Homeowners update major kitchen appliances for a variety of reasons. In some instances, updated appliances go hand-in-hand with renovations. Other times, upgrading is a necessity brought about by the demise of older and/or overworked appliances. Regardless of why you’ve chosen to invest in new appliances, there are a number of things you’ll need to consider before taking the plunge.
Committing to purchase high-end kitchen appliances without doing your research can lead to massive buyer’s remorse and result in your being stuck with large purchases you’re not fully satisfied with. So, before pouring a small fortune into appliance upgrades, take care to consider the following factors.
Home Warranty Prices
Big-ticket kitchen appliances don’t come cheap. With high-end ovens, dishwashers and refrigerators costing hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars, it’s in the best interest of every cost-conscious consumer to get the most for their money. In order to get the maximum ROI for major kitchen appliances, you’ll need to invest in a good home warranty. The right home warranty will provide coverage for your most essential appliances and ensure that you don’t have to fret over repair costs every time an important device starts acting up.
When searching for the right home warranty, price should factor heavily into your decision. While giving yourself peace of mind and protecting your appliances is important, there’s a limit to how much most of us are willing to spend to achieve these goals. Fortunately, finding good home warranty prices is far from an arduous undertaking. Many home warranties are affordable on virtually any budget and should not prove prohibitively expensive for most households.
Space Constraints
Space constraints should be foremost on your mind when shopping around for new appliances, particularly if your kitchen is on the smaller side. Investing in major appliances that are excessively large can lead to embarrassing returns. Furthermore, some retailers may not even agree to take an appliance back if it’s being returned purely as a result of consumer error.
Luckily, this is an easy problem to get around. By taking detailed measurements of the space you want a major appliance to occupy in advance of making a purchase, you can save yourself a tremendous headache down the line. After you’ve taken the necessary space measurements, compare them to the measurements of any appliances you’ve had your eye on. Should any devices exceed these measurements, you’ll need to pursue other options.
Manufacturer Warranties
Extended warranties aren’t always a smart investment. As a 2018 Stanford University study illustrates, many consumers overpay for extended warranties because they overestimate the likelihood of products requiring major repairs. This isn’t to say that extended warranty purchases are never warranted, but in many cases, these types of warranties are unnecessary.
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Additionally, since most appliances come with manufacturer warranties, you may want to think long and hard about buying an extended warranty with your next big-ticket appliance. Still, it’s important to remember that manufacturer warranties generally don’t cover as broad a range of defects as extended ones. Most manufacturer warranties remain in effect between six months and one year and only provide coverage for issues that are explicitly the fault of the manufacturer. So, if a fairly new appliance begins exhibiting concerning defects, a manufacturer warranty is liable to come in handy. While it shouldn’t necessarily be the determinant factor in a major appliance purchase, the quality and scope of a device’s manufacturer warranty should play a small role in your decision making.
Projected Lifespan
If getting the maximum return on your investment is a priority, make sure to take an appliance’s projected lifespan into account before proceeding to purchase it. However, while projected lifespan is important, keep in mind that various outside factors can play a large role in determining how long a major appliance actually lasts. For instance, the quality of care an appliance receives is guaranteed to have an impact on its lifespan. So, if an important device dies prematurely, there’s a good chance it wasn’t well-maintained.
Updating your kitchen’s major appliances can be very exciting, particularly if your current appliances are well past due for upgrades. In addition to contributing to a kitchen’s aesthetic appeal, cutting-edge appliances can make meal prep, food storage and cleaning up far less cumbersome. However, as any homeowner can attest, new appliances are far from small investments. Given how much money you’ll be spending on appliances, it’s only fitting that you do sufficient research and make the right preparations before finalizing any purchases.
