Home Warranties

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Real Estate

Home Warranties

 If your agent offers you the opportunity to buy a "Home Warranty" when you are ready to close on your new house - CONSIDER IT!

This is a fantastic offer that is only for new home buyers (and sometimes home sellers), regular home owners (folks who have owned their home more than a few months) can't get this policy.  American Home Shield has a fantastic selection of options for new home owners, and there are other providers out there too. Let me know if you'd like a brochure and I'd be happy to send you one! (Disclosure: I DO NOT MAKE ANY COMISSION or anything of value if you buy a home warranty, so this is my own unbiased opinion.) 

How does it work?

 If a home system or appliance breaks down or stops working, you call the home warranty company.

 Your home warranty company will call a service provider it has a business arrangement with.

 The service provider will call you to make an appointment.

 The service provider will fix the problem. If an appliance or system is malfunctioning and can’t be repaired, depending on your contract  coverage, your home warranty company will pay to replace and install the appliance.

 You will pay a small trade service fee (usually less than $100).

 

What’s not covered? Check your specific policy, but in general:

 Outdoor items such as sprinklers

 Faucets

 Refrigerators, washers, dryers and garage door openers

 Spas and pools, unless specific coverage requested

 Permit fees

 Haul aways

 

What can cause denial of a claim?

 Improper maintenance

 Code violations

 Unusual wear and tear

 Improper installation

 

General coverage includes

 Air conditioning

 Dishwashers

 Doorbells

 Furnace/heating systems

 Water heaters

 Ductwork

 Garbage disposals

 Inside plumbing stoppages

 Ceiling fans

 Electrical systems

 Range and oven

 Telephone wiring

 The price of a new water heater alone can cost more than an annual policy!

Your responsibility is to read thoroughly and understand your warranty before you agree to the terms. Be sure to clear up anything you don’t understand before you sign anything.