Amy,

Since no one has responded I will try. First off, if the homeowners want you to make an offer, I think it's reasonable for them to tell you the age of the appliances and anything else you want to know BEFORE the offer.

I can't address the Wolf appliances. I do know there's been a ton of conversation about Wolf ovens with flaking blue prorcelain - which translates to blue glass shards in your food. You can do a search on this forum and read about all of the grief people have had not to mention expense. Most appliance places will tell you the problem doesn't exist or has been solved..

In my opinion, Sub Zero refrigerator is the best. We own one that is close to 20 years old. They tend to function very well for many years mostly up to 20. If they need repairs, you repair them and they will go another 20. Most other refrigerators you throw away.

Warming drawers I would think are low tech and probably not heavily used. So I would guess life expectancy to be long. Replacement is around 1-2 grand. Don't know about repair costs.

Double drawer dish drawers. I think they are appealing but have no experience. If they fail, you can replace with a decent dishwasher for $800- $1500.

Trash Compactor, I've never had one and realistically would not put one in my kitchen. Who wants to compact a weeks worth of garbage in the kitchen. I would move it out to the garage if I wanted one.

I don't know if any of this has been helpful. However, if they are not willing to be upfront about anything you want to know, I would be very suspicious and let them know or walk away.

Good luck

Inga

There's nothing special about installation of a double-DishDrawer unit. A "traditional" dishwasher will fit right into the space.

We are in the process of looking at homes and have found one where the homeowners put a lot of money into their kitchen.

Not the greatest plan on their part; you put in expensive appliances because you want them yourself; not because you expect to get the money back on resale. The seller can expect something more than a Maytag or Frigidaire appliance, but they cannot expect to recoup what they paid. Also, at 10-12 years old, the "new" is certainly worn off any appliance.

I am not particularly impressed with luxury-brand appliances, and I certainly wouldn't have put in a warming drawer or trash compactor. Thus, I would not be willing to pay a big price for them.

I think it's reasonable for them to tell you the age of the appliances and anything else you want to know BEFORE the offer.

Absolutely. Just as the homeowners should tell you the age of the roof and the HVAC, they owe you details about the age /condition of these appliances before you make an offer.

There's nothing special about installation of a double-DishDrawer unit. A "traditional" dishwasher will fit right into the space.

I was going to ask if these appliances are standard sized.

If you stay in the house any time, you'll probably have to replace something. Do the sizes lock you into staying in the expensive appliance range, or would you be free to replace with any brand you choose?

I would like to add an additional comment. We bought a home built in 2001. Around here, it seems normal or expected the seller purchase a Home Warranty Plan. We had some items covered under this plan. Unfortunately the washer and dryer were not. It all depends on how comprehensive the plan is. I had to pay $60 for the service call in order for them to send someone to the house.

The oven/microwave/convection both hinges were sprung and the doors would not close tight. The hinges were no longer available so the warranty company bought me out. It certainly wasn't enough to buy an oven and I'm limping along with it until we remodel I cringe every time someone recommends using the oven door as a landing spot for that casserole. Don't do it.

The Asco dishwasher will only wash on one cycle regardless of what you set it at. They did nothing about that. .

The Kitchen Aid side by side totally died. It took 3 weeks for me to get it into working condition at a time when the temperatures were 115 and up to 117. Not fun. They did pay for all of it to the tune of $1500. Prior to that the ice maker wouldn't shoot the ice out and they repaired that. They told me any further repairs would be on me.

Most recently, the Casita AC stopped working. It was covered.

The warming drawer works without issues and I'm going to use it in the remodel since I own it and it comes in handy. Probably would never have bought one but what the heck. .

All in all, old appliances are problematic. I wouldn't count on much.

You could demand a warranty package if you really liked the house but were concerned about the appliances. I know it's done in other parts of the country.

Good Luck

Inga

Based solely on what I have seen on these forums, I think the dishdrawer may be near the end of their years old. I would assume you would be replacing them in the near future.

My DishDrawer, model DD603 (3rd revision), is 15 years. I DIYed a couple repairs in 2015 and another in 2015 (water valve). I expect it to go 15 years more. Current models are 9th revision.

I just got rid of a 17 year old Thermador 3-in-1 (oven, warming drawer and microwave). It still worked fine but I did not want to remodel and put back an older appliance that is no longer made in that exact size. When we bought 8 years ago the MW stopped working, but our realtor had included a home warranty that was able to fix it after several visits. Over the last 8 years we had 2 service calls on the oven that were fixed at a reasonable cost.

We also had a 48" DCS Range and had no problems with it. In hindsight, comparing it to my new 48" Wolf range, the DCS, at 17 years old, probably needed a major maintenance tuneup.

I think you are worrying too much about minute details and things you have no control over. Some appliances last for ever and some die a quick death. Make sure all appliances are working during inspection. Set the oven to 400F and see how long it takes to heat up. Check all the burners. Put a mug of water in the microwave and get it to boil. Have the sellers fix any issues that come up.

Dont count on a home warranty to actually fix anything. Id still buy it.

