I'm thinking of moving to a warmer state. I've been looking online at homes for sale. Some nice houses have white kitchen cabinets, I dislike white cabinets. Can the white be sanded off and stained? Or would it be easier, cheaper to replace them? Thank you

White cabinets give a kitchen a feeling of spaciousness, clean lines, a less closed-in feeling. If I bought a house with white kitchen cabinets, I'd live with that for a few months before changing them, since I would want to also consider how the floor color, wall treatment, countertop style/material, and the color of the appliances all work together with the cabinets.

Repainting them would be my first thought.

If the cabinet material can be painted , then I'd definitely remove and send the doors off to a paint shop. Lots of people would do it themselves, but it's hard to get a good DIY job compared to being professionally sprayed.

If they can't be painted, then you can replace the old doors with new doors, leaving the cabinets as they are.

Either way, there is a solution that is cheaper than redoing the whole kitchen cabinets

Most white cabinets painted white are not made of high quality wood if they are even made of wood at all. You could clean, etch and paint them another color. Not likely going to be able to stain them though

Buying a home should never be about the kitchen cabinets. It should be about location, quiet streets, dry basements, good foundation, plumbing, heating, wiring, roof, and windows. Things that are IMPORTANT and EXPENSIVE.

I agree with Wondergirl about living in a home for a while before even starting on a list.
I have a preference for plain maple with a clear finish, but if a kitchen doesn't get much light, I would want white.

Most builders grade white cabinets are thermofoil or vinyl overlay. Thermofoil is really hard to work with, paint doesn't stick too well and you can't stain it. If you are happy with the layout, the least expensive upgrade is to get new fronts, there are hundreds of online sources, have a local shop make fronts or have a refacing company do the work for you. Edge band the cases with the same wood. Some of the newer iron on facing is really good, I blended an oak front at my sons house and it was easy and stained to the same color as the front which he bought online.