Kitchen appliances ..Black vs Stainless Steel???

Question

In the middle of a rehab (full gut)  Going to Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it.   Wondering if I should put black vs stainless steel kitchen appliances?  Main reason for question is do you think steel will get me higher rents?  The cost difference is probably only a few hundred dollars but my budget is already approaching the upper limits.  Not sure if $ put in now will really make a difference in rents.   Thoughts???  Any and all feedback welcome.

Jean-Thierry Aleman · Answer

Thank you everyone for your input.  Going with the Stainless Steel option.  I was already leaning that way but after reading what you had to say, I think SS is the way to go.  Might not make much difference in rent amount but might decrease vacancy as it will likely rent faster thus equating into $$. I will look into the baby oil recommendation.   I bought new appliances but discounted for "scratches and dents". They are all on the backside of the units and not even visible.  I just got back from the appliance store and inspected them myself so I ended up saving a few hundred dollars there.

Thanks again.  Really enjoyed reading everyones input.

Donna M. · Answer

I like stainless steel.. My secret for making stainless steel shine like brand new! Baby oil applied with a simple paper towel! You'll be amazed!

Nathan Gesner · Answer

It depends on the quality of the rental. Steel looks nice until a tenant scratches it up, then it can look like junk. I only recommend them on A-class properties.

James Wise · Answer

We've found that tenants don't place additional value on Steel and that Black will do better in regards to scratches and things like that. So we go with Black.

Greg M. · Answer

The more generic you make your unit look, the longer it takes to rent as it competes with all the other generic units.

The last time I bought an appliance, I don't believe the stainless steel version cost any more than the white.

Eliott Elias · Answer

Won’t increase your rents either way. I like stainless

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

There is also grey (GE) and white. A lot of the high end remodels I was doing a few years ago were re-discovering white, believe it or not. Goes well with a homey 'cottage' look.... If you're doing modern, then definitely SS or Black...

I doubt it makes much difference in rents.

Kevin Sobilo · Answer

@Jean-Thierry Aleman, I go with brand new stainless kitchen appliances on B class or better units. It may not equate to appreciably more rent, but it will be a sizzle feature making tenants want your rental more. That means you have a better chance of attracting and keeping a better tenant. I always want a few things that make my unit appeal more to tenants.

For C class units I use white appliances. They are easy to replace with a good used appliance if necessary because they are SUPER common. For a C class unit its more about function than anything else.

I don't use black appliances because in nicer units stainless is more appealing in my opinion and in average units I want what is easiest to replace and to match the other appliances (white).

Carlos Ptriawan · Answer

I really like all the advice in here and it's very good input. Wondering where I can read more about this comprehensively ?For me I prefer to see the price gap. I usually buy a used one. If the price gap is only one hundred I will go with stainless because it makes the property much nicer and to standout between competition. Renter appreciate it as well. There's no problem when you have class A appliance in Class C rental.

Theresa Harris · Answer

For a rental, do what looks best with the cabinets.  I'd go white, but that is personal preference.  Stainless can get lots of fingerprints and tenants will scratch.  Black may make the room look darker.

Kitchen appliances ..Black vs Stainless Steel???

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