Let's note the absurdity of moving your washer and dryer to a new house. Those should stay with the house like refrigerators and dishwashers. In the US it is common in some regions and not in others.
I disagree; it's not absurd at all. Perhaps you don't care the clothes-destroyer the previous tenant left makes holes in your wife's silk pajamas. Washers and dryers are very personal items (some prefer top vs front loaders) and are exclusively freestanding, temporary appliances.
Dishwashers OTOH are often plumbed in, sometimes hardwired, and fastened to the counter.
Not to mention most people don't know how to properly care for them (when was the last time you cleaned the filter?). If I moved into a new place I'd probably replace the dishwasher straight away.
I've never brought a washer/dryer from one house to the next when moving. In my experience, it's been fine. Sometimes I had a washer or dryer that I didn't like all that much (took longer than I'd like, confusing controls, etc.), but I've never ended up with one that damaged my clothes or was so bad that I needed to replace it.
I'm sure there are many instances where there are replacement-worthy problems, and there certainly are people who have splurged on really nice appliances and will want to take them with them when they move, but I think those situations are uncommon enough that, overall, people save time and money by not lugging their washers and dryers with them every time they move. (In places where it's common not to move them, at least.)
Every time I have moved the contract stated all appliances stay. The legal default is you take them all - washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, light bulbs, window shades. However realtors all know to put into the contract what stays because most most people want those things in the house and don't want to move them. However more than once I've bought a house without something (the old fridge broke a week before they listed the house so they didn't bother replacing it). If something isn't in the contract and you leave it behind they can charge you for disposal of their garbage!
That's ridiculous. Washers and dryers are expensive appliances.
Unless this guy is paid more than a half million per year, then the four hours spent on the install here are less than the cost of a new washer and dryer.
Starting with something that you know works can be a time saver, even if it requires a bit of hackery. The alternative is buying new, which for appliances often means buying into some kind of consumer-hostile scheme that the old models weren't subject to.
Where do you live that it's normal to leave the refrigerator? Is this for rentals and/or buying?
If I have to move you bet my fridge, which I love, is coming with me. Same with my washing machine. I don't have a dryer because I'm in australia, which might explain the difference in fridge culture, too.
In the US, most rentals (except for very cheap ones) include a fridge/washer/dryer/dishwasher, but if you're buying the property, typically only the dishwasher is included unless you negotiate with the seller.
It varies on an individual sale level, any appliances can be included when selling a house, but other than built in ones (which refrigerators usually aren't) its hit or miss for new houses that aren't models, and for existing houses it really depends on the seller (owner occupied, they may want to take it with them, depending on the circumstances where they are moving, as it previously an equipped rental, then they’ll more likely offer to include all the major appliances, etc.)—and buyer (may prefer unwanted personal property be removed prior to move jn rather than included, if they want to buy something new that suits them or being their current unit.)
I haven't lived in that many places in the US, but everywhere I've lived -- rental or bought -- the refrigerator came with the house.
Ditto for the dishwasher, and clothes washer and dryer. The microwave, too, if it's a unit attached to the cabinetry, and not a freestanding on-counter model.
I suspect -- and didn't know this! -- that this arrangement is regional, even inside the US.
Odds are your realtor just negotiated those details for you. It is pretty standard everywhere. Very few people want to move those heavy things, so realtors just put them into the contract, if you don't pay attention (you should!) you may not even realize this happened.
When I bought my home, I know that was mentioned explicitly.
Though my understanding is the sale automatically includes all fixtures unless specifically excluded, and I suppose there's a little disconnect there: most major appliances are technically not fixed, but I think most people think of them like they are.
When I sell my home, I was thinking I'd definitely need to put a note on my washer/dryer and smart thermostat, saying I was going to take them with me and they weren't included.
I'm so glad I brought my washer and dryer with me through two moves. Modern ones have logic boards in them that eventually malfunction. These machines are 20 years old, simple to repair, and reliable.
Why? They are free standing and just plug into the wall/drain/vent essentially.
