Hey guys. I have a condo in Pasadena, CA that I’m currently renting out. The oven broke so I have to replace it. My dishwasher has stainless steel finish, but my fridge and oven are original bisque color.
I’m trying to decide if I should upgrade the new oven to stainless steel (about $190 more) or just stay with the cheaper bisque color.
The reason I’m considering upgrading to stainless steel is to make it look better to buyers if I sell the condo in about 2-3 years. Do you think it makes a difference to buyers? The whole kitchen is original tile in ok condition.
IMO the painted appliances. If I get a deep scratch on a painted appliance, I can go to the hardware store and buy a $6 touchup porcelain enamel at the hardware store to fix it and it looks decent. If it happens to stainless steel appliances, I don’t know how you can fix it up to look nice. I’ve seen scratched up new stainless steel appliances in the clearance rooms for half price and it looked awful. I wouldn’t buy it at any price. A scratch on painted appliances I would still buy. I wouldn’t trust a tenant not to scratch stainless steel appliances all up. If you’re gonna sell a place for top dollar, the appliances have to look decent.
davewindsor is certainly correct in his assessment of being able to fix scratches in painted appliances vrs stainless. However, regardless of that repairability, when replacing appliances in one of my units I generally try to buy a late model upscale used appliance from local craigslist sellers at a bargain price. I’ve bought a brand new stainless dishwashers from craigslist for $125, a 2 year old GE Profile stainless fridge for $125, and a variety of other very nice upscale appliances for anywhere from $50 to $150.
For $125 or so you can put in a decent appliance and worry about replacing it with another upscale $125 unit when you go to sell it, if necessary.
I’d be more worried about getting a working oven in there ASAP than the specifics of paint or stainless.
I check Craigslist Daily: More often with a notifying app if I need something specific.
I’ve seen deals close to that good, but not often. If I were budgeting I’d double the above prices.
I constantly check lowes for returned/scratched dishwashers and ranges,I can normally get name brand electric range with smooth top and dishwasher for about $500 brand new, with warranty
I always buy used appliances, even for my house. There’s no good reason to wpend the money for new when people sell them so cheap. My last refrigerator is an 08 model Maytag that retails for $1400 that I got for $10 at a garage sale. It needs a $20 part that I spent an hour diagnosing.
I was prepared to spend $200 for this, that was my budget. I found a lot of options at $200 on craigslist.
You are my hero! I love stories like that. Because I have the ability to repair most appliances, I will often take a chance on buying a late model broken appliance (or mower, or car, or ???) at a bargain price. My circle of acquaintances are generally in disbelief when they find out my wife’s 1 year old Lexus cost way less than their brand new econobox, or I picked up my motorcycle at a yard sale for $250 bucks, or the almost brand new dishwasher I put in my latest rehab only cost $40, or the pretty new mower I’m using was trashpicked.
I have plenty of stories where these things didn’t work out so well, but this one sure went nicely!!
I have the same experiences with friends. I try to avoid talking about prices with them, it upsets people. I’m on the lookout to buy anything, as long as it’s cheap and I can resell it.
Regarding appliances and repairs, that’s how we make money. I watch how people spend their money on a house and how they take care of it. That’s one reason why renting is a really good option for a good segment of society. They rent at a guaranteed rent amount, and it’s our job to watch expenses (some people are terrible at that). They lose some control in things like picking out new appliances and carpet, but a lot of the time the situation works out well for everyone. That $1390 that I didn’t spend on a refrigerator is 100% profit.
My problem is knowing when to hire someone and when to try to do it myself. In this case, the relay installs in about five minutes and saved me $100, so I’ll do it.
If you are going to possibly sell in a few years, I would get stainless steel to match your dishwasher. Besides white appliances in a kitchen with white cabinets, I think most people expect to see stainless steel. The great thing is that stainless steel appliances can usually be found for the same price as painted appliances because of their popularity. The one thing I hate about stainless steel are smudges but I’ve never had any problem with scratches or gouges. They’re usually pretty durable.