Which is better Lowes or Home Depot

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Which is better Lowes or Home Depot

Sal Zafar
Investor - buy and hold. · Cedar Park, TEXAS (TX) · Member since 2015 · 95 posts · 7 votes

Hi wanted to ask if there is any preference for major rehab - which one is better Lowes or Home depot. Spending about $10k for small rehab. Or, is there any other place where we can get cost effective materials. 

Thanks
Sal 

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Carrie Utt
Investor · Beverly, WV · Member since 2017 · 1 post · 10 votes
9y

Lowes will give you a QSP (Quote Support Program).  If your list of materials is over $2500, your contractor specialist will send the list to corporate for a discount.  Be advised, the savings will be more if your list includes in stock items.  Usually saves me 15-25% off the in store prices.  

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  • Jack B.
    Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    Home Depot reviews in my area are terrible, and that's been my experience with them. Lowe's is much better IMO.

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  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    9y

    Lowes all day long. Military discount, scanned right off my My Lowes card, 10% the price of everything. HD's military discount is hit or miss - some stores give it to me, some don't, some don't include certain items, nothing that's on sale, etc. Lowes just rings it up, 10% off the price. 

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  • James Barnhart
    Rental Property Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2016 · 226 posts · 140 votes
    9y

    I prefer Lowes.  We have had issues with HD delivering items to a previous address, not for this rehab. address, due to their wrong computer inputs. 

    Lowes has it right every time.  They have their own delivery people, not subcontractors like HD.

    And, Lowes has a record of every purchase we make with the My Lowes card.  So, if we want to reorder a certain paint color, etc., it's in the computer records just what that color is.  

    Also, I can get my 10% military discount online at Lowes, but not at HD.  

    HD has online marked down items that are not in the stores.  

    But, we buy at both stores, but Lowes is closer by.  

    i like our small independent hardware store for odd ball items.  They are knowledgeable and have things that the big stores do not have, especially plumbing repair parts.

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  • Raymond E. Hopkins
    Rental Property Investor · Meeker, OK · Member since 2017 · 48 posts · 26 votes
    9y

    @Carrie Utt and @Ryan Murdock,

    Do you have to have a business entity to qualify for Lowes QSP?  I have never approached the Lowes contractor specialist, because I have only rehabbed 2 homes (one of those I am currently working).  I've spent $50k at Lowes easily in the past 5 years.  Sounds like I could have saved even more if I would have set up this QSP. 

    Luckily, I am a veteran; so I get 10% off on top of any sales prices at Lowes.  Last I checked Home Depot does not offer veteran discounts.  I also love to shop for fixtures on Amazon.  I've saved hundreds of dollars buying faucets and light fixtures off of Amazon, and they have a wider selection.     

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  • Don Meinke
    Investor · Northeast, NE · Member since 2015 · 258 posts · 83 votes
    9y

    I used to live in a bigger town that had Mennards, Loews, and HD.  Best hands down was Mennards.  MUCH better prices and selection the others dont have.  I heard Mennards has 100,000 sku items in any store.  AND Mennards.com has 10 times that amount.

    For those of you that can do some items drop shipped,,, they will deliver to your door. Anywhere in the USA.  They are not the end all be all,,but close

    In the smaller town I live now Mennards is all we have,,,other two are 120 miles away

    But Mennards .com is as user friendly as I have seen elsewhere

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  • Spencer Abeyta
    Property Manager · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2017 · 126 posts · 67 votes
    9y

    Home Depot is amazing for a flipper because with the gas rewards you can get gas for 1 cent a gallon!

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  • Marelyn Valdes
    Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2016 · 299 posts · 110 votes
    9y

    I used to prefer Home Depot, but since they got so stingy on giving the veteran's discount, I now buy a lot more at Lowes.  I still get custom order windows, Behr paint, and a few other items at HD.  Just did a large ceramic tile order at Lowes, got $20 delivery and the pro desk gave a huge discount - then I got the 10% veterans discount on top of that with 24 months 0% interest promo.  HD does not like to stack any promos with their discounts....  My Home Depot is literally across the street from Lowes (who also ended up giving me all new stainless kitchen appliances at less than half price a few months ago - with free delivery and 18 months 0% interest promo).  You just have to shop around and a lot of times it's the store manager who makes the difference.

