Craiglist is great but you are still buying from a private owner and can't be sure what you are getting. In this case, I'd definitely go with a private business that's been around for 40 years and gives a warranty. $250 for a washer and dryer is a great deal.
Here in Hawaii so many people are do it yourselfers because getting anything done cost a fortune here. My neighbor, who is a court reporter, replaced her own toilet and hauled it in her house and installed it herself. A gym buddy who is a cop and his wife a teacher (so they pull six figures easily a year) is painting their own house because of the savings. I was at City Mill, a local hardware store, and was talking to a guy who was doing repairs on some office space he just got. He said that the lowest bid he got to replace three walls and have it painted was 80 grand. 80 grand! You could buy a townhouse in some places on the mainland for that. All that he has left to do is paint and the total cost was 10 grand. The State wants to install some air condition in the classrooms because it gets so hot. The bids ranged from 20 to 40 grand PER CLASSROOM! One bid was as high as $135,000 PER CLASSROOM!
Sometimes it's not a question as to whether or not you have the money but getting the highest value for your dollar. If money doesn't matter to you and you can get whatever you want with little or no regard to cost then good for you. You are blessed. You should be grateful and count your blessings rather than put down others who want and need to stretch their dollar.
