Appliance Repair and General Maintenance, Tips and Advice

Chicago, Illinois
General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Appliance Repair and General Maintenance, Tips and Advice

Martin K.
Member since 2022 · 7 posts · 12 votes

Hey guys, I have a few rental properties and own an appliance repair company. I had a personal profile on here a while back and this site was very helpful when I was looking to learn and I got great advice and resources from the forums.

I'd be happy to provide suggestions to landlords regarding general property maintenance, and specifically offer help for anyone that has had issues with their appliances. I would highly recommend people look into purchasing an aftermarket warranty or protection plan from a good company, especially if you're buying a property, or even a building that's older. It's probably best to buy it for the first year, as most issues with your appliances will popup in the first 2-3 months.

Apart from that, feel free to ask my any appliance repair or appliance install question you may have, I'm not looking to make money off of you and I'd be happy to provide advice on this forum thread and possibly link you to some youtube video's or other resources I've gathered over the years.

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Garfield M.
Chicago · Member since 2022 · 37 posts · 46 votes
3y

Thanks for offering your help. 

In chicago, where do you usually buy appliances for your rentals? I usually buy from outlet stores like best buy outlet or lowes outlet. Can get decent deals for open box items or hundreds of dollars off for a missing owners manual or a small scratch. Do you know of any other ways to buy quality new appliances at good prices. 

Also can you list the brands youd recommend for stoves, washer dryer, etc for landlords? Durability and infrequent repairs are king. 

also, any features to avoid when buying appliances? 

Thanks again

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  • Ron Brady
    Rental Property Investor · Burlington County, NJ · Member since 2019 · 540 posts · 771 votes
    3y

    Helpful. Thank you. Will look into plans in my area.

    0Reply
  • Wendy Man
    Member since 2019 · 104 posts · 35 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Martin K.:

    Hey guys, I have a few rental properties and own an appliance repair company. I had a personal profile on here a while back and this site was very helpful when I was looking to learn and I got great advice and resources from the forums.

    I'd be happy to provide suggestions to landlords regarding general property maintenance, and specifically offer help for anyone that has had issues with their appliances. I would highly recommend people look into purchasing an aftermarket warranty or protection plan from a good company, especially if you're buying a property, or even a building that's older. It's probably best to buy it for the first year, as most issues with your appliances will popup in the first 2-3 months.

    Apart from that, feel free to ask my any appliance repair or appliance install question you may have, I'm not looking to make money off of you and I'd be happy to provide advice on this forum thread and possibly link you to some youtube video's or other resources I've gathered over the years.


     Thank you!

    i hear to avoid LG and Samsung appliances due to likelihood of break down and cost of repair.  What do you think? 

    0Reply
  • Jared HottleBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Cedar falls IA Waterloo, IA · Member since 2020 · 902 posts · 549 votes
    3y

    I have to say appliance repair and used appliance sales is a huge need in the investor space in almost every market. A good tech has saved me tons of money. I often give him the appliances I had when I buy new and he fixes them up and sells them. I find you can spend a lot of time trying to figure out logistics when an appliance breaks, they are not fun to haul or install and are inconvenient so I think a great business to be in because it solves a lot of problems.

    [email protected]319-288-5382
    Jared Hottle Real Estate59 Reviews
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    0Reply
  • Martin K.
    OP
    Member since 2022 · 7 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    Sorry for the late reply here;

    Wendy, ya I'd avoid Samsung appliances at all costs, especially their refrigerators, and their washing machines. But you're better off avoiding them in general. LG on the other hand does make decent washers/dryers, the rest of their appliances are pretty bad, esp. their fridges and ovens.

    As a landlord you should avoid LG/Samsung appliances in general however, because technicians will charge you more to fix them, and it's difficult to get parts on hand. To a lesser extent, that applies to General Electric as well. If you're chasing the luxury rental market, and want to put in nicer looking appliances, go for Bosch or Miele; there are other high end brands as well but those 2 are solid with parts easily available, long warranty periods and great build quality.

    For washers/dryers specifically, if you are not installing coin operated laundry in a common area then stick with the following; either buy Whirlpool Washing machines, preferably front loaded washers as they are a much better build quality vs the top load washers, or get a "laundry center" unit from Electrolux/Frigidaire. Those are the units that have a dryer on top and a washer on the bottom in one enclosure. Avoid all other laundry centers unless you're buying commercial units.

    On the other hand, for common areas, but a Speed Queen... they're expensive, but you'll make the money back , a $3000 washer/dryer should pay for its self in about a year or two depending on use frequency. Those machines will last 10+ years without a major breakdown happening.

    4Reply
  • Henry T.
    Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y

    I know you are repair, but maybe you've come across this. I may start building a 350 sq/ft ADU. Just starting plans, and so much has changed. Of course it must meet new construction requirements. Which applicance will give me a better energy credit? Tankless point of use, or a hybrid/heat pump water heater? Will a 100 amp subpanel handle a tankless? Thanks in advance.