If I have a $300 washing machine, or a $3000 washing machine, the potential buyer will offer the same price to me.
I took the $6k fridge out of my home I recently sold and replaced it with the $500 fridge that was in the new house I bought. In my mind I saved $5500 right there.
Why absurd, I did move a washer from an apartment to a house - few hundred kilometers away, along with some other furniture. I liked how it worked, and I could connect it.
In that regard, home equipment and tools maintenance from LED lights (driver and individual diodes), laptops (PCB repairs, thermal paste replacement/cleaning) to garden equipment (carb cleaning, sharpening, gasket, manifold, whatever replacements) is sort of my responsibility, regardless that professionally I'd spend my days on software.
> Let's note the absurdity of moving your washer and dryer to a new house. Those should stay with the house like refrigerators and dishwashers. In the US it is common in some regions and not in others.
Yeah, if you buy typical consumer grade ones.
I understand washers and dryers are on a downward trend: getting worse, harder to repair, and less durable. I paid quite a bit more to buy a commercial washer and drying that's supposed to last a long time. I'm definitely going to take it with me. I'm not going to leave it with someone who doesn't know what it is, just to downgrade to whatever was cheapest at Home Depot.
An important point that people are missing is that W/D units are commonly bought to fit a specific space and house. For example some dryers are gas, and some are not. That is house dependent.
I just want to buy your house I don’t want you pedestrian 1990’s empty-the-hot-water-heater-twice washing machine. The fridge and dishwasher you left were bad enough.
Some german areas, renting doesn't come with a kitchen - you bring one and take it with you when you move out. IE cupboards etc
I find it odd that some american places don't have ceiling lights for every room. Instead the "light" switch powers some points around the room that you supply lamps to.
> Let's note the absurdity of moving your washer and dryer to a new house. Those should stay with the house like refrigerators and dishwashers.
Oh hell no. You never know how the old renter treated the machines - for people with sensitive skin for example it can be a big no-no because the old renter used fabric softener by the truckload, never used dedicated washing machine cleaner (if you don't do this at least once every few months on maximum temperature, the insides of your machine will eventually stink horribly as bacteria develops an outright biofilm), or if the dryer vent has ever been cleaned.
The latter one in particular is a very nasty source of fires.
Wait, what...? You leave your refrigerator and dishwasher behind? :)
I guess it depends a lot on your location and custom. Also if the appliance is "built in" (like an oven) or free-standing.
I've personally never left a free-standing appliance behind, and you certainly aren't getting my industrial-quality, 25 year old, top-loading washing machine for free....
That said, these things are negotiated as part of the sale. Buyers are aware ahead of time what they are or are not getting, they don't show up at their newly purchased house and go inside to see what appliances they have vs have to buy.
I've literally never bought a refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, or dryer in my life, and never moved one between houses. Certainly I've run into one of these that had been left behind by a previous owner that was just so-so, but never bad enough that I could justify the expense of replacing it.
As an example, due to a design flaw, the built-in ice maker in my fridge doesn't go more than a week without getting clogged due to water flowing all over inside it and freezing. It's a bit annoying, to be sure, but it's a lot cheaper to just have a couple old-school ice cube trays in the freezer.
> you certainly aren't getting my industrial-quality, 25 year old, top-loading washing machine for free
I think most people wouldn't look at it that way. You'd be leaving behind your washing machine, and the next owners would get it "for free", but you'd be getting a different washing machine in your new house that the previous owners left behind "for free". But sure, if I was really attached to a particular appliance, I would probably want to bring it with me when I moved. I've never cared that much, though, and don't expect I will in the future.
(Also, while top-loading washing machines tend to last longer without needing maintenance than side-loading, they use so much more water.)
Dishwashers OTOH are often plumbed in, sometimes hardwired, and fastened to the counter.
Not to mention most people don't know how to properly care for them (when was the last time you cleaned the filter?). If I moved into a new place I'd probably replace the dishwasher straight away.