The Balance Sheet Approach in Private Real Estate and Self-Storage

Why Select Advisors Turn to Private Real Estate

Some advisors, including Andy Jones of Jones Gregg Financial, view private real estate as a distinct fit for clients ready to move beyond the public markets, mutual funds, or ETFs. Jones’s typical client—a first-generation business owner in the accumulation phase—already knows the fundamentals of real estate through their home or business assets. When it comes to private real estate, the main advantage is straightforward: “Are you going to be owning part of the dirt or part of the organization that owns part of the dirt?” The physical nature of investments like self-storage carries more meaning for these clients than abstract returns from REITs.

Clients often initiate conversations about alternatives, seeking diversification that has tangible impact across net worth rather than just a paper gain. Institutional advisors at large financial firms often cannot accommodate these requests, instead steering clients toward ETFs or the products on their platform. In contrast, advisors like Jones build a private real estate “sleeve” specifically for clients who understand property and seek more control over their wealth trajectory.

For these investors, including self-storage is a deliberate response to the need for diversification and balance sheet growth. Development creates value in ways that match their business experience—building, improving, and capturing upside as projects mature.

A Comprehensive Balance Sheet Mindset

Unlike portfolio-focused institutions, Jones builds client strategies around their complete balance sheet. Every asset—business, property, investments—is considered with the intention to drive long-term net worth. Once clients are no longer reliant on investment assets for daily needs, longer-term and less liquid opportunities become feasible. “We redirect other assets for wealth creation,” Jones explains, focusing on expanding the client’s total financial landscape.

This style works for accredited investors—primarily business owners—who have solved for cash flow and who are comfortable without instant liquidity. “A three year, five year window for my clients is not an issue,” Jones notes. The central goal is generational wealth that is resilient and built for transfer to heirs or causes meaningful to the investor.

Jones points out that clients who need daily access to their funds or who do not understand compounding over time are not suited to this approach. His clients’ willingness to be patient separates them from those who must “see it on a statement every month.”

Due Diligence, Sponsor Character, and Alignment

Due diligence is intensive, with the starting point always being character. “Real estate is a character conversation... there’s always a problem, but character can drive the process forward in a win-win thought process.” Jones evaluates every sponsor and organization with referrals, conversations with CPAs, attorneys, past clients, and by directly testing transparency. “If you won’t answer me relatively directly, as in extremely, then you’re out.” Evasive or slow responses, or incomplete documentation, are immediate red flags.

Sponsor alignment is essential. Jones favors investments that fit meaningful trends—like demographic movement and assets people use daily. “My clients never see stuff that I don’t believe in.” Sponsors must maintain discipline, providing only the documentation and updates needed, on time. Overreaching on capital raises, for example, is a warning sign: “You know what your budget is. That's what you take. You don’t overreach and expand.”

AAA Storage is cited for clarity and reliability: “You make it easy, your communication is clear, concise, on time. Your tax documentation is there. No one's calling me about you—things are great.” Timely K-1s and simple online investor systems support a frictionless experience, building advisor and client trust.

Building Durable Wealth with Relationships That Last

For investors with a long-term, balance sheet mindset, private real estate, including self-storage, provides not only diversification but opportunities for value creation that compound over time. Advisors and sponsors with strong character, transparent process, and a track record of clear communication—such as AAA Storage—set the standard for delivering on these objectives. The result is a practical, resilient addition to wealth portfolios built for both growth and durability.