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A Home Warranty Provides a Competitive Edge Over Those Homes Without Warranties!

By
Real Estate Agent with David J. Moore Properties (DavidTheLocator)

Home Warranty? What Do You Think?

 

                                                    
Are you a Houston homeowner? Did you know that a home warranty provides a competitive edge over those homes without a warranty? You probably know all-too-well how costly home repairs can be. And, thanks to Murphy's Law, appliance break-downs seem to happen at the worst possible time...like when you are selling your home. For this reason, it is in the best interest of all home sellers to consider purchasing a home warranty.

A home warranty offers many advantages to the Houston home seller, the least of which is a piece of mind that your major home appliances are covered in the event of a break down. Most home warranties cover both parts and labor of your home's most vital systems and major appliances. This protects the home seller from potentially large, unexpected repair bills and also allows the buyer to purchase the home with more confidence. Additionally, a home warranty is usually for the term of at least one year, so any unforeseen repairs/replacements are also covered well after the home has been sold. It is arguable that homes that have home warranties sell faster, for a higher price, and with less inconvenience. A home warranty provides a competitive edge over those homes without warranties because it communicates confidence to the homebuyers. This can add up to a faster selling period, resulting in a more convenient process for all involved. 

A home is probably the single largest investment you'll ever make, so the last thing you want as a home seller or buyer, are unexpected home repairs/replacements. Major appliance replacement can cost you several thousand dollars, and during the process of a home sale/purchase, your budget doesn't often allow for costly expenses. A home warranty is designed to protect you from these types of expenditures. Furthermore, it is convenient for home sellers because a home warranty offers after-sale liability. While an inspection may find many faults that are covered by a home warranty, it cannot account for latent problems that are beyond an inspection's scope, or problems that occur down the road. In most cases, a home warranty will cover these expenses, alleviating potential financial burdens for the seller once they have sold the home.

When considering a home warranty, it's important to ask the right questions. Warranties vary from one company to the next and there are also many different types of coverage available. My team at David J. Moore Properties (DavidTheLocator) can help you with this process. Things to consider... First and foremost, you should find out what components of the home will be covered by the warranty. It's also important to attain annual costs and the charge for service calls. You will want to ask what the total dollar limit is on the warranty and what the limits are for the individual items that are covered. Many home sellers purchase home warranties, which are then passed along to the homebuyer when they move into the home. As a homebuyer, you may want to look into whether or not the coverage can be renewed once the warranty has expired. On our website www.davidthelocator.com you will find a list of "Service Providers" where we have suggested some home warranty companies. Please know that we make no money what-so-ever from them, we simply suggest them because we have either used them ourselves or they have come highly recommended from reliable clients.

I predict that home warranties will eventually become commonplace, as buyers and sellers realize the advantages that they provide. Ultimately, what it comes down to is that a home warranty is a very simple, cost-effective way to purchase a piece of mind for both homebuyers and sellers alike.

Any comments? Questions? Please leave a comment below, we'd like to hear from you! You can always call us direct at 281-326-HOME! 


Ken Brandon
Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage (Jacksonville, NC) - Jacksonville, NC
Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC

In my area, there are increased new construction sales. A home warranty keeps a re-sale home competitive (from the warranty perspective) with its new construction competition.

Oct 18, 2011 04:58 PM
David J. Moore
David J. Moore Properties (DavidTheLocator) - Houston, TX
ABR, GRI. Realtor

That's a good point Ken! Thanks for sharing that.

Oct 19, 2011 08:16 AM