinking it will calm down, but it doesn't."

Enthusiasts have more lockers to bid on these days, too. The economic downturn and foreclosures have left people storing belongings and unable to keep up with rent, which averages about $100 to $200 a month.

Bidders at last week's auctions jammed stifling corridors and waited in line in the hot sun to get a brief glimpse of a locker's contents from the doorway. Then they bid hundreds of dollars on someone else's stored stuff.

They didn't know until later if they'd bought trash or treasures.

"It's like Christmas, dude," Krajewski said. "You never know what you're going to find."

The auctions at the Mini Stor Self Storage facilities in Auburn and Orangevale drew about 150 to 200 people each and sold off the contents of 31 units.

They were some of the biggest local auctions in recent memory, organizers and attendees said.

Storage Treasures Launches Storage Auction Community Forum on ...

Storage Treasures Launches Storage Auction Community Forum on Website

Storage Treasures, a free online storage auction locator, has added a community forum to its website to allow users to connect, share tips and swap stories from the auction hunting world.

Reno, NV (PRWEB) August 06, 2011

StorageTreasures.com, America’s fastest growing website for self storage auction hunters, has launched its own community storage auction forum as part of its free online self storage auction locator. The company reports receiving thousands of questions from users to date, and has built the portal to allow users to connect and exchange tips, upcoming auction dates and swap auction hunting stories. Members and non-members alike can access the StorageTreasures Community Forum by visiting: http://www.storagetreasures.com/forum

“The closer it gets to auction day the more questions a would-be auction hunter has.” StorageTreasures President and Founder Lance Watkins continued, “Our community forum gives our users a platform to get the answers they need from people just like them, as well as to share their experiences as an auction hunter. Everyone has something to contribute, whether they just won their first storage unit or their one hundred and first.”

StorageTreasures.com, is a free self storage unit auction locator and self storage finder covering the US and Canada. StorageTreasures.com offers compressive storage auction schedules and site specific guidelines for auction hunters and facility owners throughout the US and Canada. StorageTreasures.com is partnered with industry leaders to develop best practices that ensure storage auctions are conducted within the law, and that facility owners, tenants, buyers and auctioneers are protected. More information about StorageTreasures.com can be found at http://www.StorageTreasures.com or by calling 1.800.213.4183.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/8/prweb8700909.

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