I'll acknowledge that this is off-topic enough that maven's questions might get overlooked by others who could help, but here goes, anyway. The current Miele is a wonderful stove but it is also $7k. The Bosch is over $3k. Neither the Bosch nor the Mieles would be close to maven19's budget and neither would likely be available through your builder. If it were me, I'd go for the GE freestanding (PHS920) over the Samsung. Should I assume you are referring to the Samsung NE597NOPBSR? I think that model has been or is being discontinued, so you might be able to get a pretty good deal on it. From the postings here and at chowhound from owners, it seems most buyers have been pleased with their Samsungs unless or until they needed service. Samsung has a reputation for being difficult to deal with, not being good with customer support, and having difficulties in timely getting replacement parts. The NE models have only been out for 3½ years. A search here will turn up numbers of threads about the GE induction PHS (slide-in) and PHB 920 (freestanding) and the similar predecessors, the PHS/PHB925. For those who have need post-sale support or service, most folks have given GE high marks for post sale service and support. I'd pick the GE PHB920 for several reasons. I like the burner layout better. The GE has two 8" diameter burners on the left (versus the Samsung having 7" or maybe a little smaller). Those slightly bigger burners work better for me because I often cook with larger pans. YMMV. FWIW, both the Samsung and GE allow you to link the controls for the left hand burner. Niether of them is a true-bridging-element, however. With a large rectangular griddle, the area between the burners won't get as hot as right over the burners so food in the middle will take longer to cook. Another thing is, If you are into techie stuff (and maybe even if you are not), I understand that the latest iterations of the PHB920s are supposed to work with smart phones and there is (or shortly will be) a bluetooth/wifi enabled pot probe. Wile that kind of thing gets pitched to the eGullett crowd of sous vide enthusiasts, it can be very useful for regular cooking tasks. For example, you can get timer controls on burners which I would find useful useful to avoid distractions when making oatmeal or rice, or using pressure cookers. A third thing is that the GE's oven has a full-power convection heating element. Many electric ranges (like the Samsung induction ranges and the older GE inducions models) use a small 300 or 400 watt element around the fan. The GE has a full 2000 watt 240v element which seems like it could be pretty useful for multi-rack convection baking and roasting. A fourth thing for me would an aesthetic consideration. This is very much a matter of personal preference. Both the GE and Samung have brushed metal fascia, but the GE has a gray casing and sides where the Samsung is black. My personal preference is for the GE. To me, the Samsung's look of black sides and brushed metal fascia --- well it makes me think of a large microwave. This may be a bigger deal for me than others because, in my old-house kitchen, the stove has an exposed side. Others might prefer the black sides. YMMV or you might not care at all. Another stove you might want to consider for your budget range is the Frigidaire slide-in, FGIS306. It lists for $2100 but usually can be had for a lot less. (Go to the AJ Madison site, put the stove in "the cart" and you will find he delivered price is under $1500.) I would consider this stove if you would prefer a slide-in style of range and like rotary knob burner controls.

So I'll update this, as we still haven't made a decision. Induction: I bought an induction burner and like it, although it isn't as life-changing as I sort of expected. (I realize the power is much lower than a range or cooktop would be.) We also had an electrician examine our house, and he thinks we can put one in. My dad (also an electrician) and husband agree we should do a max load test before we put 40 or more amps on the panel, though. (Long story short: we have a 200 amp breaker but 100 amps coming into the house, so we need to put in a smaller breaker.) So it's still a bit up in the air. Gas/dual-fuel: I went to look at the Aga Legacy today and really liked it. I'm also going to look at a Lacanche soon, at a Lacanche ambassador's house. Both of those are, frankly, more than I wanted to pay, but I really love the looks and some of the features a lot (ovens on the Aga, simmer plate and large burner on the Lacanche). I've also considered a BlueStar or Big Chill Pro Style (rebadged BlueStar), but there isn't one local to me. The price, features, and availability of the color finish are good, but I'm a little nervous about all the issues people have had. I think I've looked at nearly every option out there, but I'd love to hear more if anyone has ideas!

If the OP is asking regular electric vs. induction I vote for induction. Since getting my induction cooktop I have gotten rid of my slow cooker, egg steamer, rice cooker, plug in teapot, and many other no-longer-needed compensatory items that I was using because my electric cooktop was so pitifully slow. I put any non-magnetic pots into the "first apartment boxes" for my kids, and I only needed to buy 3 pieces of cookware. I don't even use my microwave anymore bc my induction cooktop is faster. As far as the paper towel discussion goes. I have cooked greasy stuff on top of paper towels, but not left them lingering. The clean up is easy. If I've got something on the stove that the little kids have to serve themselves when I'm not home yet, I leave it on low with a dishtowel underneath. That way if they spill, clean up will be easier later. The other day I made a small portion of mini bowtie pasta for my little niece. Granted, it was a small amount of water, but it was at a full boil in 23 seconds. I think that's amazing.

GE Refrigerators...Our 17-year old GE top freezer is still going strong in the basement. We have a GE french door bottom freezer that is going on its 4th year and we've had no problems with it. Induction...As to induction vs standard electric - induction is far more flexible/adjustable. In addition, it's so much easier to keep clean b/c food does not cook onto the surface. If something spills, it just sits there and is easy to cleanup. As you've noticed, induction has also come down in price by quite a bit over the last few years - it's much more affordable now! Venting...How much & what type venting you need is not generally based on your cooking appliance (gas vs electric vs induction)...it's based primarily on how and what you cook. If you fry, stir-fry, grill, or do other cooking that produces a lot of smoke, steam, heat, or grease, then you need very good venting - a true vent hood that's sized properly and is strong enough to capture the smoke/grease/steam/odors/etc. And, of course, you should be venting externally, not recirculating or otherwise venting inside. If you have a high-powered gas rangetop/range (one of those pro-mega powered ranges), you will also need good venting, but you won't have one of those based on your post. So, how and what do you cook? In general, downdrafts (telescoping or not) and OTR MWs are very poor at venting.