At Home Living: Appliances – Choosing the right ones for you

Choosing the right kind of appliances for your home whether they are for the kitchen or laundry can seem overwhelming. However, taking into consideration what you want from your appliances is the first step in finding the ones that are right for you.

Once we know what they (the customer) are doing, said Mike Carter, a sales representative for Factory Direct Appliance, in Topeka, then we can have a game plan. Its us asking questions about what they want.

For example, Carter said, if a customer loves to cook and bake, he or she may want to invest in higher-end, more technologically-advanced kitchen appliances like a convection oven or a gas stove. If theyre not a whiz in the kitchen, more basic appliances may be all that they need and maybe they dont need a high capacity washer and dryer because it might be just a couple. Whether you currently use gas or electricity would be another factor to take into consideration when choosing appliances, Carter said.

Before choosing an appliance, it can be helpful to do some research online to get a feel for what you may want before shopping for an appliance. However, Carter said to take online reviews with a grain of salt.

The difficult thing is that sometimes they read something and believe its gospel, he said. Theres a lot of misinformation out there.

Carter said, however, if you read several online reviews and the same problem with a product continues to crop up, that can be a red flag. He said asking a professional at an appliance store about different issues with a particular product can be helpful.

We try to give the pros and cons about what they can expect an appliance to do, he said. We want to help them make an educated decision.

If youre planning to remodel your kitchen, Carter suggests you decide whether you want to replace all your appliances and if so, its a good idea to decide what those appliances will be before the remodeling begins.

Maybe theres wiring or plumbing work that needs to be done first, he said. A lot of the cabinet companies want to know what sizes the appliances are going to be so they can get the sizes (of the cabinets) made right.

Carter said when deciding where to buy your appliances, take into consideration a store that can help you choose whats right for you and for some people, knowing that the store can deliver and service your appliance is an added level of comfort.

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At Home Living: Appliances - Choosing the right ones for you