All Forum Posts by: Natali Cobb

Do you want to be the one paying to fix the washer and dryer when they breakdown? I would just offer hook ups. Less maintenance to deal with on your end. 

I offer them with an additional fee and lease addendum.  I buy them used and they offer a very good return with the income stream.  It takes less than a year to break even on the cost.  I have been using some sets for 10 years.  Some units I aquire when I buy a building.  Sometimes I buy a set from a tenant whom is moving out and does not want the hassle of moving the set they purchased.  As others has shared, I am able to hook them up properly to avoid any issues with tenant installation.

If a unit dies, and I do not want to replace it, I just terminate the addendum and remove them.  This avoids putting me in the situation where I have to provide those amenities if they were included with the rental unit.  My biggest pain point is rounding up help to move them in and out, as I'm a solo self manager.

If you can get away without providing a W/D, I would go for it. Less to maintain! And you can't price it up much for including the W/D.

But, like everyone else is saying, if other comps in the area are offering W/D, you might have a hard time competing.

People usually hate moving a washer and dryer around so having one in unit would be preferable I think. Should get you slightly higher rent as well. A decent used set would not be very expensive and should last a few years.

 Years ago we never did. These days more tenants are looking for turnkey than ever and we rarely come across any tenants that have their own. By installing our own, we remove the wear and tear and damage the tenants do by moving W/Ds in and out and hooking them up wrong (which is common) and using cheap components that cause leaks and destroy floors and walls. And we add the cost of the W/D into the rent, so any units that make it a little more than 1.5 years are profit. If you stick to American name brand units that are basic - no fancy sensors, doodads or anything else - W/Ds are surprisingly durable, even with renters. We have them in every unit these days and only usually have to deal with maybe one or two every year or two, which averages out to units making it 10 or more years. 

In my market, for what it's worth, having a washer and dryer doesn’t seem to make a difference in getting homes rented any faster. Good luck & happy investing!

Hi @Natali Cobb! Do you know if other properties nearby offer W/D in the property (vs. just the hookups as you currently have