    0Reply
  • Eliott Elias
    Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2021 · 9k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    3y

    I don't provide washer/dryers in my rentals. Too many maintenance issues with them, if i were to I would put the responsibility on the tenant 

    0Reply
  • Martin K.
    OP
    Member since 2022 · 7 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    I don't know if that's legal in Chicago, but I've heard of other landlords doing this as well. I guess it depends on the market. I mean... if you're renting out a place in a nicer neighborhood and collecting above market rents then I think the tenants expect certain niceties like in unit Washer/Dryer, or at the very least in the building on the premises. 

    0Reply
  • Garfield M.
    Chicago · Member since 2022 · 37 posts · 46 votes
    3y

    Thanks for offering your help. 

    In chicago, where do you usually buy appliances for your rentals? I usually buy from outlet stores like best buy outlet or lowes outlet. Can get decent deals for open box items or hundreds of dollars off for a missing owners manual or a small scratch. Do you know of any other ways to buy quality new appliances at good prices. 

    Also can you list the brands youd recommend for stoves, washer dryer, etc for landlords? Durability and infrequent repairs are king. 

    also, any features to avoid when buying appliances? 

    Thanks again

    1Reply
  • John Warren
    Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    3y

    @Martin K. I am curious if you have any data related to electric versus gas stoves? I have personally found that electric stoves have given me way less headaches over the years, but I am wondering if this is just a sample size issue. I deal mostly in affordable housing where the rents are around $950 on average, so we don't do a ton of dishwashers or in unit laundry. 

    1Reply
  • Martin K.
    OP
    Member since 2022 · 7 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    @John Warren I don't have any actual data or long term statistics to share but, I can share my opinion on what would be better for the type of housing you're dealing with. I am guessing this is affordable housing around the Chicagoland area?

    Stick with super basic electric ovens, avoid the glass top models. The tenants will do something that results in the glass breaking and that's not a cheap repair. The older style electric ovens with the exposed stovetop heating elements are your best bet. They are durable and able to take abuse from tenants that aren't interested in taking care of them. Otherwise, if the discussion is long term reliability on gas vs electric, gas wins out every time.

    2Reply
  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    3y

    @Martin K. Thanks for offering your help.

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9451 Reviews
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  • Jonathan KlemmBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Contractor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y

    Hey @Martin K. - Definitely appreciate your willingness to help!  What area of chicago does your appliance repair business service?  Also, are there any specific appliances that you won't service?

    I'd also recommend throwing your business on your BP signiture so it makes it easier for us to get a hold of you.

    [email protected]
    Quality Builders4.966 Reviews
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  • Martin K.
    OP
    Member since 2022 · 7 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    @Jonathan Klemm Hey, thanks for the heads up! yes, I'll format our logo and contact information below. We cover the city Chicago as well Northwest and Northern Suburbs, but if someone's in a pinch I can usually find a way to get a tech or my self out to the Western and Southern Suburbs as well.

    We service all appliances the only caveat being microwaves; Microwave parts tend to be pretty expensive and are very labor intensive to fix because it typically involves dismounting the microwave from the wall and dissembling them is very time consuming. We do however fix basic things on microwaves like turn table motors, handles, etc and those things we can typically price out and quote over the phone saving people a call out and diagnostics fee.


    1Reply
  • Jonathan KlemmBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Contractor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y

    Good to know I have a solid Chicago appliance contact I can trust - Trust is the key word.  I have some buildings on NW side, W side, and south side.

    That makes a lot of sense on the microwaves @Martin K..  I'd be super interested to understand the workings, but can imagine it's not so simple.    

    Appliance technology has come a long way, where do you see it heading in the future with all these smart homes?

    [email protected]
    Quality Builders4.966 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Martin K.
    OP
    Member since 2022 · 7 posts · 12 votes
    3y

    @Jonathan Klemm Feel free to reach out to me anytime, the best number to reach me at is 312-535-0056

    Most appliances , and electronics in general are pretty simple to understand. Fundamentally it's the same as a circuit with a light bulb in it. The appliances just have more components in those circuits. That being said, everything ends up being simple if you dedicate enough time to studying it. There are a lot great videos out there on basic circuit design and that will take you 90% of diagnosing appliance related issues

    I don't know how home automation will play out in the future. The big gains to be had have mostly been captured already, and they were geared towards automating HVAC systems in commercial buildings and large scale residential towers. Lowering expenses and increasing efficiency is great, but you need scale to see significant improvements to a bottom line.

    There is an interesting development occurring with the current chip shortages we have, as well as the price increases in commodities. A lot of basic / builder's grade appliances are priced extremely cheaply. But, they tend to have a major component, typically a circuit board or motor fail within the first 2 years; and on those models the replacements parts are sometimes astronomically priced relative the purchase price of the appliance.

    I've seen a pretty large uptick in the cost of basic appliances, in recent years and also in the quality of the materials and components. There's also a trend amongst some manufactures using older technologies like timer's instead of circuit boards and heavier duty less efficient motors with the caveat that those components last longer and are cheaper to manufacture. 

    Increasing efficiency at the cost of more expensive less reliable parts in domestic appliances don't make much sense in my opinion; given that we're talking about small amounts of water and energy savings for something that won't be used very much. On the commercial end, it's a different story.

    @Jonathan Klemm

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