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Reading The Fine Print Before Buying A Home Warranty

Reblogger Peter Mohylsky, Destin BeachPro
Real Estate Broker/Owner with PMI. Destin

Read the fine print, compare all the companies and pick the one that truly suite the needs of the consumer,  

Original content by HomeWarrantyReviews.com .

When it comes to purchasing a home warranty it’s always better to read through the fine print of what the actual contract contains. Most home warranties cover appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, electricals, and microwave Owens. A home warranty is a contract that provides discounted replacement and repair services.

If an item suddenly breaks down in your house it will cost you a lot to replace or repair the item. Not to mention the inconvenience that follows. So when you purchase a home warranty your warranty provider pays for the repair services or pays you money to get the incase the item is irreplaceable. Always compare contracts and choose the right contract according to your home’s needs.

Reading The Fine Print Before Buying A Home Warranty

 

What Does A Home Warranty Offer?

The Home Services Club (HSC) contract offers different types of coverages which are the standard coverage, the comprehensive coverage, and the utility and home service coverage. The home warranty deductible for the contract is $95. 

HSC’s comprehensive coverage includes everything in the standard coverage and includes gas leaks, water leaks, and doorbells. The HSC utility and home services line coverage includes items such as the grinder pump system, sprinkler system, and the irrigation system line. All in all, if you want a complete coverage plan which takes care of all your home appliances you should choose the HSC comprehensive coverage plan. 

Whereas, the American Home Shield (AHS) average deductible is between $75- $125 and offers a standard coverage covering all your basic household items such as air conditioning, heating, water heater, and exterior well pump. The HSC standard coverage covers items such as refrigerators, clothes dryer and a dishwasher.

Choice Home Warranty (CHW) coverage plan is a fairly basic coverage plan which covers all your home appliances such as the electrical system, plumbing system, bathtub, and built-in microwave. The deductible for the plan is $60. CHW coverage starts 30 days after acceptance of the application and continues for 365 days from the date. 

Landmark Home Warranty has different plans and pricing depending on if you have just purchased a home or currently own a home. The deductible for the plan is $60- $100. Landmark also offers an à La Carte option where you add household items of your choice to your coverage.

Landmark’s plans are also fairly basic and cover items such as a washer and dryer, built-in microwave and cooling and heating systems. Landmark also offers an à La Carte option which is definitely a good buy if you like to add only a certain number of appliances to your coverage. 

AHS also offers a plan such as renewal of customers when the contract expires and the customer wants to renew the particular contract. AHW also offers a  transfer of ownership plan if the covered property changes ownership during the contract you are then required to call the sales team and give details about transfer coverage to the new owner. 

If you’re looking for something more personalized you can always go for Landmark’s à La Carte Option. HSC’s comprehensive coverage is definitely ideal if you want to safeguard all your home appliances for the long term.  If you want a short-term plan, CHW one-year coverage plan is ideal.

Take A Closer Into The Contract

Home Warranty Contract

HSC service agreement only covers mechanical failures. The service agreement to cover mechanical parts and components of those domestic-grade items that were in the home and in proper and safe operating condition. Mechanical failure is caused when a  covered item becomes inoperable and unable to perform its designated function. 

Whereas, AHS approves to replace only wear and tear of home appliances caused by insufficient rust, corrosion or sediment.

A CHW plan only covers homes up to 5,000 square feet unless an alternative dwelling type (i.e above 5,000 feet or multi-unit home.) is applied and the appropriate fee is paid. CHW coverage is only for occupied owned or rented properties and does not include commercial properties. 

Landmark’s contract does not cover the damages of appliances which occur due to snow, fire, and acts of God like a flood.

Things You Should Know Before Buying A Home Warranty

Here are a few things that you should look into before you sign up for a home warranty:

Don’t Get Carried Away By Sales Executives 

Sales Executives can make you sign a contract without you reading what actually is included in the contract. Always check for things like annual premium, deductible, minimum contract length, estimated appliance coverage, and estimated system coverage.

Look For Discounted Deals

Always keep an eye open for Black Friday deals and New Year deals. Companies advertise a lot about these discounts so make sure to stay updated if you are keen to buy a warranty. Always keep an eye open as home warranty companies advertise a lot online. 

Consult Your Friends Neighbors And Colleagues 

It’s always a good idea to consult your colleagues and understand the plans that they have purchased. They can always give you a few tips on which policy is ideal for you. You can always discuss the pros and cons of the home warranty that they have and make an informed decision. Also, you need to check out what does a home warranty cover before finalizing 

2019’s Top 10 Home Warranty Companies

Here’s a look at the top 10 home warranty companies of 2019 and what they offer: 

Company Annual Premium Deductible Minimum Contract Length
American Home Shield $299-500 $75-125 12 Months
The Home Services Club $400 $95 12 Months
Choice Home Warranty $370-450 $60 12 Months
Landmark Home Warranty $350-670 $60-100 12 Months
America’s Preferred Home Warranty $499 $50-125 12 Months
Select Home Warranty $299-499 $60 12 Months
HSA Home Warranty $589-619 $75-100 12 Months
Total Home Protection $369-499 $45-60 13 Months
First American Home Warranty $336-$534+ $75 12 Months
HWA $275-695 $75-100 NA

Making The Final Call

Looking at the table above, HWA has an annual premium that starts at $275, Select Home Warranties has an annual premium that begins at $299 followed by American Home Warranty starting at $299. Total Home Protection deductible starts at $45, followed by America’s Preferred Home Warranty starting at $50. All of America’s top home warranties are for a minimum of 1 year except Total Home Protection which is for 13 months and the HWA minimum contract is not applicable.    

After comparing all the home warranties you can opt for a free quote on HomeWarrantyReviews.com, or you could call on 888-351-0908. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to determine which home warranty you would like to choose to suit your home. 

The market is flooded with home warranty plans. Making the correct decision about the plan and company is important. Our website hosts over 70,000 reviews covering 80 plus home warranty companies. We recommend that customers consider various options before zeroing in on a plan.

Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

It seems that no matter which home warranty I recommend to my buyers, they always complain about it when it comes time to use it.

Oct 22, 2019 07:22 AM
Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

A few years ago, a client was going to replace all his appliances, except the hvac unit.  He opted out of a home warranty.  Of course, two months later I got a phone call.  The a La Cart option would have been good.  I did learn the hard way.  Thank you for the re-blog.

Oct 22, 2019 09:11 AM