Where to find materials

[Craig Janeczek]

As a relatively new investor i do not know the best places to buy larger materials ( cabinets, countertops, etc ... ). Back in highschool i worked as a handyman and have worked on rehabs before but was never in charge of procuring the materials. I now have my first property and am looking to find decent quality materials without paying the big box store prices. Any advice?

[Account Closed]

I have had good luck purchasing ready to assemble cabinets thru the Internet. I first used them in my private home a few years ago and I was really pleased with the quality. They are cheaper than Kraft Maid and much cheaper than custom cabinets they come with plywood backs and sides. Of course this all depends upon your budget. I buy most all of my materials from Lowes because there is always one nearby and it's just one stop for many items. When I first started in construction many years ago I was obsessed with finding "deals" on materials and eventually found that what ever I might have saved I ended up spending it in gas and time. 

[Chris C.]

We buy all our materials through Lowes.  I basically use them as my materials warehouse and they have everything I need in stock and will deliver.  I could probably save a little here and there but not worth the time of buying appliances here and windows there etc.

I also have a great relationship at the pro desk so they take care of us.  I recently tried to get windows quoted from a distributor.  Spent 20 minutes on the phone giving them my info and measurements.  Never called back with a quote.

That said with close to 15 flips completed I still have not had to completely replace cabinets.  When that time comes I will shop around a little as the prices vary greatly.

[John Mathewson]

We use Home Depot quite a bit for most of our material. They have there pros and cons but when you can do a decent volume they really start to bend over backwards to help you. 

[Michael Leung]

I have been a tract home builder for 15 years before I started flipping houses.  I thought that my long time relationships with subcontractors would lead to the best prices.

WRONG

Lowes has beat all my subs materials pricing by a lot.  I buy everything thru Lowes Pro Desk from cabinets to carpet.  

[Sid Leibowitz]

At one time I was a professional construction buyer and purchased as Home Depot and Loews buys. I was purchasing millions per year. If you are just purchasing limited amounts then I agree with the Home Depot and Loews volume philosophy. They purchase in large volume and their model is to sell with the fastest turnover as possible.  If you are a contractor and you have a resale certificate you can produce that at the pro desk and receive "trade" discounts for purchasing by being in the construction trade, in addition, to not having to pay the sales tax at time of pick up and you can take the material as a deduction when filing taxes after the sale of the property. I have met many contractors that fail to  understand the "trade" courtesy discount and the material deduction at tax time. You can save considerable dollars by purchasing with trade discounts utilizing a resale certificate. Talk to the manager at the pro desk. 

[Kuba F.]

@Craig Janeczek you might also be interested in this thread:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/67/topics/210...

[Anthony Jenkins]

Unless you are a contractor you should not buy materials.  It is a liability issue.

[Paige Rockaway]

Hi Craig,

We had good luck with Homes Depot compared to Lowe's. We've had materials ordered from Lowe's and they couldn't locate the order so we're waiting and waiting for them to find the order. (Could always be that particular location.) For paint use something like Sherwin-Williams. They're paint is better than big box (I used to work there.) You can still get cheap ($25/gallon interior) paint that you won't be doing coat over coat.

Good luck!!