I would not spend much, if any, time worrying about the kitchen appliances when buying a house. They are so easily replaced, and also a small fraction of the price of a home. The only kitchen-appliances-oriented thing I'd check out is the situation of the hood exhaust. Is it exhausted to the outside? It's unlikely you'd be able to tell what the kitchen exhaust ductwork is like, but if the HO's know, it would be nice to find out. Overall, I would focus more on things about the potential purchase that are harder to change or can't be changed like the layout and the windows and the roofline. I'd put fretting about the appliances near the bottom of the list.

Had Subzero, Wolf, Asko products for the last 20 years in our previous home. We installed those appliances new when we remodeled. Currently building a new house and will buy the same for the new home. Very little maintenance required. One minor issue on the Asko last year, but very inexpensive to repair.

Dont count on a home warranty to actually fix anything. Id still buy it.

I wouldn't buy it. With upscale appliances, it'll probably be near $1000/year. If you put that money into a home maintenance savings account, you'll be ready for fix-its when they happen.

My experience with high-end appliances mirrors what others have said. They cost more. But they also tend to be trouble-free for a lot longer. And when they fail, they can often be repaired. In the end, they tend to break even money-wise. And they certainly are a lot less stressful, than mainstream appliances that need to be replaced every 5 to 7 years.

At 11 years of age, you are hitting the spot where you might see some failures, if you are unlucky and some of your appliances turn out to be subpar/lemons. So, budget accordingly. But also, don't worry too much. Things might very well work with only minimal repairs for another 10 years -- and at that point, you are probably due for a bigger kitchen remodel anyway.

I don't really believe that home warranties are worth the money that they cost. But if the seller throws one in "for free", then go for it. There is enough stress in the first year of home ownership, it's nice to know that at least some of the inevitable surprise expenses are paid for by somebody else. I wouldn't renew though after the first year.

As for the trash compactor, give it a try for a few months. When we bought our house, we thought it was the tackiest appliance ever. Why would anybody want such a thing?! Now that we have used it for a while, I'll never want a kitchen without one. Our kitchen is on the top floor, so there is a good amount of hassle with taking out trash. Not having to do so every day is a huge bonus.

We buy the Costco compactor bags (not just the trash bags). They work great and aren't particularly expensive. The last compactor was still going strong, when we started our remodel. At that point, I think it was more than 20 years old. For the remodel, we bought essentially the same Kitchenaid model. Let's hope we get a similar number of years out of it.

I only know one person who ever had a trash compactor. They hated it as it was so darned heavy when compacted that my friend had to have her husband get it to the trash cans outside - she could not lift it, nor could the children. I would not want one.

so darned heavy when compacted that my friend had to have her husband get it to the trash cans outside

Some people might say that's a feature

We had trash compactors in our first 2 houses in the Boston area. They worked as advertised! My only problem was DH or the kids putting trash that was too gooey in it. You don't want to compress gooey stuff!

My parents have always had a compactor in the garage and they lived in NJ and now FL.

I don't think I have seen any compactors here is the LA area, so it might be one of those regional things.

I think it might also be driven by the way that trash is hauled and the way that the fees are charged in a particular town/city.

I think back in t he 70's and 80's compactors were regularly put into kitchens especially upscale kitchens. At that time I thought about it. I ended up not having one; have never had one.

Now adays with varying recycling not sure they make that much sense. But hey, if you like them

go for it. Kitchens are the most personal space (I think) for someone who likes to cook. You should put into your kitchen the things that make you happy and make your life easier.

Inga

I have a compactor that came with the house. We replaced the front panel and are reinstalling it. It’s 30 years old. Anyway, we love ours. We have toddlers and they can’t get into the garbage and the stink stays in the unit. Of course with diapers, we empty it every day. However, if you decide you hate yours, they make a wine fridge that slides right in.

30 years! What brand? I installed bunches when they were popular and many of the early units had issues. Starting to see them again. I would find it convent for recycling as we fill our inside container daily but would still weigh the cost vs benefit.

It’s a Kitchenaid, installed in 1987. It was gross when we moved in. My husband did repair the switch, which fell apart because it was plastic. He took it apart and power washed it. I had a new SS panel made for the door (when I took the door apart it had all colors of the panels- including avacado green!) and it looks pretty good and smells much better. We looked at replacing it, but it crushes garbage just fine and that’s all it’s supposed to do. New one’s start at $1100 and we’re not expecting it to last forever, but for now, a new switch off eBay and a stainless panel and a good scrub is all it needed.

We removed the trash compactor in our kitchen when we renovated, so take from that what you will.

I agree, if you don’t need one, don’t put one in. But with 2 babies in diapers and the fact that our garbage cans are 1/2 the size they used to be, we need it to get all the garbage in the can. Plus, they make a wine fridge that fits the space perfectly if we no longer need it. I’m not into buying one - they’re very expensive and they just crush garbage.

To clarify I meant I'd still buy the house, not the warranty. If the warranty was thrown in, fine, but they tend to be not very reliable for actually fixing broken things (properly).