The word I got from someone who recently bought a home, according to their realtor, yes people do prefer matching appliances. They don't care so much *what* brand they are as long as they are the same. Good news is, you may be able to get a good deal on a bundle of the same brand.

Make Garden Web "required Reading" for any potential purchaser! That should "Weed out" or convert the "Matchey Matchey Crowd".

Were I in your shoes, I would go with mostly Electrolux appliances, for the price, you can't beat the quality and features.
I would still probably do a Kitchenaid DW as we see very little about Electrolux DW's.

Maybe a Bosch DW "Might" be ok, but they sure get "Mixed Reviews here in Garden Web, and a few have turned out to be
"Real Stinkers", so the KA is probably a safer bet in that price range, Just BE SURE the KA has the new style clamp on the pump!!!!

Gary

Appliances are a very poor choice to upgrade for resale appeal. It's really wasting your money. It won't add any value to the home. Nor will make it easier to sell.

You will get much more bang for your buck and mainstream appeal from upgrading some flooring materials and staging the home for sale. Especially if the kitchen is an older one. Putting diamond earrings and lipstick on a pig doesn't change the essential nature of the pig and just wastes the money of the person who paid for the diamonds.

I somewhat agree Holly but here are my thoughts. The house is only 5 years old and the neighborhood is still being built. So nothing needs replacing in the house but I am going to compete with the brand spanking new ones. I don't know much else I could do to make this one more appealing than to upgrade the kitchen above what the builders are doing. The ones in the house and all the new ones are the builder grade GE package. The rest of the house looks so nice it just seems to be the only "cheap" thing that stands out. Great cabinets and hardwood floors already. I want something that will make someone remember this over the others and have it sell quick. Time is money and I feel that if it sells a few months sooner and for a little more it would be worth it. If it sells to someone cause they love it and it doesn't sit on the market for 4 months I already made the money back. I feel you have to do a little more to compete when someone can just by a brand new one a few doors down that looks exactly the same. :)

Post some pics of the kitchen, and I bet I can give you 3 things to do that will make more impact than buying expensive appliances. Consumers just care about the appliances being stainless, and most of them will never have heard of Viking, unless they've heard of the company's recent decline and sale to a company that's stripping it down. Unless you are in a really upper crust neighborhood, which it doesn't sound like you are, plain expensive looking (but not actually budget busters) are all 98% of buyers will notice.

The big thing for selling is CLEAN, decluttered, and "move in ready". If your house looks like the model home in the new construction, that's great. The biggest way to set your home apart would be to do something for curb appeal, and maybe add a few small details to the interior. The Selling Homes forum on here can give you more tips on how to get ready for a sale if you'd post some pics there. Your money can be spent much wiser than on fancy appliances!

I wouldn't expect matching stainless steel appliances.

Maybe, back in the day, it made sense to get matching appliances when the color for one manufacturer didn't match the same color from another manufacturer. But, with stainless, that doesn't seem to be an issue.

Also, if you upgrade to a Viking range, then you also have to upgrade the ventilation which might be like opening a can of worms and more trouble than its worth.

DayBax - Although I somewhat agree with hollysprings as well, it seems that your house already meets the criteria she is describing. Listen to Gary. New appliances, upticked above GE builder grade will make a difference. It will give you an edge that will make a buyer want your house over the others in the neighborhood. According to my realtor, they don't have to match, but people want stainless and gas in my area. Electrolux is a really good product and might just be in the niche you are looking for. I also think that a good Bosch dishwasher would appeal to buyers.

I'm in a similar boat to yours, but with a much older house. Was going to upgrade with induction to stay, but on advice of my realtor, am now upgrading to dual fuel to sell because local buyers generally don't know about induction. And I too worry about putting lipstick on a pig. But you need something extra to make your house stand out, and I think that by upgrading those appliances you are on the right track. (I did just paint my front door lipstick red for curb appeal.)

Best of luck. Hope you have a quick sale.

What is currently in the house?
You cannot know what someone will want. Some people insist on induction and others gas, never mind what brand you put in. Rather than guess, can you suggest to your realtor that you would allow x-amount of money towards appliances. This may be even more incentive to buyers since they can then keep the appliances till they need replacing and use it for something else.