It’s hard to beat new, I don’t even go with scratch and dent any more. If you give someone a place to live with a dented appliance you’re setting a tone. This place has been beat on and I expect it to continue to be beat on. Anything short of a fridge can be bought new in stainless for $400. Go to a place like rc wiley that charges $60 for delivery for the year. When you’re buying 4-6 appliances a year it’s $10-$15 each. If the new one lasts only twice as long you have to get used ones for less than $200 with free delivery and setup or you’re paying more for used than new.
Maybe if you’re doing low end/entry level sub $1000/mo people expect used/dented appliances, maybe. But then maybe yours will rent faster and people will stay longer because you spend an extra $200.
We probably went too cheap with a used dryer for our own house.
$80 "refurbished" on Craigslist, and $20 to deliver = $100. I did my own set up.
Apparently refurbished for this guy did not include cleaning. Wife spent about 1 1/2 hours on that. He guaranteed it for 30 days, said if it breaks after, give me a call anyway. About 35 days in it quits. Guy says when you push the button and it hums but does not go, the motor is bad. Ended up paying him another $50 to bring us a different refurb dryer and swap them. It's similar but better, has a light inside. The light does not work even with a new bulb. SMH. Wife spent another 1 1/2 hours cleaning, and I spent more setup / install time.
Hoping this one lasts a few years, but if it dies in 35 days we are not calling that guy back. Did not help he was one of those you have to call and call again to get them to perform, aka deliver.
I think it is about 20 yo, it is a Kenmore and the washer seems to be similar vintage, that we got used some years ago. At least they match, better than the old Harvest Gold dryer. If either dies, I think we will be going with new.
TLDR, buying used is a risk and may or may not pay off.
I recently converted my garage into a studio apt and all the appliances that i have (Fridge, stove, microwave ) were bought used. I was able to find everything on Offerup, which i feel is a bit better than craigslist. All the appliances were in really good condition and the transactions were easy and smooth. You'll be surprised how much stuff is out there in great condition and for cheap. I definitely recommend buying used especially if your on a budget. Good luck
This is a long response but I think it’s all important to know.
Short answer: There’s no right answer for everyone.
Everything is more expensive in Maui. New fridge starts at $600, oven is about the same. My niche is section 8 rentals, so I buy used ones for about $100-150 on CL and if the seller will deliver; usually for an extra $20. Then I have someone take the old ones and give me $30-50 for them. So I’m saving around $500 on each appliance.
But since my rentals are not nicely renovated it doesn’t matter as much for them to be perfect.
But if I were rented a renovated B class SFH I wouldn't do this.
Scratch and dent can be great, contrary to some earlier comments; the dents are usually not very noticeable or sometimes even on the side or back, out of sight!
Finally, and most importantly:
If you buy used DO NOT buy ANYTHING without first running it by your appliance repair guy! Once I find an appliance, I text the pic and model number to my guy and ask for his input (obviously don’t abuse this; I refer him as much as possible so he’s glad to help me). He’ll tell me if it has common issues and if they are affordable to fix or even fixable at all.
I also do not buy glass top stoves used. Ever. When the burners go out, and they always do, they are expensive to fix.. like so expensive that I just replaced one bc two burners were out. It would’ve been cheaper to buy a brand new oven than to fix it!
One more important lesson I learned; I once bought a stainless steel stove for $50 and picked up myself. Once installed the oven control wouldn’t work. That part was discontinued. I had to take that oven to the dump and buy another. I was lucky that the lady was sincere and refunded the $50. But if you buy used you should be aware of these things and check w/your local appliance parts store to see if they still make most of the parts for that model, make sure it’s not more than a few years old, and I generally like to stick w basic appliances, no computers, no glass tops, no ice makers, no expensive stuff to fix. Again; this is contingent up the class of the rental.
