I'm certainly not a fan of them, but in small kitchens, like condo kitchen can be, they are a space saver. My mom had a small condo kitchen with not a lot of counter space. Putting the micro over the range allowed her to have a vent and a microwave off the counter. If it's not your thing, it's easy enough to take down, make a small wall repair, and put up a regular vent.

Definately a space saver if you have the need for a microwave in the kitchen. It's not my first choice as far as design goes, if the budget and the design allows for it to be put elsewhere other than on the countertop.

So many of the homes you're looking at, specs & flips will probably have them.

5 or 6 years since any microwave use? If I'm busy or tired I just go about 1.5 miles and get a microwave burrito bowl from the freezer case at the grocers or something similar, and can't imagine not having flexibility . the offerings continue to improve and microwaving a small meal has convenience along with nutrition now as part, along with other types of regular cooking , of course. I guess if you didn't microwave at all, the position of OTR might be irritating visually...but I look at that as a space saver in certain situations and OTR unit likely is bigger and more full featured than small countertop models. I'm neutral about OTR style/ position , but positive about microwaving as one aspect of meal prep and enjoyment.

House previous to this was a 1300sq. ft ranch, with a small kitchen, no eating area. The only place for the MW, was above the range. Despite being vented to the outside, it was useless. It’s placement also meant I couldn’t use our lobster pot, as the pot was too tall.

6 years ago, we bought another ranch, twice size, and with a good sized (not huge), ancient kitchen, I couldn’t wait to renovate. We cook a lot, and use our MW a lot. We knew we had to have one, a large one, but knew it would not be over the cooking surface. We spent some hefty $$ on a quality ventilation system, and designed space on a shelf near the fridge, for the microwave. Much happier.

But, ya gotta do, what ya gotta do...and if space doesn’t allow, the MW goes above the range.

My kitchen has one, countertop space is lacking. That's the ONLY usefulness of them. The exhaust function sucks (LOL). I do not like lifting hot and/or heavier casseroles and such up/down. I have not yet dropped anything but it will happen. I use my microwave often.

I hate them too, but I can see them as being useful for space saving. When we remodeled, I didn't want ours on the counter either, so it went onto a microwave shelf. Easy and cheap to replace too.

The manual for our glass top range recommends not storing heavy items, such as jars or canned goods, in a cabinet over the range. An accidental drop could crack the glass. I don't think an OTR microwave is a good idea for the same reason.

Love, love, love. Most convenient location for any oven. Occupies space that's otherwise wasted. Doesn't use counter space or cabinet space. Dual function: oven and hood in one. Nothing heats food faster than a microwave oven. Easy to add/remove food, check what's cooking, and to clean. Strong demand results in many manufacturers, models, competitive prices, and good availability. Lots of features. Easy to install. Standard sizes makes them easy to replace. Runs on 120 volts; no requirement for 240 volt circuit.

We just remodeled out kitchen and I debated about putting it over the range or in the island. So glad I put it over the range. We have kids and use our microwave all of the time. At least twice a day. Now if I didn’t have a need for it, I would definitely have had a trendy hood vent installed instead. Have to weigh convenience vs style sometimes.

The entire reason for our kitchen reno was to get rid of the recirculating vent OTR microwave and put in an actual venting system to the exterior. MAJOR improvement!!!

Hate them. Understand they're a necessity for people with limited space who need/want a microwave, but the ventilation sucks with a capital S, and they're ugly. So glad the house I bought had an under-counter open shelf for the microwave -- it's there but not in my face, and I can have proper ventilation over the stove. If it weren't for DH using the microwave I probably wouldn't even have one -- or if I did I'd stick it in the pantry for the once or twice a week I actually use the thing to zap leftovers.

I have always had one as there isn’t a place to put it elsewhere...wait, I did have it on the counter years ago. For ventilation it is absolutely useless. I’ve thought about a real venting system which would require knocking a hole in the wall, but...
We use it all the time. I don’t cook in it, but just reheated my coffee and my husband likes to warm leftovers...

Interesting answers - thanks, all. I have noticed them mostly in less expensive and newer condos, though I've even seen it in listings for some multi-million dollar condos (bear in mind the real estate market here is preposterous, and some 1200 sq ft condos are well over a million already).

Personally I detest them. I'm somewhat physically challenged and as I have gotten older, I recognize and avoid placing myself in a less-than-safe situation. My SO made rumblings of replacing the vent hood with an OTR. I quickly explained to them why it would be so dangerous for me to deal with lifting hot things out of the OTR just as dadoes described. After that explanation, they backed down and willing to replace my 35 y/o GE hood with a very nice new hood eventually. Besides, OTR notoriously have poor venting qualities.

Before purchasing our last microwave over 5 years ago, I checked out OTR models and they were not rated very well. I wanted to purchase a microwave that would last us several years, not just a few, and I purchased my Panasonic microwave that was top rated and never looked back! Right now, we do have to have it on the counter but I chose a counter that I would not be doing food prep on. I do love kitchens that have the microwave in the pantry or island! I did buy a big enough microwave for when I prepare big dinners and do not have enough room in the oven to bake everything!

