NO W/D in unit....do people buy their own? (Atlanta: apartment complexes, leasing agent)

[stolik3]

I'll be moving to Atlanta this winter, and when I do my apt. search, I immediately cross out places without a W/D in unit. I simply can't see living any other way.

I see so many apts. in northern Atlanta without a W/D. What do people do? Use the facilities on site there?

Do some of you buy your own and drag them from apt. to apt. when you move?

If one is willing to buy their own W/D, it certainly gives you more choice of where to live and the price of apt. complexes without a W/D are usually less, but i'm just wondering about the logistics or overall practicality is of actually buying my own W/D.

What does it cost to have your own units installed in the apt each time you move? I'd assume you then need to pay to UN-install them as well when you move.....

I'm curious what you all do regarding a W/D because it's of utmost priority to me when I do my apt searches.

[Brillemeister]

People use laundromats.....
There's my answer.

[BobKovacs]

Buying a washer and dryer is no different than buying a sofa or a bed- you take them with you when you move. What you need to check, though, is whether there are washer/dryer hookups in the apartment- without those, having a washer and dryer of your own is worthless. Some places have hookups, and some simply have nothing in the unit, and require you to go to a common laundry room or to a laundramat. The later is more common in mid-rise/high-rise apartments, while hookups are more common in 2-3 story apartment complexes.

[stolik3]

regarding hook-ups, nearly every unit i've looked at has at least hook-ups, so i'm not concerned with that really. i'm just wondering if i should buy my own W/D and save $100-$150 per month in rent, or pay the extra cash and simply not have to deal with owning a W/D, installing them/uninstalling them, dragging them around, on top of using and abusing your own when you can simply put wear and tear on someone else's.

on top of that, it simply opens the doors to SO many other apt. complexes when you don't have to narrow your search to only places with a W/D in unit.

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by stolik3

regarding hook-ups, nearly every unit i've looked at has at least hook-ups, so i'm not concerned with that really. i'm just wondering if i should buy my own W/D and save $100-$150 per month in rent, or pay the extra cash and simply not have to deal with owning a W/D, installing them/uninstalling them, dragging them around, on top of using and abusing your own when you can simply put wear and tear on someone else's.

on top of that, it simply opens the doors to SO many other apt. complexes when you don't have to narrow your search to only places with a W/D in unit.

How often are you planning on moving?? It's pretty rare to find apartments that come with W/D's (especially decent ones that work consistently or haven't been damaged by previous tenants). You can buy a set for a pretty reasonable price...I did that once and just kept them, eventually I bought a house and they found their permanent home. It's a good thing to spend money on, and I would rather drop $500-800 now and live someplace I really like then be pigeon-holed with a smaller population of units. Like the previous poster stated, it's no different than buying a TV, sofa, chair, dining table, etc.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by spacelord75

How often are you planning on moving??

That's kinda what I was wondering too.....

While I don't recall it costing $100-150/month to rent a washer and dryer (we rented one when we were in an apartment for 2 months waiting for our house to be finished and our stuff was in storage, and I think I remember more like $50/month), if it's truly that much, you can buy a standard washer and dryer for what it'll cost to rent them for 6 months. Now, if you go for high-end front loaders, etc., you're looking at more like 18 months of rental, but it's still a much better investment unless you're a gypsy who moves every 3 months or something.

[WriterDawg85]

When I moved into a complex without machines but with hookups, I bought my own. If you have them delivered from the retailer (which is usually free), the delivery guys will hook them up. When I moved out, my movers unhooked them.

I sold appliances for several years in college, and "installing" a W/D pair isn't particularly difficult. For the initial installation it requires a screwdriver to attach the power cord to the back of the dryer (the delivery guys will take care of that), but after that you should just leave it attached when you move. Attaching the hot and cold water hookups and the vent duct isn't exactly rocket science. If you move from a place with a 3-prong dryer outlet to a place with a 4-prong (or vice versa), you'll need to buy and attach a new cord for the dryer, but again: not rocket science, and the cords are cheap.

I have a lot of large furniture, so I can't move myself anyway - having movers take two extra things is not much of a hassle to be able to do laundry in your own home. Even if you are moving yourself, washers and dryers aren't nearly as heavy as most of your big furniture. When I sold them, I used to tip them back on dollies and move them around the store myself all the time, and if an (at the time) 20-year-old girl can manage that, I'm sure most grown men can.

When I was touring my old place before I signed the lease, my leasing agent told me that a washer and dryer could be rented for about $25/month. That was in Athens, so it might be a little bit more in Atlanta, but I would very much doubt it's in the $100-$150 price range.

[noah]

If you plan on moving a lot and don't want the hassle then rent them. Moving often will entail many more expenses then that of moving a Washer and Dryer.

[stolik3]

spacelord wrote:

I would rather drop $500-800 now and live someplace I really like then be pigeon-holed with a smaller population of units.

i think this is has more or less sold me on just buying my own W/D.

my attitude towards the W/D probably stems from the fact that I'm......well.....how to put this......not handy with virtually anything involving house and machinery, so walking into a new unit with a W/D already lying there waiting for my dirty socks is appealing.

thanks forum. i think i will be buying my own W/D.

[ewt]

You can rent a washer and dryer for $35/mo (stackable or side by side). I used to rent from Appliance Warehouse, but I'm sure there are many other companies that do the same thing.