June 4, 2026 - Market Daily

Motivated Sellers, Patient Buyers, and Below-Replacement-Cost Assets: Why Self Storage Deal Flow Is Shifting in 2026.

Market Daily Staff on June 4, 2026

After two years of constrained transaction volume, the self-storage investment market is showing signs of life. The factors that froze deal flow, a mismatch between seller expectations and buyer reality, high interest rates, and softening operating performance, have not disappeared. But the conditions that move markets are changing, and 2026 is shaping up to be a more active year than anything the sector has seen since the post-COVID run ended.

Tom de Jong, Executive Vice President at Colliers and Founding Principal of the De Jong Self Storage Team, is one of the most active self-storage brokers in the country. His current pipeline spans multiple states and asset types, and his read on the market is based on what is actually happening in conversations with buyers and sellers right now, not on projections.

Capital on the Sidelines Is Starting to Move

The dry powder story has been a feature of every market discussion for the past two years. Institutional capital was committed to self-storage, funds were structured and raised, and targets were identified. But not much actually closed.

That is beginning to change. Private equity funds that invested five or six years ago are now at or past their intended hold period. That capital was raised with a defined timeline, and when the clock runs out, the pressure to deploy or return shifts from theoretical to real. On the buy side, institutional funds with fresh capital commitments need to put that money to work. When motivated sellers and motivated buyers reach their respective inflection points at the same time, deals happen.

Notable portfolio transactions have already closed, including enterprise-level acquisitions in high-barrier markets such as the New York City boroughs, where institutional buyers stepped in to replace earlier capital partners who needed liquidity. These deals signal that the market is open for institutional-scale transactions when pricing reflects current reality.

Newly Built Assets at or Below Replacement Cost Are Drawing Interest

One of the more unusual features of the current market is the number of recently built, reasonably well-occupied assets trading at or below their cost to construct. These properties are not empty and are not in default. They are simply stabilising at rents and income levels well below what their developers projected when they broke ground.

De Jong points to a transaction his team recently evaluated in Minnesota as an example of how far the gap has widened. A facility that cost approximately $6 million to build received an offer of $4.8 million. The property was in the mid-80 percent occupancy range, but at rental rates meaningfully below the market rent assumptions that justified the original construction. The sellers ultimately pursued a different exit, but the dynamic is representative. Buyers can now access newly built assets, with no deferred maintenance, modern unit mix, and current construction standards, at prices that would have been unthinkable in 2021.

For buyers with accurate underwriting and patient capital, this is a concrete opportunity. The assets are sound and, in the right cases, well located. What has held deals back is the capital stack and sellers’ reluctance to accept what those assets are actually worth today. Both are adjusting.

Operating Metrics Are Showing Early Signs of Stabilization

The spring leasing season is a reliable indicator of where self-storage demand is headed. Historically, the warmer months drive meaningful rental activity as people move, renovate, and reorganize household storage. The last two years delivered disappointing spring and summer seasons, with brief upticks followed by pullbacks.

Early data for 2026 is more encouraging. De Jong notes that recent industry reporting from Yardi and similar tracking sources indicates the spring leasing season is off to a better start than in prior years, with more sustained optimism around rental activity through the quarter. If that holds, it would be the first clear signal that demand is genuinely recovering rather than briefly stabilizing.

Improving operating metrics matters directly to deal flow because buyers price assets based on current and near-term income. When net operating income is declining or flat, underwriting stays conservative. When operators can show that rental activity is improving and existing customer rate increases are closing the gap between achieved and market rents, the forward-looking income case for acquisition gets stronger, and more deals pencil out.

What a More Active 2026 Actually Looks Like

More active does not mean a return to 2021 conditions. Cap rates are not going back to four and a half percent, and sellers waiting for that environment are likely to wait a long time. The transaction volume building now is being driven by realistic pricing on both sides.

De Jong expects deal activity to continue accelerating through 2026 and into 2027. The volume of opinion of value requests his team is processing, a leading indicator of deal flow, has been rising. Portfolio transactions are happening, and single-asset deals are working when sellers are aligned with current market realities. For investors evaluating the sector or tracking where institutional capital is moving, the current moment represents a meaningful entry point before the broader recovery takes full hold. To explore current market insights and research from Colliers, visit Colliers Research and Insights.

About Tom de Jong: Tom de Jong is Executive Vice President at Colliers and Founding Principal of the De Jong Self Storage Team. With 19 years at Colliers, a $2B+ transaction record across 32 states, and an SIOR designation, he is one of the most recognised specialists in self-storage brokerage and investment advisory in the United States.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.

