<p>My parents old house is currently a rental, and will remain so until the market goes back up (IF!?? :eek:) The house is 30 years old and needs a new stove. The kitchen is tile not granite; it looks like it was built in the early 90s. I imagine some one buying it in a few years will replace the counters & appliances. Do we just get a cheap electric coil stove and embrace the datedness or upgrade to a smooth glass cooktop?</p>
<p>If someone is going to tear out the kitchen, I wouldn’t do a thing to it. Just make sure it’s clean and price it appropriately.</p>
<p>Edited to add: Oh wait, someone’s living there now?? In that case, I’d go for the electric coil stove. The smooth glass cooktop might look very out of place.</p>
<p>somemom - Not sure if this advice is helpful or not … but you could add to the listing “$2,000 allowance for new appliances.” I happen to prefer white appliances. Other people prefer black, or stainless steel, or even colored enamel. Good luck guessing what potential buyers will want.</p>
<p>The house won’t be sold for a few years, but the stove needs to be replaced now. There are tenants in it. I am trying to decide if a cheaper coil stove is so horribly out moded on resale that the glass top would be smarter, even if some one does redo the kitchen counters, etc.</p>
<p>Tenants may not take care of the glass top. I’ve seen some nasty glass tops that weren’t taken care of, and are impossible to clean at this point. If that would bother you, or you think it would be a negative when trying to sell, go for the coil.</p>
<p>That being the case … replace the stove with a coil model. The glass ones are nice, but the coil models are cheaper and easier to maintain. JMHO of course.</p>
<p>make sure to check Craigslist. We have rentals and we buy all our appliances on Craigslist. Usually few years old for fraction of a price. It would be easy to get a smoothtop for a very reasonable price.</p>
<p>I see people on Craigslist who sell because they want to replace their perfectly good appliances with stainless. But if distance is a factor that won’t work obviously.</p>
<p>If the kitchen looks like it needs to be redone by whomever eventually buys it then I would go with the cheapest appliances possible that will suffice until then.</p>
<p>I’m looking at houses and I often see brand spanking new appliances I would replace just because they aren’t they type of appliances I’d want to use. (An electric stove, for instance.)</p>
<p>I would say it depends - on the price difference between the ranges, the demographic of the community, and on the plans of the eventual buyer. I bought a home with every intention of renovating the kitchen right away, but one thing led to another and we ended up postponing in order to incorporate the kitchen into a project planned farther down the road. Some buyers feel that it’s a plus to have a nicer appliances for whatever length of time they may keep them there. If all other things are equal, it might tip the scales between two homes. </p>
<p>In a home with an old kitchen in an upscale community, I might lean toward the nicer range, but only up to a certain price point - nothing too high end.</p>
<p>I meant to redo my kitchen 12years ago…Mine has fake wood cabinets and gold/orange mica tops. Why I stalled was that the appliances were good. Double oven stove, glass top (gas extremely rare in my area), large frig with freezer on bottom, if I get around to it, I can always move the stove around.</p>
<p>Is stainless still the ‘hot’ shade? I thinke bisque is nice.</p>
<p>Sounds like the coil type has been fine for your tenants thus far. No need to change what isnt broken 
So if they are fine with coil, coil it is!</p>
<p>And getting it on Craigslist is a great idea.</p>
<p>Personally, I hate glass top stoves. I would much prefer to have an electric coil if I were your tenant. In addition, unless their pots and pans are perfectly flat, they aren’t going to work well on the glass top. If your tenants are accustomed to electric coil, they would probably be perfectly happy with another one that works.</p>
<p>And when you eventually sell the place, I agree that an allowance for appliances is a great idea.</p>
<p>Also look for floor models at Best Buy, Sears or Home Depot. They have a few scratches, but for a rental property, who cares.</p>
<p>well…:)</p>