New. I can’t put enough emphasis on this. Appliances are one of my biggest headaches. I used to buy used and for the amount of times I’ve had my appliance guy come out to repair broken appliances I could have bought new appliances x 2. Used is not worth the headaches. Buy new and it’s one less thing you have to worry about breaking. The price difference isn’t even that much. I just got 2 sets of fridges, ranges, DWs, micros for a little over $3k. I would have probably spent a little less then half that for used. New appliances really give more appeal to prospective tenants and make a huge difference in the look of the kitchen. and as someone said earlier, it will only help the house to appraise higher if doing a refi. Stainless is practically the same price as white/black appliances now a days anyways.
Do things once. Do them right.
One other thing I’ve noticed over the years of owning and renting property is the nicer I make the apartment, the better tenant I tend to get and the cleaner they are likely to be. Maybe it’s just a coincidence but out of all the apartment units I own, my nicer units (with new SS appliances and granite counters) happen to be occupied by my best and cleanest tenants.
An idea I had was to add an appliance care/ granite care addendum to my leases which give average costs of replacing SS front pannels of appliances that will be billed to them if they dent the stainless facia, what NOT to put in the dishwasher, and how to care for granite and what types of chemicals/oils are not granite friendly. This puts a bigger emphasis on how closely you will be monitoring appliance condition and counters when they move out. It may help, it may not. It’s worth trying; you would be surprised how many tenants mess things up not intentionally, but just out of pure ignorance because they were never educated on certain things that you or I would assume is common sense.
The only thing I would suggest buying used is if you are buying washers and dryers. I believe the older models are made better then the newer ones. But that being said, I do not ever provide washers or dryers to my tenants, those are even bigger headaches.
This is market specific. To be competitive in my market I get new appliances. They are cheap. I sell the old ones on Facebook marketplace if they work.
One of the upsides of buying new is the free delivery and haul away from Lowes. For me it’s not worth saving $100 if I have to carry a stove up and down a flight of stairs and into my car.
@David Simard I would buy new and shop some of the scratch and dent options - either way first time rental having new appliances is a selling point to tenants.
My wife and I just purchased our first single family to rent and we were wondering if we should by used appliances or new ones?
Do not buy scratch and dent or discounted from big box stores ( lowes, homedepot) because they come from damaged installs and just set them out on the floor with no warranty, but the large separate appliance stores do great scratch and dent. I have picked up some great deals, sometimes you can barely tell any damage and get 30% off and carries the warranties. Also just put the old ones on curb they will be gone in 24 hours from scrappers or call special pickup and they will haul away free. Good luck!
Its time vs $$....if you have the TIME to find scratch and dent....search Facebook/Offer Up/Craigslist......make calls/texts....go pick it up...clean it up.....install it....etc..... then you will save some $$....but spend more time..... so you figure out which is more important to YOU in the long run.....
The appeal of new appliances and the less chance of them dying or needing repairs, PLUS the time saved on searching for used often offsets the extra cost to buy new as long as you aren't going crazy and buying $2k fridge etc
@David Simard I think it would depend on the reason you are getting the appliance. Do you plan on getting your property appraised? or selling it soon? or are you just looking to save as much money as possible when it comes to getting your a newer appliance? If you are looking to have your property appraised and want a top dollar I would consider stainless steel all the same brand new or slightly used. If you are just trying to save money I would just look for used appliances that are in great shape like many have suggested. Hope this helps!
@David Simard Lowe’s has discounted appliances that have dings or were used as display. It depends on the appliance but if you get them a nice one and it breaks down your going or probably will be expected to keep providing a nice one meaning it will be costly.
Fridges I often think old is fine. Dishwashers used I am not a fan off. Microwaves it depends, but new ones aren’t expensive. Washer and dryer I’m not too sure.
USED! We have a shop her in Rochester, NY called Rochester Appliance. They take old appliances and refurbish them. Everything is like $250 bucks, it’s great. And the stuff is pretty good quality.
I used to do used appliances too but prices have been creeping up on those. And I haven't been happy with the lifespan. I just got a brand new electric stove and fridge (black, not stainless) from Lowe's for $900 delivered. I know others do better by scooping up scratch-and-dent units. But those are cash and carry. Sure it's not ~$500 for a used set, but they're new and I won't have to worry about those for a long long time.