About Kevin Rapport
Who is Kevin Rapport?
Kevin Rapport is a professional firefighter and multi-state self-storage owner-operator. He has invested in real estate since 2009, built his portfolio without leaving his firefighting job, and founded Storage Venture to teach new investors how to buy self-storage.
Kevin at a glance
- Investing since: 2009, in the wake of the 2008 crash (15+ years)
- Asset classes: single-family homes, then multifamily, then self-storage and industrial real estate
- Today: an active owner-operator who buys and sells self-storage facilities across multiple states
- Focus: smaller facilities in secondary and rural markets, operational improvements and creative deal structures, including seller financing
- Lending: operates Founding Capital, a boutique lending fund that makes hard money loans on commercial and residential deals
- Day job: professional firefighter
- Family: husband and father of three
Kevin’s background
Kevin learned the business the way most operators do: by buying, fixing, running and selling real property. Single-family rentals came first. They took a lot of his time, because when tenants live in the property, every problem is an emergency, so he moved toward self-storage.
In storage, the opportunity he looks for usually comes from running the facility better: tighter operations, better marketing and smarter pricing. He also uses creative deal structures, especially seller financing, to make good deals work.
A firefighter who built a portfolio on his days off
Kevin built his self-storage portfolio on his days off, between bedtime routines, baseball games and ballet recitals. That works because self-storage can be systemized.
“I managed my first facilities myself, remotely, and I’m not anywhere near them. If you just follow the playbook, self-storage is very simple to run remotely. You don’t need a big team.”
Kevin Rapport, on the Acquisitions Academy Podcast, May 2026
It is still an active business. Someone has to find the deal, set rates, collect rent and keep the property in good shape. Kevin teaches it that way, without pretending it’s passive.
Why Kevin teaches
Kevin believes a rising tide lifts all boats: the more disciplined, knowledgeable investors who enter self-storage, the better the industry gets. He has made plenty of mistakes, from trying to do everything alone to listening to people who had opinions but no facilities, and he built Storage Venture so new investors can learn from a working operator instead.
“Something I’m passionate about is coaching new investors on how to acquire self-storage facilities. I’m still learning every day, but I’m now passing down that experience and knowledge to people who are just starting out or looking to scale their portfolio.”
Kevin Rapport, on the Acquisitions Academy Podcast, May 2026
“I come from an abundant mindset. I think there is more than enough self-storage out there for anybody who wants to get involved.”
Kevin Rapport, on the Strive For 25 podcast, December 2023
What Kevin stands for
- Real operating experience. He teaches the system he uses on his own deals, as an active operator, not just a teacher.
- Transparency. He talks about the downsides and the mistakes, not just the wins. No deal is guaranteed.
- Practical education. Plain-language guides, templates and checklists you can use on a real deal, not theory.
What Storage Venture offers
Storage Venture is Kevin’s self-storage investing education business. It offers three ways to learn, depending on where you are:
- The Storage Venture Accelerator course. An online course with 8 modules and about 8 hours of video lessons, plus templates, covering the business model, market research, finding deals, underwriting, financing, due diligence, offers and operations. Lifetime access. See the course.
- 1:1 coaching. Monthly 50-minute calls with Kevin, deal review between calls and direct access when you’re in a live deal. Coaching also includes a small equity stake for Kevin in the first deal you buy while working together, so his advice is tied to your outcome. Spots are limited. See how coaching works.
- Free guides and tools. In-depth guides to buying, financing and valuing a self-storage facility, and the free 5-Minute Deal Filter. Browse the free guides.
As heard on
Kevin has talked about self-storage investing, seller financing and balancing investing with a firefighting career on these podcasts:
Strive For 25
A Deep Dive Into Self Storage Ventures: How to Make Profitable Real Estate Investments with Kevin Rapport
Kevin’s move from single-family and multifamily into self-storage, and balancing investing with life as a firefighter.
Watch the episode →SMB Deal Hunter
How a firefighter moved from residential rentals into self-storage, and what he learned working with a coach.
Watch the episode → · Show notes →Acquisitions Academy Podcast
Building a self-storage portfolio with seller financing while working full time as a firefighter.
Watch the episode →Business Buying for Financial Independence
Episode 60: How to Buy a Self-Storage Facility With 10% Down
Self-storage acquisitions and operations: finding deals, financing them and running facilities remotely.
Watch the episode →Kevin also shares what he’s learning about self-storage on X at @storage_venture.
Know in five minutes whether a storage deal deserves your time. It’s the same quick screen Kevin runs before he spends an hour on underwriting.
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Want an operator in your corner?
If you’re already looking at facilities and want Kevin reviewing your deals, he offers a small number of 1:1 coaching spots. No pressure. See if it fits.
See how 1:1 coaching works →Want to learn the system first? Explore the Accelerator course.
Storage Venture provides general education, not legal, tax, lending or investment advice. Every deal is different, and results are never guaranteed.