What To Know Before Buying A New Appliance
Buying a new appliance is a major activity — they are big, heavy and expensive. Impulse buys are a definite no-no, but there are other things you need to know before buying and hauling in a new appliance, and a few ways you can help sway your decision.
Talk To Your Neighbors
Almost everyone has some kind of appliance, so it's worth talking to your neighbors to get some recommendations (or horror stories). While anecdotal evidence shouldn't make or break a purchase, it doesn't have to be just about appliances. Ask about who delivered it, how helpful they were and whether they installed it correctly. You can also even ask around to find the best time to buy appliances or see if anyone has any spare coupons.
Make Sure It Fits
Nothing would be worse than picking out your dream fridge or oven, then getting it home only to find out it's an inch too wide for the space you have available. It's also important that you can get your new appliance inside your house — this means making sure it will fit through doors and up stairways if necessary. Even if it would fit in your kitchen, it's still useless if you can't get it inside.
Don't Choose Based On Appearance
If you're going to shell out hundreds of dollars on a new appliance, the least it can do is look good in whatever room you put it in, but don't buy what you fell in love with at first sight across the showroom floor. Along with seeing whether it will fit or not, you should also check user ratings, warranty information and do some general research before committing. Don't be sold into buying a full set because they're all the same color. You can get something that functions well and still get a snazzy new addition to your home.
See What Your House Can Handle
If you haven't purchased new appliances in a while, you may need to check what your house is capable of handling to help you narrow your search. When looking to buy any appliance that uses electricity, you should investigate what kind of outlets you have available in the room, what type of electrical power you have, and how much. This is a good time to hire an electrician to check your wiring and run some tests to see what you're capable of doing, as well as if any repairs or rewiring is necessary.
You're Not Just Buying A Product
The product isn't where the costs and potential savings end. Remember to look into what kind of warranty the company provides, but also check into how much power the appliance uses, especially if it will be running all the time. If you can upgrade to an energy efficient model it may be worth a little extra money down, but over-time savings are not necessarily guaranteed. An electrician can also help you look at different models and tell you what would be worth it for you.