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  • Sean Cassidy
    Investor · Brownville, ME · Member since 2017 · 83 posts · 35 votes
    9y
    I tend to use Lowes more, but that's because I have a 10k line of credit with them and only 3 with Home Depot. Price and selection here tend to be the same.
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  • Gabe Medina
    Investor · Concord, CA · Member since 2017 · 7 posts · 0 votes
    9y
    Both are good and price match. Do your homework for what you're buying. Lowes is closer to me and will price match and beat competitor price by 10% (same brand and model). I once bought a stove Lowes had it for $650, HD had it for $649.99. Lowes matched the $0.01 price difference and gave the additional 10% off. Now I find the 2 cheapest places and go to lowes to get the price match and get 10% off. Like a tax Holiday here in CA.
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  • Kevin Coggins
    Spring, TX · Member since 2016 · 243 posts · 203 votes
    9y

    Amazon kills both on pricing, but obviously depends on what you need and when.

    2Reply
  • Dawn AnastasiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9y

    I prefer Menards for most things, however I do use Home Depot for Kohler toilets and I prefer their vanities.

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  • Diego Perez
    Investor · Hialeah, FL · Member since 2015 · 41 posts · 9 votes
    9y

    @Jason Benda-Joubert I also have a HD Pro Account and do the same thing. Every time I purchase anything I give the cashier the (PO) name of the Job and it helps me to track how much I have spent in each house or even in each room. It's a great tool to manage your expenses and to do returns. 

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  • Diego Perez
    Investor · Hialeah, FL · Member since 2015 · 41 posts · 9 votes
    9y

    @Samantha Klein Hello! I have never heard about purchasing coupons from eBay to use at Homedepot. Very interesting. How does it work?

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  • Erik Garland
    Investor · High Point, NC · Member since 2016 · 53 posts · 22 votes
    9y

    I generally will spend 3-5k in materials for my small rehabs.  Lowes gets it all.  Employees generally know something about their department.  I find folks at HD just have a job and are generally not contractor sensitive....they will walk right by you while you're clearly looking for something.  I have recently found that HD has some lower prices,  but the selection is not as great, so I have to come back to Lowes anyway. Time is money. One stop shop BABY!!

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  • Samantha Klein
    Investor · Monroe, WI · Member since 2015 · 691 posts · 610 votes
    9y

    Go to eBay and type in Home Depot 15%, and you can buy them for around $30-40. I get that spending money on a coupon stinks but spending  $30-40 to save $160 on a $1300 order is well worth it. 

    2Reply
  • Sal Zafar
    OP
    Investor - buy and hold. · Cedar Park, TEXAS (TX) · Member since 2015 · 95 posts · 7 votes
    9y

    Great feed backs All. I was curious if folks use other commercial vendors ike BMC etc. it seems like end of the day, either Lowes or HD are the winners. 

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  • Cindy CarrigerPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · North Richland Hills, TX · Member since 2016 · 533 posts · 221 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Jason Benda-Joubert:

    Quick tip if you use HD.  Open a HD Pro account for free (you don't need to have a HD credit card). This allows you to track receipts to a 'job name' that you  provide to the clerk upon checkout and your receipts are emailed to your account on file.  I find this handy for managing expenses for each property.

     Lowe's has the same thing - it is called My Lowes!

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  • Andrew Holmes
    Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 275 posts · 271 votes
    9y

    @Sal Zafar@Paul Staszel

    In the chicagoland area we do not have as many Lowes and lot of them have closed. 

    We have Menards and HD as the main players. 

    When I started I used to always go to Menards because the prices in general seems a bit cheaper but so does the quality slightly. They have their own brand that seems to a little cheaper. 

    HD seems like it's better. Now a days for the past 4 years we have been mostly buying from HD just because of tracking of orders. Will a lot our subs picking up material HD seems a bit easier to track online. 

