My sister and brother-in-law bought a house over the summer, and from the start, they have wanted to change and update the kitchen. It is dated both in appearance and somewhat in functionality. While I was visiting them for Thanksgiving, my sister told me that she opted to get Thanksgiving dinner from a local restaurant rather than cook at home because her oven is so small. This is true; the oven itself is tiny, though the entire stove and oven unit itself is normal-sized. This had us talking, and put us on the topic of finding out just how old the oven truly is.

After some quick research, we determined her oven was a model made in 1982—making it over 40 years old! Albeit small, that oven works completely fine, and so does the stovetop. It reminds me of my late grandmother's house, which was a scene ripped out of a magazine from the 1970s. Each one of her appliances was that Coppertone brown from that era, but they all still worked: The fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer were all still in operation when I last was in that house, which would have been sometime in the 2010s, right before she sold it.

Homes with older appliances can often be somewhat unappealing to potential homebuyers. However, there is something to be said about appliances that were installed years ago and still function today. Regardless of the age of the appliances in a home you're considering buying, it's wise to ask your agent to gather information from the sellers on what repairs have been made to the appliances and when.

I did a little research on the belief that appliances from the '70s, '80s, and '90s were built to last—and do last—longer than modern versions. The results are mixed in the sense that although the overall consensus is that they were made to be longer lasting than our present-day appliances, there's not an exact reason anyone is able to point to as to why. There are theories in terms of the quality of parts used then versus now, as well as the increase in technology and how it provides more avenues for errors and issues. They seem like fairly informed hypotheses, but from what I read, there wasn't a lot of concrete evidence to support them one way or another. Perhaps it's some sort of Mandala Effect, but I have a hard time believing my grandchildren will be using the same oven I have in my house today. My sister's oven, however, will probably live on for another 40 years.

Paige O. Roberts has a degree in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Henniker Review, Sidereal Magazine, Rejection Letters, and Cypress. She has been nominated for a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize. She lives in northern New Hampshire, where she owns and operates a pet boutique called Tailswag.