bbtondo- unless you are going high end built-ins, you can get the SS look pretty reasonably and sell or use your older appliances elsewhere. I am looking at a wonderful GE French door we bought for $1200 to use in our rental. This one goes on sale for a better price periodically. I really do like it as well or better than any refrigerator I've ever had. Those are the biggies with the most surface area. I'd follow with microwave/hood... sink... range/oven last. I would estimate 4K based on my recent experience shopping sales. Again... functional- not high end.

I read your post in the kitchen forum also .... Yes, I think you are definitely on the right track with updating. Even if a buyer can't afford the new builds, it definitely makes an impression on them. And most people really don't want to completely renovate a kitchen. As someone who has just updated a late 1980's kitchen with oak cabinets/laminate myself, here is what I would do: (1) Consider replacing the light over the table if it's brass or obviously dated. The overhead light boxes aren't the best, but I can't tell if you have popcorn ceilings or not. If you do, I'd leave them alone. If not, it might be worth replacing the light boxes too. I chose oil-rubbed bronze for my new light fixtures, because that is what most of the new builds in my area/price range feature. (2) Don't bother giving the cabinet a dark stain. Instead, look for Howard's Restor-A-Finish (I bought at Home Depot). It smells a bit like paint thinner going on but isn't sticky or gummy. You apply it over clean cabinets and it basically evens out and refreshes your old finish, including water spots. I used the Walnut color on mine because it most closely matched the existing color. In a few areas I used a furniture stain marker. My cabinets now look fresh, clean and the finish is evenly colored. (3) Get some new hardware for the doors and drawer fronts. Stainless is popular on dark cabinets, but lighter oak cabinets can really benefit from a darker color (especially if there are dark spots in the granite). I used a blackish/bronze handle available in-store from Lowes. (4) Your ideas on new granite, backsplash and tile flooring are good. Just choose colors that coordinate with the refreshed cabinets, instead of gel-stained ones. Do make sure, though, not to do a granite backsplash; run your backsplash tile straight down to the countertop. If they will throw in a new sink with the granite, choose an undermount style. The fact that you already have stainless-steel appliances is a huge money saver. Those were the bulk of what our "kitchen update" money was spent on. Above all, make sure that your updates are "transitional" rather than too modern. Good luck! You will probably love what the new kitchen looks like (and so will buyers), and will kick yourself for not making the changes sooner so you could enjoy them!

The OP's induction cooktop will fit a specific size and shape cutout in the countertop. Replacement is easy is you can find one that fits the exact same hole. But if a replacement needs a different hole, buyers are looking at countertop modification or replacement. Depending on the countertop, that may or may not be a big deal. But to some buyers this may seem like "too much work." I think you're borrowing trouble here. Cooktops do come in fairly standard sizes so while there is variation, it's not usually much if you're looking at the major appliance brands. When we moved into this 60-70's Leavittown house last year, the original cooktop was STILL in the kitchen (coiltop with pushbutton control). We replaced it with an induction cooktop very easily. DH threw the circuit breaker, took out the old cooktop, unwrapped the new one, installed some clips and plunked in the new cooktop. Voila.

Re the fridge for Grl: YES!!!! If you want to know for sure watch House Hunters International. Even where small fridges and tiny or no ovens are the norm, people get excited over full sized fridges and ovens. This was true 25 years ago when I was living abroad, and it's even more true now. In Europe full height fridge/freezers, like the Liebherr, are becoming the norm. Ikea makes panel kits for them. It used to be an under counter unit about double the size of a dorm fridge with no real freezer at all (just that little box that would more or less hold the ice cream until after dinner, but not overnight). If you're doing it for yourself do what you like, but if resale is an issue at all you really should have a space for a full sized fridge. You might fill that space with a smaller fridge and some removeable storage, but make it possible to easily change it out for larger. Similarly, if you want to save space on the oven, a range, rather than separate cooktop and wall ovens, is the best way to do it. OTOH, I did see this amazing mansion (over $2M) with a tract house sized kitchen, nicely finished with granite, etc., but a small sxs fridge and a standard range. Those appliances were a big turnoff to the people who were looking to buy. I believe the words "sow's ear" were used! So if your small kitchen is in a deluxe mansion, absolutely you need proper deluxe appliances. If you have a normal sized, normal nice home, normal sized nice appliances are just fine.