What would be the alternative you think buyers would expect in your neighborhood? If you have a high end house and buyers might be expecting a Wolf 48" range (whether they plan to use it or not) then I suppose it could be a minus for some -- but people in that price range often want to gut everything and start over.

I think the best thing to do would be to keep a stub for natural gas under the cooktop and then it is easy to tell a buyer they can replace with a gas cooktop if they prefer.

I definitely do not care for the look of induction. I also do not purchase appliances for the sake of resale, but for myself. I would get what you enjoy.

It all depends on your neighborhood and your timeline for resale. Decide which of these 3 scenarios fits yours best and buy appliances accordingly:

1. You live in a neighborhood where trophy kitchens are expected and everyone has big Wolf gas ranges and SubZero fridges. If this is the case, that is the type of appliance you should be putting in.

2. Trophy kitchens are not expected in your neighborhood, and your neighbors have all different types of appliances. You are planning on reselling in the near future. In this situation, you should put in a low cost stainless appliance package with a basic smoothtop range. Save the nice appliances for your next house.

3. Trophy kitchens are not expected in your neighborhood, and your neighbors have all different types of appliances. You are NOT planning on reselling in the near future. In this case you should put in whatever appliances you want (in your case the GE induction slide in).

You already have a lot of good answers above. The first thing that came to my mind is that it depends on how soon you resell. I expect that induction will become more common and more people will recognize it when they see it, not assuming it is ceramic cooktop. But at least where I live, that time is not yet here. Not even close. I looked at some high end homes in my not major metro area and in retrospect, I think one of them might have had induction. I did not recognize it at the time, assumed it was ceramic. My realtor didn't say anything either. And I shop appliances more than the average.

Is your alternative gas? If you are planning to sell in the next few months, I'd put in gas. Very few people recognize induction. If you are planning to stay indefinitely, I'd put in induction and keep the gas line. I wouldn't deprive myself of the range I wanted for the long term possibility of selling the house. If you ever go to sell, you can ask your agent then whether you need to do anything about the range.

I agree with Hvtech, except in #1 I'd also say if you're planning to move soon. All the advice to make it an easy remodel to put in a gas range is good, but the induction range won't make your house unsaleable if you have to move unexpectedly.

I do agree about the looks, however. Do you prefer a range to separate units? Is it an issue of price? If the induction range is as far as your budget will allow, get the range and be happy cooking on it. When it's time to sell, if it's a total buyer's market and there are ten houses like yours in your neighborhood begging for offers, make a few signs with few words, bright colors and pictures, to point out a few features in the house, like "Jacuzzi tub soothes your aches" with a cartoon of someone enjoying a bath. Put one in the kitchen on the range, "Induction range, cool in Summer, easy to clean" and a cartoon of a fresh as a daisy lady in a cocktail dress cooking. Make it fun, and almost like a treasure hunt. Also, teach your agent how to do the "You haven't seen induction?" demo with the frying pan and quarter inch of water boiling in seconds. You can sell anything if you try, and if you have the right price.

People will pay overall a few grand more for a magazine ready kitchen (which will look dated in five years, so if you're not planning to move soon, is wasted unless you're doing it for yourself). People will pay a few grand less for a kitchen that's obviously tired. A lot of the ding from a tired kitchen can be countered with meticulous, thorough, every crevice cleaning. A lot of the bonus for a spiffy stylish kitchen goes away if the other rooms and, especially, bathrooms don't live up to it. More than anything else, a house sells for location and price, and intangibles like "I just love the tree!" Kitchens matter, but they don't matter nearly as much as the people who are trying to sell you things make out. If you're in a SubZero/Wolf neighborhood, people will come look at your house because it says those things on the MLS description, but they won't buy for them, or not buy for the lack thereof. It just might make a bit of a difference on the price.

>>>"what do you think of the look of induction ranges?"<<<

Besides what everybody said above, there is more to a stove than just the cooktop. So, when it comes to "the rest of the look," I have had some mixed feelings.

The smooth Ceram tops do not bother me. Easy to clean. Minimalist. Uncluttered. Even better if you have an open kitchen. Also, I kind of like it for sort of stealth reasons. Maybe just contrarian amusement. You like analogies to cars? Kind of like having an ordinary-looking Camry with a 500 hp engine and very high performance suspension, brakes and transmission and still getting 40+ mpg. Sort of an anti-status symbol.

It is other aspects that I don't particularly like about the appearance of induction ranges. For instance, will the stove have an exposed side or sides? My old house kitchen requires that. The fashion these days for major brand induction ranges is a black casing with brushed metal fascia. To me, that makes the stove look like a large microwave. Not a look I care for. At least the current GE models (such as the PHS925 slide-in that the clara, the OP, is considering ) have gray side panels that I kind of like. I like the new Miele even more, but that one is a budgetary absurdity for me.

Actually, my personal style preferences run to traditional appliance white. Maybe I'm
showing my age here. :>)

I tolerate the stainless steel "pro-style" look, but just barely. Problem for me is that you have to go way up market, two or
three times my budget, for colors for an induction range. For major brand ranges (that is,
those in my budget), it is pretty much all brushed metal fascia.

All very much a YMMV thing.

Thank you everyone. These are all way more helpful (and thoughtful) than I anticipated. I've decided to get the induction range. My neighborhood is downtown, so I'm surrounded by both bazillionairs and broke students. I AM going for a stealthy anti-status look. The kitchen IS part of a totally open loft space (1400 sq ft worth of no walls). The range will be in the middle of a function wall, so not on a corner. And resale won't be for five years. I'll keep the gas line capped off, and the counters and ductwork (which I had not thought of) are all adaptable to huge changes down the road. Thank you all again! Now where's the forum to get my kids to want to move out....

FWIW, I also live in a downtown open loft space with a "function wall" and a large island constituting my kitchen. I not only don't have a pro-style range, I don't have a range at all, just an induction cooktop and an oven underneath. No gas in this building, so that wasn't an issue. We asked our realtor about the remodel (planning on selling in now 3-5 years) and he said to put in high-end appliances, but that middle-of-the-road cabinetry is fine as long as it has "the look" and certain specs (like full-extension, soft-close drawers). I love the look of pro-style ranges, but when I remodeled there wasn't a slide-in induction range available, and I hate the look of the riser on the back of free-standing ranges far more than I hate the look of a sleek induction cooktop. Not only that, I love induction so much, I would never ever willingly revert to regular electric or to gas. I think you've made the right choice!

Edited to add - in my previous home, I coveted and got a VIking 6-burner gas cooktop. I so loved the looks, and I so hated the performance! I'm sure that informed my decision-making in this apartment.

To my eyes, the tacky ceramic cooktops have a different look and I can usually tell the difference.

We went with induction when we remodeled our kitchen three years ago. My only "resale concern" is that the buyer won't have the right type cookware. If that's the case we will offer to leave our (currently 11 y/o) AllClad tri-ply set with the house. It'll be ancient by then and either I won't be cooking any more at the age when we downsize, or I'll be ready for a new set.