Carpal Tunnel Surgery Is Performed 500,000 Times a Year, and Many Charlotte Patients Had a Non-Surgical Option They Were Never Offered

Market Daily Staff on June 4, 2026

By Dr. Goodman, DC + Dr. Bradberry, DC | ReliefNow Laser Charlotte | Charlotte, North Carolina

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common peripheral nerve entrapment disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 3 to 6 percent of adults and accounting for approximately 500,000 surgical procedures annually. For Charlotte’s banking and finance professionals, healthcare workers, construction tradespeople, and technology workers, hand function is fundamental to professional performance. In many cases, surgery is presented as the definitive solution before tissue-level non-surgical care has been meaningfully explored.

For mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome, which represents the majority of presentations, controlled clinical trials have examined non-surgical care, including laser therapy, alongside surgical release. Patients benefit from understanding the full range of options before signing a surgical consent.

Dr. Goodman’s post-graduate training includes laser therapy application, and he has clinical experience with photobiomodulation in the context of nerve conditions, including carpal tunnel. He also holds post-graduate acupuncture training, which he incorporates into his approach to nerve-related care. Dr. Bradberry’s sports medicine background includes experience with wrist and hand injuries in athletes such as golfers, tennis players, and overhead-sport athletes, where carpal tunnel and median nerve compression are common presentations.

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and What Causes the Symptoms?

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway formed by the carpal bones and the transverse carpal ligament. Through it passes the median nerve and nine flexor tendons. When the tunnel becomes crowded from tendon inflammation, repetitive stress, or structural factors, the median nerve is compressed. That compression produces the characteristic numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, along with nocturnal symptoms, grip weakness, and, in advanced cases, thenar muscle atrophy.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that carpal tunnel syndrome causes more missed workdays than almost any other occupational injury. For Charlotte’s professional workforce, that makes it a direct economic and performance concern.

What Does the Research Say About Non-Surgical Carpal Tunnel Treatment?

A 2009 randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Hand Surgery reported that non-surgical treatment produced outcomes equivalent to surgical release at three-month follow-up for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. A 2013 Cochrane Review reported comparable short-term outcomes between conservative management and surgery for mild to moderate cases, with a lower risk associated with conservative approaches.

How Does Laser Therapy Work for Carpal Tunnel?

Near-infrared laser therapy is a non-invasive modality that delivers light energy to targeted tissue, including the carpal tunnel region. Researchers have studied its effects on inflammation and nerve tissue. A 2002 randomized controlled trial in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine reported that laser therapy was associated with improvements in median nerve conduction velocity and symptom scores, an objective electrophysiological measure used in carpal tunnel research.

What Is the Double Crush Dimension and Why Does It Matter?

The median nerve originates from the C6 and C7 cervical nerve roots. Compression at the cervical spine combined with compression at the wrist can produce compound nerve entrapment, known as double crush syndrome. This may help explain why some patients continue to have hand symptoms after a technically successful carpal tunnel release. Both Dr. Goodman and Dr. Bradberry evaluate the full nerve pathway, from the cervical spine through the thoracic outlet to the wrist, so that proximal contributors that a standard wrist evaluation might overlook can be considered as part of the assessment.

To learn more about ReliefNow Laser Charlotte, visit their Charlotte practice page. Patient education videos are available on the ReliefNow Nation channel. ReliefNow Laser Charlotte is located at 4601 Park Rd, Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28209, and can be reached at 704-527-7246.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any treatment program.

About the Authors

Dr. Eric Goodman, DC, studied at UNC-Charlotte and Palmer College, with post-graduate training in laser therapy, acupuncture, neurokinetic therapy, rehabilitation, and nutrition. A CrossFit athlete, he volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and the Rotary Club. Dr. Douglas Bradberry, DC, graduated from the University of Florida and completed his chiropractic degree with honors at Palmer College, earning his CCSP, with a background in Olympic-level sports medicine. Both are providers in the national ReliefNow® network, founded by Dr. Robert Hanopole, DC.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any treatment program.

How Tmall Premium Expert Dong Lanlan Applies Chinese E-Commerce Strategies to America’s Growth Challenges

Market Daily Staff on June 4, 2026

By Julian Black

Dong Lanlan, User Channel Operations Expert at Alibaba’s Tmall Premium, has drawn attention for her practical experience. Her insights are informed by her experience at a global e-commerce leader; the Taobao and Tmall brands were recognized on the 2023 global top 100 most valuable brands list. The “Retail Daily Sales” project she led in China covered more than 5,000 stores. Its success stems from what she calls a “full-link intelligent optimization” approach, shifting reliance from holiday-driven promotions to sustainable daily sales capabilities.

“The pain point for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses is their overdependence on major sales events like Black Friday and the lack of a stable, predictable daily sales system,” Dong Lanlan notes. “China’s practice shows that the solution lies in systematically reducing costs and boosting customer lifetime value through data-driven collaboration and journey optimization.”

