The traditional process of buying kitchen cabinets is to go to a retail store, get measurements, weigh your options and then eventually pay too much for your kitchen cabinets. The big stores make the process easy by having a wide variety of cabinets, but you are paying a high price for that convenience. A new way to buy kitchen cabinets and get a better constructed cabinet, at a better price awaits you. The problem is, it might take some research and effort on your part.



I started investing in rental properties 10 years ago and when I first started remodeling, I went to the big box stores because I thought I was taking advantage of their buying power and saving money. Rental units, especially college rental units (like the apartments I have) are prone to constant rehabilitation. Each year I go through the same process of fixing the damages from the previous school year, and trying to update the units (including the kitchen). While my requirements haven't changed over the years, my process for finding supplies certainly has. Through trial and error, I have started buying more of my supplies through the internet.

One feature that is well liked in any rental unit or house for that matter is the kitchen. It is usually the first room entered and it is also a good place for a first impression. What people look at in a kitchen are the kitchen cabinets. Yes renters look at the appliances, but the most noticeable part of a kitchen are the cabinets. As with a home buyer, the next more noticable feature that stands out is the bathroom or bathrooms. But let's start with how I saved money on the kitchen.

I had found RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets in a local supply store. I thought it was a good product; and it was less expensive that the traditional assembled cabinet that I was used to buying. However, not all the RTA (ready to assemble kitchen cabinet) products were of good material. All of the cabinets that I found had solid wood fronts, but some had particle board sides rather than solid wood or plywood. I found solid wood fronts and paneled side cabinets but at that point, the RTA brand was only saving me a little bit of money. With all of the products coming out of China, my next move was to see if I could go direct to the source and save even more money.

Finding RTA cabinets online wasn't hard, but finding someone that imported them directly and maintained an inventory seemed to be the hard part. I found that the good RTA kitchen cabinet sites and the RTA bathroom vanity sites will send you samples of their product, and maintained a 2-4 month supply of their products. Again, through trial and error I dealt with several sites that claimed to import directly but actually bought their product from other distributors.

By finding the actual importers and buying direct, I was able to reduce my overall spend by 30-40% per unit. For the novice rental property owner to the big-time property management company, a savings of that size can result in thousands of dollars back into your pocket. If are ready to stop paying the high price of retail, then it is time to start looking into RTA Cabinets on-line.