If you have the space and hook ups for a traditional washer and dryer, don't get the all in one. Those units were meant to be a "solution" for those that either don't have the space or cannot vent a dryer properly, such as in a condo like your brother. I also live in a condo, and we have one of these machines that came with the place. The only thing it has succeeded in doing is driving me crazy!! I HATE this thing. It takes FOREVER to do one load of wash, and the capacity is REALY small, like 12 lbs tops. And it does not dry the clothes well, unless it only has 3 or 4 items in it. Forget about washing towels and blankets. I constantly have laundry hanging all over the place to dry. It's either that or let it pile up until we can't stand it anymore and go to the laundrymat. We actually usually take our towels and blankets to my MIL's house to wash and dry, because she has the regular machines. Really the only reason I don't chuck it is because we cloth diaper, and it is effective for washing those (I don't dry them anyways), but it does take most of the day due to having to run them through 2 cycles plus an extra rinse. Oh, and I'm not sure why, but ours does not have a truly "cold" water cycle. The lowest temp noted anywhere on it is 86 degrees and when I run it on that cycle it doesn't spin out any water and leaves everything sopping wet. It has a temperature selector, but I'm not sure why because no matter where you set it, at the end everything is steaming hot. It is absolutely not worth the money, in fact it is nearly WORTHLESS, except for the diaper washing I use it for. Don't waste your money. Get a traditional machine and save yourself a lot of grief.