The Life Expectancy of Home Appliances Is Going Down

I found this article in the Realestate.com pages very interesting. It states that recent homeowner surveys have revealed that the life expectancy of our homes major appliances has gone down since 1993. This means that we will be replacing our appliances earlier than we would have 14 years ago. This is a major consideration when you are purchasing a home that is 5-10 years young. How much will you have to invest in aging appliances? Now I have my theory on why this trend is occurring and I think it is very simple. I believe that homeowners today change their mind and their style more often than in years past. Remember the white kitchens of the late 80’s and early 90’s? That trend lasted maybe 8 years or so before people began changing back to stained kitchen cabinets and stone countertops with stainless steel appliances. This, coupled with the fact that we are a nation of re-locaters (frequent movers) who have to sell houses and sell them fast is what I believe is driving this trend. One of the best ways to update a house is to update the kitchen and thus increase the chances of a quick sell. I truly do not believe that appliances today are less reliable than they used to be, I think we just change our minds more!