Large top loading washer and dryer
When you buy a home here in BC they usually come with all the appliances. This will include the washer (washing machine) and the dryer. That is a help for anyone moving from overseas. One less thing to worry about, right?
Yes, generally it is a help. But chances are that the washer and dryer will be large and old. Many times they are as old as the house. In our case we suspect they were older than the house.
Canadian washing machines are usually large top-loading monsters. They agitate your clothes, but probably not as much as they agitate you! Our experience has been that these machines cause havoc with our clothes. They get really tangled up and torn in some case. And the dryer has had a nasty habit of scorching clothes, even on the lowest setting. These machines are intelligent though. They behave very nicely until you get a new shirt. Then they show their true colours.
Part of the problem is that home owners have not replaced their old machines in any kind of hurry. Some are probably decades old. And knowing that you will leave the new appliance behind when you sell can make owners slow to upgrade. Why buy an expensive new front-loading machine only to have the new owner washing their undies in it?
Sue actually had a deal fall apart a couple of years ago when the seller refused to include the washer/dryer in the sale. The buyer and seller were both set on these appliances and lost sight of the fact that it was a condo that was being sold!
- Modern front loading washer and dryer
Perhaps it was understandable as even a couple of years ago front loading washing machines were expensive and usually imported from Europe. They were a real status symbol. Now North American manufacturers have caught on, along with a host of manufacturers from all over. Prices have come down and front loading machines are available everywhere. You can even get a rebate for buying an energy efficient washer.