How Linkage Optimization Connects Fragmented Customer Journeys

She elaborated on the core concept of “linkage optimization”: with consumers now active across TikTok, Amazon, Shopify, and other platforms, their behavior is fragmented. The relevance of cross-platform strategies is clear, as evidenced by the strong interest on social media, where TikTok videos related to “how to use Taobao” have garnered billions of views. Linkage optimization acts as an “intelligent navigation” system; using big data analytics, it accurately identifies a single user’s behavioral nuances and interests across different platforms. For instance, if a user watches a product video on TikTok, searches on Google, and then purchases on Amazon, the system can track and understand this entire, though fragmented, journey. It then intelligently guides the user to the channel or content most suitable for their current stage (awareness, consideration, decision), thereby bridging cross-platform conversion paths, reducing customer drop-off due to disjointed transitions, and improving conversion efficiency.

Building on this deep user understanding, Dong Lanlan has pioneered a “personalized service system.” She emphasizes, “We no longer offer a one-size-fits-all service. Based on subtle differences in a customer’s profile across specific channels, such as a preference for short video reviews on TikTok versus an interest in technical specs on a brand’s site, the system dynamically tailors after-sales support, dedicated customer service, and precise repurchase recommendations, creating a ‘tailor-made’ complete service experience for each individual.” This end-to-end personalization from marketing to service is key to increasing repurchase rates and customer loyalty.

Tech Enablement: Three Systems Reshaping Retail Efficiency

Dong Lanlan’s three proprietary systems form the technological backbone of her “Daily Operations” methodology. The core idea is to move beyond reliance on flash sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday and instead build a predictable, sustainable growth foundation through data-driven, intelligent daily operations.

The Intelligent Scheduling and Real-Time Fulfillment System for Inventory-Free Retail V1.0 is the supply chain enabler for “Daily Operations.” It facilitates a “light-asset, high-efficiency” retail model through dynamic route planning and global inventory visibility. This model has seen broad adoption within the Alibaba ecosystem, including by JD.com and brands like Midea. Its core value is transforming fixed inventory costs into variable, flexible services, allowing SMEs to focus on sales and service without inventory pressures.

The Retail Supply Chain Data Intelligent Analysis and Dynamic Logistics Optimization Platform V1.0 serves as the efficiency engine of “Daily Operations.” By integrating supplier collaboration and optimizing the entire logistics chain, it supported the “Hundred Teams Battle” regional competition, contributing to substantial sales growth across participating teams. This platform’s significance lies in transforming order forecasting, inventory turnover, and delivery response within the “Daily Operations” framework from experience-based to precise, data-driven decisions, ensuring stable and smooth daily sales execution.

The Platform for Traffic Expansion and Sales Conversion Improvement of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Based on Big Data Analysis V1.0 is the key to profitability for “Daily Operations.” It moves away from broad traffic blasts, instead using multi-dimensional data analysis to pinpoint high-potential customers and design personalized engagement and conversion paths. Its ecosystem recommender system engaged a network of over 10,000 promoters, reflecting the model’s role in improving customer retention rates and increasing customer lifetime value (CLV). This is the core profit logic of the “Daily Operations” system: shifting from one-time transactions to the deep, continuous mining of customer value.

The Localization Challenge: Content Commerce and Consumer Habits

Confronting differences in content formats and consumer habits between the U.S. and China, Dong Lanlan argues the real breakthrough lies not in superficially copying the “live commerce” model, but in reinforcing e-commerce’s foundation: achieving highly efficient supply chain coordination and precise execution through digitalization. Her planned work in the U.S. will focus on intelligently transforming the logistics system, particularly in warehouse management and order fulfillment.

Intelligent Warehouse Management: Plans involve introducing systems stemming from the “Supply Chain Data Intelligence Analysis and Dynamic Logistics Optimization Platform” to provide real-time visibility and dynamic allocation of inventory across partner warehouses. This boosts inventory turnover and supports a “regional daily sales” model, placing goods closer to consumers for rapid fulfillment.
Intelligent Order Management: An intelligent order routing system would automatically assign orders to the optimal fulfillment node (a local store, regional warehouse, or supplier) based on real-time inventory, logistics capacity, and delivery distance, shortening delivery times and enhancing reliability. This extends the smart dispatch capabilities of her “Inventory-Free Retail” system overseas.

This logistics intelligence solution, built on data-driven coordination and algorithm-optimized execution, aims to combine mature Chinese operational practices like “unified warehousing and distribution” with the dense U.S. retail network. The goal is to create a more responsive, cost-effective, and reliable flexible supply chain network, providing solid fulfillment support for a sustainable “Daily Operations” system.

“The endgame of e-commerce isn’t faster logistics; it’s more precise connections,” she concludes. “China’s experience proves that using technology to digitally synergize ‘people, goods, and scenarios’ is essential for sustainable growth.” As the U.S. e-commerce market enters a phase focused on “cutting costs and improving efficiency,” the operational methodology Dong Lanlan represents could well prove central to the next stage of growth.