    Menards used to be my go to place but as we have grown we have moved to HD. I still think Menards is cheaper but our rehab manager says that when we have done price comparisons on stuff we buy a lot HD is cheaper. 

    Menards does have 11% off from time to time and can be pretty good if you are good at watching the sales when they come up. 

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  • Steven W.
    Program Manager / Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2016 · 77 posts · 39 votes
    9y
    Lowrs by far has the better program if you are buying $1,500+ in materials. It's called the Quote Support Program (QSP). Usually they offer up to 15% off. Home Depot will not match this but offered a similar program that offers 4% off.
    2Reply
  • Anthony Lentini
    Stamford, CT · Member since 2017 · 6 posts · 2 votes
    9y

    I find it that it all has to do with customer service.  Home Depot products I feel like are not as well made when it comes to stock items like cabinets.  Many of the name brand items you find in Home Depot are actually manufactured at Home Depot and are poorer quality than you would find at a local hardware store.   That is also why the price is cheaper.

    I would agree that Home Depot =  Walmart  & Lowes=Target.

    At my Local Lowes- The store is run by teenagers and is very hard to get anyone to help you

    Home Depot - People know exactly where everything is and will walk with you to find the item.,

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  • Tatyana M.
    Investor · Tobyhanna, PA · Member since 2015 · 61 posts · 46 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Carrie Utt:

    Lowes will give you a QSP (Quote Support Program).  If your list of materials is over $2500, your contractor specialist will send the list to corporate for a discount.  Be advised, the savings will be more if your list includes in stock items.  Usually saves me 15-25% off the in store prices.  

     I believe they lowered the threshold for QSP to $1,500

    1Reply
  • Karen MargraveBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9y

    We use Home Depot more than Lowes. Home Depot also has great shipping and gets things that aren't in stock really fast. The biggest thing is if you are going to need several of something, you probably will have to order or hit several stores. I also like the ability to check stock in local stores. For door hardware, medicine cabinets, landscaping materials, etc. they're great. The return policy is fantastic too. 

    1Reply
  • Jonathan Jewell
    Investor · Bensalem, PA · Member since 2011 · 146 posts · 93 votes
    9y

    @Andrew S. I totally agree with what you said about CS declining at Lowes and going back to Depot. Its a shame, the recent layoffs blew out a lot of long time employees that were really good.

      I used to live at Lowes (Everyday Trips lol) I knew practically everyone at my store and they knew me.  Often times the cashiers would ring me up and take 10% off my entire purchase without me having to ask or do anything, just because I bought so much and was there everyday.  

    But the last few years I find myself back at HD for the majority of my purchases.  I will go to Lowes for certain things here and there like their stock cabinets which IMO are made way better than HD stock cabinets, but overall Home Depot has my business

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  • James Syed
    Real Estate Broker · Mount Olive, IL · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 310 votes
    9y

    @Andrew S.

    Welcome to BP. 

    I totally agree with you about Lowes's customer service. I was treated miserably at Lowe's in Belleville, IL location. I called the corporate office and they said that the store manager will be calling me within 24 hours, I never received the phone. Have long list of things, NO point of writing them down. 

    I believe Home Depot customer service is better than Lowe's. 

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  • James MasottiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Washington Township, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 976 votes
    9y

    Lowes. The store where I shop is one of the largest volume Lowes stores in the country. As such they have very knowledgable people at the contractors desk. Things that do stink about them is that their systems are super old and it's real pain to do any changes to orders or deliveries. It's also a bit further from where my properties are than the Home Depot is, which means whenever we need something quick we go to Home Depot. My contractor prefers Home Depot as well, so if I don't specify exactly what I want from Lowes he will by default go to HD. 

    Planning to have some new systems in place by the end of the year that will help streamline this process and make sure I'm ordering the same things all the time...or figure out how to automate a webcrawler and identify by category the most cost effective items ever time I need to build a workorder...This second option will be a bit more complicated to implement, but I'm considering it nonetheless

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