An OTR microwave is right there with a cooktop in an island for me. Both seem symptomatic of a poorly designed kitchen, so I’d be doing some math to see if I could afford a renovation or looking at something else.

We all get to choose what we turn our nose up at. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"An OTR microwave is right there with a cooktop in an island for me. Both seem symptomatic of a poorly designed kitchen,"

Interesting that you say that, because I think cooking on an island (whether with a stove or cooktop) is ideal, and I think that's great planning for me. As you said, you get to choose what you turn your nose up at :)

I have my range in my island, and I love it - now I almost never have to face the wall in my kitchen for any task. I'll be sad when I have to leave my renovated kitchen in a move.

I’m also not a fan.

I know you cook on your island, that’s why I said what I did.

The point I was trying to (subtly) make was that someone with a cooktop in an island (and no regrets) should maybe be a bit less surprised and judgmental about the choices others make in their own kitchens. Just because it wouldn’t work for you doesn’t mean they’re doing it wrong. You, yourself, are proof of that.

The over the range is a space saver and recirculating vent is cheaper than venting it outside.

"about the choices others make in their own kitchens."

My comment wasn't because I thought people were making those choices, but because I thought builders were making that choice for them. Builders often choose what's cheaper for them, and people put up with it because of the trouble changing it.

These answers have shown my that I wasn't right about that, and some people do actually choose it for themselves.

I hate them. I hate them with the passion of a thousand suns.

I am short and they are a major safety hazard for me. I hate them so much I've known better than to use them in any of my own home designs - but we bought an existing home with an OTR microwave and it's a race to decide whether I scald myself or find the funds (and trustworthy professionals!) to reno the kitchen first.

I would absolutely rather have no microwave than an OTR one. I have no qualms about giving up counter space and/or sticking it in a pantry somewhere. I really don't care where it goes, as long as that ugly dangerous thing isn't hanging over my range.

When making decisions about my (small row home) kitchen remodel, I really tried to come up with another solution. The OTR (venting outside) just ended up making more sense than taking up either valuable counter *or* valuable cabinet space. It's been six years and it works for me.

OTR are junk.

Now Joseph, that ^^ just makes me sad. I admire you and your talent so much, but on this I must disagree. I am a HUGE fan of my OTR microwave. My DH and I are both tall, so the height has never been an issue, and we have always had ours vented to the outside (always happened to be on an outside wall).

We use our microwave often, as well as the vent, and have never had any issue whatsoever with performance - neither with clearing the air, nor lingering odors.

We are in the midst of a full-gut kitchen (& “creep”) renovation right now - the renovated kitchen will be over 450 sf, and did not hesitate to purchase a new OTR microwave- even though the old one was still working fine. We will donate it to Habitat once it has served its purpose in our formal living room “kitchen” so someone else can benefit from the life remaining in it.

It’s never been a space issue with us (at least not a necessity), but OTR has always seemed to be a convenient place for it. I haven’t had one on the counter since I lived in my parents’ house before marriage. Over 40 years ago. And given our heights, I can’t even imagine having one in a cabinet under the counter.

The new one actually has the controls on the front bottom edge, so hopefully it will be more accessible for “average” height people as well!

before and after: (this is just the otr microwave part of the kitchen (entire kitchen was remodeled)

I talked my parents out of putting an OTR in their retirement condo kitchen (8+ years ago.) Since then my dad passed away and the arthritis in my mom's hands has gotten bad. It's hard for her to grip things. I'm so glad she's not reaching over a cooktop to pull hot stuff out of a MW at face level! I'd be so worried about spills and burns (she likes soup, tea, coffee, etc. piping hot.) Hers is on the counter and easy to access. She and I both like to cook, so I'm glad we both have real vent hoods over our cooktops.

I hate them with a passion. Primarily because a microwave is a throwaway appliance, after maybe 5 years they get Rusty, gunky, smelly and often stop working. When they stop working you just throw them in the bin and get another one for $130 at Costco. When you're over the range. Microwave stops working. You need to try to get it repaired because it was so expensive. You can't just throw it away. To get it repaired. You have to remove it from the wall. This becomes a big chore and invariably. It's very expensive to repair it and you even consider it. Just replacing it but you get it repaired and then 6 months later it breaks down again. Also, let's say you are cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast. Eggs are cooked on a skillet on the range and the microwave is cooking the bacon. But while you are trying to cook the eggs, you cannot place your head that close to the microwave, you're supposed to have your head at least 3 ft away from the microwave while it's going. The range with a large backsplash and decorative Hood should be the focal point of the kitchen, but instead you've got a microwave sitting there. Also, the ventilation ability of the over the range completely sucks, it doesn't reach out over the entire cooking area, the fan is not powerful enough and sometimes they're not even vented to the outside. No, just no.

I never heard of the three foot rule. And personally I like the height of an OTR microwave, as it’s easy to see the buttons and watch operations like melting butter. But aside from that, the location is pretty much a compromise. They're just microwaves made expensive because of their sub par venting functionality. Nutz makes good points.