A New Homebuyer’s Guide to Evaluating Appliances

So you’ve bought a new home, settled in and now want to look at the long-term future of your new home. Sweet. The best way to start that is by evaluating the appliances in the home – everything from your fridge and dishwasher to your stove and microwave all have shelf lives, and their long-term durability is an important factor when planning for future expenses. Ideally, you should assess the value of the appliances in a home before making an offer since their condition affects the value of the house, but it’s still better late than never. Let’s run through the questions you should ask yourself and steps you should take to assure that you’re set with high-functioning, durable appliances well into the future of your new home.

1. How old are the appliances in my home?

Most appliances are built to last for 10 to 20 years before they require regular maintenance or outright replacement. If any of your appliances are more than 20 years old, plan to pay for repairs or maintenance to them every 3 to 4 years. Again, it’s worth mentioning that questions 1 and 2 should be answered before making an offer on a new home since the age and condition of appliances affect the property value, or as soon as you can after making an offer.

2. What condition are they in?

The age rule is more of a general guideline than hard rule when it comes to assessing appliances; older appliances kept in good condition can still operate just fine for your purposes, though they may not be as effective or energy and cost-efficient as newer models. Thoroughly inspect the appliances for functionality and any problems. Are there any pools of water in or underneath the machine? How does the inside look? What’s the condition of the seals on the fridge and microwave? Be sure to ask the previous owner of the home and the realtor if possible. Make a list of deficiencies and decide what you can live with and what must be replaced.

3. Is it worth it to pay for repairs?

In deciding what appliances to replace, you must also factor in repair costs, which can vary widely based on the appliance. What appliances do you need to function most effectively without problems? What issues do you think can be resolved in lieu of replacing the machine? Dishwashers and gas grills are cheaper to repair, while common kitchen appliances like ovens, microwaves, and refrigerators are costlier. It all comes down to what you can afford and how you personally assess risk. Learn more about how much our services cost here.

4. Can I fit new appliances into my home?

While it might sound silly, an important factor in deciding if and what to replace is if you can physically fit new appliances into your house. If you have the benefit of a garage or double doors on your property, this isn’t a concern for you, but if you live in an apartment or small house, this could be a real problem for larger things like refrigerators and washers and dryers. You’ll need to measure the dimensions of your current appliances to make sure that any replacements you buy can fit into the same space.

5. If I need to junk some of my appliances, how do I get rid of them?

Finally, if you do need to get rid of some appliances, there are plenty of ways you can do that. The quickest option is to pay the person that delivers your new appliance to take the old one away. If you’d rather not pay, you can see if your town will pick it up for you, sell it for cash to another homeowner or to a scrap metal shop, donate it, or pay a junk hauler to pick it up for you.