LADERA RANCH, CA-“Individuals are becoming more accustomed to not only accessing information, but doing transactions online,” H. Michael Schwartz, president of Strategic Capital Holdings LLC and CEO of Strategic Storage Trust Inc., tells GlobeSt.com. As GlobeSt.com reported earlier this week, SCH and StorageBattles.com have entered into a partnership to offer online storage-unit auctions, a “secure and friendly' technique designed to better serve bidders and increase revenue and productivity for the SCH's SmartStop Self Storage portfolio.

The comfort level most people have found with doing online transactions “starts to make them feel comfortable doing the same thing in areas where they were done differently,” says Schwartz. He adds that the explosive popularity of TV shows like “Storage Wars” and “Storage Hunters” has also paved the way for online self-storage auctions, plus in-person auctions “can be a little disrupting.”

Online self-storage auctions “can remove the craziness” of in-person auctions, Schwartz points out. Rather than investing the time and effort travel to an in-person auction to make a bid, potential bidders can find out all the information they need online and even see 360-degree photos of the storage unit being auctioned. Then, they can place their bid if they're interested and only need to show up to claim the items they've purchased.

“The intimidation factor is gone,” adds Schwartz. “People who are professional treasure hunters can sit in the comfort of their own home and bid on all the units the like in a predefined area. It's equally efficient for those people who are acquiring auctions because they don't have to invest all that time in an in-person auction or pay for an auctioneer.

As GlobeSt.com also reported earlier this week, Eric Paulsen, president of Auction.com, says apartments are the third-most popular product type the online auction site is selling so far this year, behind retail and office.