Should I replace 34 year wall oven in my newly bought rental ?

Question

Hi everyone ,

I have recently bought a rental in Houston , Texas and am making a list of what needs to be taken care of . The house was built in 1981 and I believe the wall oven and the cook top stove are original . They are of a vintage green color . They both work fine , but I am concerned that  they might deter a good tenant from renting the house . The house is in a really good area , and should rent for 1600 - 1700 .

Should I bite the bullet and replace them with stainless steel or black ones ? For anyone interested its a , GE P7 J-Series wall oven .

Barbara G. · Answer

I would consider whether i would want to remodel the entire  kitchen instead.  Why don't you post a picture on this site and get estimates for replacing the oven cook top as it stands  now and estimates for renovating  the entire  kitchen with a slide in stove and a complete kitchen remodeling.

Is the house vacant now?

What does you competition offer for the same $1,600 and $1,700??  Are they offering new kitchens with Granite counter tops?

Keep us posted so we can learn along with you.

Ray A. · Answer

Hi @Samantha Hopkins, Yes, please replace! Like Account Closed said, folks expect certain things, and it should at least be similar to other properties at the same price point. And keep in mind the rest of the kitchen when picking out appliances, have a vision for what you want the kitchen to look like.

Rafael Norat · Answer

Wow! That makes me think of caddyshack for some reason!

Yes, I would say replace unless you can pull of a retro type theme somehow. I have an unit with similar look that does rent but makes me cringe a little. Most likely will replace soon.

Mark Nelson · Answer

I personally like the look of the old units, not necessarily the color but I see the overall appeal. That being said I would probably replace it as well with something a little more modern. Probably stainless as it is more of a neutral color with whatever color and tile choices are in the rest of the kitchen.

Harriet Baldwin · Answer

The installation of the existing wall ovens looks VERY similar to our own home (except we had original 1955 wall ovens).

@Greg  H. and @Mary lou L. I like the 'reconfigure for a slide in range' idea - although this wasn't a good option in our home.

Four years ago, we found that Sears/Kenmore had the widest variety of sizes available (we needed 24" wide, which isn't exactly standard today).  As long as the new ovens in total are taller than the old ones , it may be easy for a carpenter to reconfigure (even if you end up losing a bit of cabinet space).  Also, most wall ovens aren't exactly 24/30/36" wide, make sure to look at the actual specs for dimensions if you are trying to keep the existing surround or cabinetry.

You can borrow cabinet door/facing material by converting some existing cupboard to an open cubby, or you can change the facing material at the wall oven completely (think 'accent column' as a concept).  We got the necessary material by converting the existing wood doors on cabinets above a pass-through to glass (used stereo cabinet hardware) - as a bonus, this helped make the kitchen a lot more 'open'.

Percy N. · Answer

@Samantha Hopkins, as others have said, unless you live in a "Hip" area that likes the retro look, I would change them.

Don't forget to check for gently used or scratch & dent appliance deals (on craigslist).

You could get rid of the double ovens, replace them with a pantry type cabinet and get a range with an oven. The last SS gently used range I bought was around $400 I believe.

Good Luck!

Gino Barbaro · Answer

@Samantha Hopkins

Hi Samantha,

The only way to answer that is to check on your competition.  See if there are any rentals in the market similar to yours and check their amenities.  That will give you info on pricing your rental to the market's.

You can always try to rent with the old appliances, and if you see prospects object about them, then you know you have to fix.

It's always easy to change them, but it is an added cost.  I would probably change them though

Andy Webb · Answer

Agree with @Mary lou L. - any time we can take out the wall ovens and reconfigure the kitchen to a single slide-in oven/range, we do.  These are cheaper to replace than the wall ovens.

In this particular case, given the level of rent you are asking, you need to at least replace them, if not remove and reconfigure.

Andy

Mike Cumbie · Answer

Hi @Samantha Hopkins

I understand they were "totally rad", back in the day. One may even say "Mondo Awesome" or "Righteous". Sadly though now they "Gag me with a spoon". They have totally lost their "glam" and I can't see anyone getting their "grindage" rockin from those any more. I would head down to the local appliance store and get "Sprung" on a new set.

Mary lou L. · Answer

Yes. I am looking at a house with the exact same configuration. Going to remove the double turn that space into a countertop next to new stove. Rather have one stove to replace or repair than two very old appliances that will be time consuming and probably expensive to find!

Should I replace 34 year wall oven in my newly bought rental ?

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