Should You Put a Washer/Dryer in a Flip or Rental?
TLDRI have never put a washer and dryer in a flip or a rental. Maybe one narrow exception, but even that is a stretch. People overrenovate because they focus on the wrong parts of a house. The parts that actually move the sale are the big three: front approach, front door, and the first room a buyer sees. Spend your money there.
Table of Contents
- The Default Answer Is No
- The Big Three
- The Shower Tub Analogy
- The One Exception I Can Imagine
- How to Direct Where a Buyer Walks
The Default Answer Is No
A community member asked me if it was worth installing a new washer and dryer in a flip where they had added a mudroom on the rear entry. A real estate agent they trusted had suggested it.
The agent might know the local market better than I do. But I can count on one hand the times I have ever put a washer and dryer in a property, and I can think of zero exceptions where it actually paid off.
Here is my rule. Most people put way too much money into renovations. Not because they are cutting corners but because they are adding things the buyer or renter does not care about. A washer and dryer is a classic overreach.
The default answer on washer/dryer is no. Save the money. Put it somewhere the buyer actually notices.
The Big Three
When a buyer or a renter shows up, they decide whether they are interested in the property within the first few seconds. It is not fair. It is not rational. It is how the human brain works.
That means the majority of your renovation dollars should go into the first things they see, which I call the big three:
| Position | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| One | curb appeal: the view from the street and the walk up to the door |
| Two | The front door and entry |
| Three | The first room visible from the entry, usually the living room |
The big three are the filter the buyer puts on the entire rest of the house. If the front approach is clean, the door is welcoming, and the first room feels right, the buyer is going to be forgiving on the rest. If any of those three is bad, they are going to nitpick every closet, every baseboard, every outlet in the whole property.
In my scope of work there is a line item called “cutesy the front.” It is not cheap. It is not optional. It funds landscaping, paint, door hardware, maybe a new storm door, house numbers, lighting, and anything else that makes the first approach look intentional.
Key ConceptYour renovation dollars have a ranking. Top of the list is whatever the buyer sees in the first five seconds. Bottom of the list is anything hidden, optional, or behind a door they may not open. Spend accordingly.
Fix the big three first. Everything else is secondary.
The Shower Tub Analogy
Same logic applies inside the house. I use the bathroom example all the time.
If a bathroom is one of the big three, like an en-suite visible from the entry or a hall bath right across from the front door, I will do full tile from floor to ceiling. Real tile, real grout, real effort. It reads as premium.
If a bathroom is in the back of the house, in a bedroom buyers only see halfway through a walkthrough, I will do a shower tub insert. Totally fine. Clean, functional, cheap. The buyer is not scoring that bathroom the way they scored the big three.
| Bathroom Location | Finish Level |
|---|---|
| Big three bathroom (visible from entry) | Full floor-to-ceiling tile |
| Secondary bathroom (back of house) | Shower tub insert |
| Basement or finished attic bath | Minimum code-compliant finish |
Washer and dryer sits in the same logic. If the laundry closet is two feet past the front door, maybe you can argue for making it look nice. If it is in a mudroom in the back of the house, nobody cares. Nobody is buying the house because there was a Whirlpool matching set in the back room.
Common MistakePouring budget into a back-of-house room because it is fresh in your head as a rehab item. The rehab mindset is different from the buyer mindset. Your job is to see the house the way the buyer sees it, not the way the checklist sees it.
The One Exception I Can Imagine
The only scenario I could picture where I would actually install a washer and dryer is if the laundry was literally the first thing visible when you walked through the front door. Or if the only path to the main living space forced you through a mudroom where the washer and dryer sat as a feature.
Even then I would probably not do it.
The better move in that scenario is to change the approach. Do not put the lockbox on the door that opens into a laundry-first view. Put the lockbox on the door that opens into the living room or the kitchen. Change the perceived front of the house.
If you must walk a buyer through the laundry area, maybe you put a nice shelving unit in there. Maybe you paint it a clean color. Maybe you add good lighting. None of those are a washer and dryer purchase. They are cheap moves that make a weak room look intentional.
Appliances wear out. Staging dollars do not. Spend on staging, not on appliances.
How to Direct Where a Buyer Walks
Most buyers do not realize they are being directed. Your job as the seller is to direct them without them noticing.
Two levers:
One. The lockbox location. The real estate agent for the buyer uses the lockbox to enter the house. Wherever the lockbox is, that is the door they use, that is the direction they walk, and that is the first view they get. Put the lockbox on the door that shows the strongest angle of the house.
Two. The listing agent’s notes. When your real estate agent uploads the listing, they leave notes for other agents showing houses. Something like, “Showing instructions: please use the front entry on West 38th Street, lockbox is on the front door.” That reinforces the path.
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Lockbox placement | Forces the entry point |
| Showing notes | Confirms the path and tells the story |
| Furniture staging | Guides eye and body movement inside |
| Lighting | Draws attention to strong rooms |
Those are free. Every one of them beats spending $1,500 on a washer and dryer.
Pro TipWalk your finished house the way a stranger would. Start at the street. Approach. Open the door. Look at what is in front of you. If any of those four steps is weak, fix that before you add appliances to a back room nobody has seen yet.
FAQ
What about rentals? Do tenants expect a washer and dryer?
Usually no, and it depends on the market. In most markets, tenants expect hookups, not appliances. If the property has hookups and is otherwise competitive, skip the appliances. Tenants often bring their own or buy used.
When would a seller’s agent push hard for the washer and dryer?
When comps in the area uniformly show washer/dryer included and they feel it is market standard. That can happen in higher-end markets. If it is truly market standard, revisit the math. Price it against the probable effect on sale speed and price. Sometimes it works. Usually it does not.
Does this apply to refrigerators and ranges?
Range, yes, always install. Kitchens sell houses and an empty range gap kills a viewing. Refrigerator, yes, most of the time. Washer and dryer is the specific appliance I skip. Different appliances have different impact on the buyer impression.
What if the mudroom is actually visible from the entry?
Rearrange the path. Change the lockbox to a different door. Change the showing instructions. The cost of changing the perceived entry is zero. The cost of installing appliances is real.
I am new and do not know what the big three are for my house. How do I figure it out?
Park across the street. Walk up to the door like a stranger. Go in. Write down the first three rooms you see, in order. Those are your big three. Budget accordingly.