If a stove and refrigerator in one of your SFH rentals had to be moved 10 miles across town to another rental house,....how would YOU accomplish this task?

DIY ? (this is a two person job which requires an appliance hand cart, pick-up truck and a strong back,..do you have all these? )

Hire the job out ? Who would you hire and what is the most you would pay someone else (2 people) to do this dreadful job?

My #1 helper and myself recently did the above job and I kept wondering how "other LL's" accomplish this task.

DIY or Hire it Out? My new tenants wanted to use their own kitchen appliances,...so the existing ones had to be moved to another location.

This would be a diy for me by myself. I've moved many fridges and appliances by myself. I have a dolly and understand how leaverage works, ( both financial and physical ) up until a few years ago I weighed 225, it was very easy to tip a monster fridge with my dolly so I could roll it to the back of my truck, now at 175 I do have a little more trouble tilting them over, but still doable. Once I have it to the back of the truck I isually have cardboard in the truck bed, simply tilt it over and slide it in, once I have reached the new location I do not plug it up for 24 hours, so the oil will settle back to the compressor. For me I enjoy this stuff, that's why I diy

Homer,

I would hire you in a NY minute to re-locate my kitchen appliances from one house to another. What would you charge another LL to move a stove and refrigerator across town since you 'enjoy this stuff' so much?

I have moved washers, dryers, and stoves by myself, in my car - but not a refrigerator. I sort of slide them into the hatch on the back of my car, sometimes with the help of a couple of boards that make a ramp, get them part way in, and secure them.

I also have a good appliance dolly. Except for a refrigerator or if there more than a small number of steps, that can be a one woman job (and a not very strong woman over 70).

I do it myself primarily when I have bought a used appliance on Craigslist or when I have an appliance stored at home I need to get somewhere fairly quickly. I am more reliable that someone I would hire.

Carolyn (MO)

Over 70 and you move appliances by yourself in the trunk of a car !!!

I have moved them myself for years. I have a trailer with a low bed and an appliance dolly with stair climbers and a strap.

In recent years I have purchased new a couple of times just because free delivery comes with it. The Lowes guys take the old one and replace it with the new. That's sometimes worth the difference in price between used and new.

My Number Juan used to do this for me, with me opening doors and generally guiding the way.

--I would tackle this myself. I have a dolly and a pickup truck. I would enlist the help of a family member if they were available... but otherwise I'd just do it myself.

My contractor + 1 or 2 guys will move things like this as one of many tiny items that I have on a list for him to accomplish in a day.

Imagine pressure washing, moving heavy trash to the curb, trimming tree limbs the yard guy can't reach during his bi-monthly cuts, repairing leaky faucets, painting stairs, repairing a shaky handrail, changing a lock or light bulb in a really, really high fixture over stairs, take scrap metal to a recycler, the list goes on...

Just move the refrigerator in the garage. They will enjoy having it if they own a Costco card. If you do move the fridge and have to lay it on its side, be sure to let it sit upright for 24 hours in it's new location before turning it on to avoid running risk of damaging fridge cooling system.

I move them alone from time to time. I use trailers with ramps, good Dolly's and chocolate shakes.

for a two hundred mile move the fridge lays on its back.

I have started finding smaller fridges that go through a back door with the doors on.

I keep these things as spares close to the shacks, just put a back up fridge into a shed with just a basic dolly.

Roy,

You know me - Hire it!

This is such a simple job for grunt helpers. TONS of guys with a truck looking for simple work like this.

I did ALL the work on my houses for 20 years so I have moved plenty all by myself. (trailer with a tilt bed then one with a ramp gate.) I also enjoyed the fulfillment from a job well done.

But every year the profit just wasn't there.

Then I realized how these grunt tasks were an AMAZINGLY poor use of my time. Hired it and started to make money!

Now it's THEIR gas, THEIR scratched truck, THEIR smashed finger.

The pen is mightier than the appliance dolly!

-Brad

Option #1, I use my dolly and get them next to my truck. I then proceed to fiddle around as if I am going to try and accomplish this myself. Some guy has always come along and helped me lift them. Get to my location and stand beside my truck fiddling until some guy comes along and helps me unload it.

Option #2: I sweet talk DH.

Option #3: I have access to young guys who would jump at the opportunity to earn small amount of cash.

I buy used ones on Craigslist and transport them in my small pickup. Using an appliance folly, this is all a 1 man job. Just tip fridges into truck and lay on side. Ramps can help, buy at Harbor Freight.

If stairs, I need a helper going UP with a refrigerator.

Slow and steady is the key to this job.

I would have to hire it out.

I had a tenny want to use their own frig after they moved into a SF. I moved ours to the garage, where they could use it or not.

I hire a vet with a pick up. Depending on the job, he brings another guy. Cash with a nice tip. I use him mostly for personal stuff.

My rental houses do not have garages to store unneeded appliances. I furnish a used electric stove for most my rental houses,...and sometimes a refrigerator when a departing tenant leaves one behind. This happens quite frequently. I would never furnish a washer/dryer though.

When new tenants say we have our own kitchen appliances (usually RTO appliances) and want to use them, the existing kitchen appliances have to be moved somewhere.

Hire it out.

$25 $35.00 would be the cost.

With two back surgeries and two artificial knees to my credit, this isn't a DIY for me. I have people who do odd jobs for me. I provide the little Nissan pickup and appliance dolly; they provide the muscle. Don't think I've had a house yet that didn't have to have some appliances either moved in or out.... I pay the odd job guys $10 an hour, a minimum of one hour pay if the job takes less than an hour.

Every once in a while I'll do it, but I much prefer to hire it out.

My time is best spent making more $$ doing something else.

Brad is going to be pleased with me! Hire it!

And I'd try to weasle them to $20, but for a 10 mile move would expect to pay $40.

Dumbest thing I did was sell my utility trailer. It's hard to lift a referigerator into a pickup with under four men. You need a ramp, and there's no way anyone is getting one in my new Dodge, the tailgate is like 4' off the ground.

Remember refrigerators need to remain upright. They are hard to strap down. I saw one fool with one in a pickup with one rope on it. Sure enough, the first turn the whole thing toppled out, bending the guys truck side on the way down.

I hand this off to one of the guys on their daily check list. Since they work for me in the remodeling side as well, it is easy to pay them their hourly rate to go move a couple appliances. Usual cost is around 15.00 to move 2-3 appliances around town.

I cannot imagine anyone showing up for $10or $15 to do anything.

If I had the time and if I am in town, I have no problem doing this myself. But, my general thought on maintenance items is this...