Discretionary income is the amount of money a person has leftover after all essential items like housing, taxes, food & utility bills have been paid. For many people, discretionary income is used to purchase non-essential or luxury items. Analyzing a storage unit for signs of discretionary income can increase your chances of making quality purchase. Although there are never any guarantees, seeing the following items can be a strong indicator that the unit could hold unseen valuables.
A Pool table or other game table, quality fishing equipment, antiques, collectibles, high end furnishings, a motorcycle, musical instruments, hunting equipment, gun cases, a safe, a boat motor, arcade games, china, hobbies, auto racing parts, expensive children's toys, artwork, designer clothing, handbags & luggage, fine silverware, an ATV, jewelry, high end electronics or any other item which indicates the tenant had eclectic or expensive taste.
A half-empty room, could indicate that the former owner removed most of the good stuff. Other things to look for are indicators that the tenant used a great deal of care when packing the unit. If the storage unit is well organized & or contains professional moving boxes, plastic storage totes, furniture wrapped in plastic or covered with moving blankets, these are signs that usually indicate the unit contains newer or better quality merchandise that is worth protecting.