Home warranties are service contracts that can help home owners manage the cost of repairing or replacing major appliances and systems during the warranty period. 

Typically, a “basic” home warranty covers a home’s heating, central air conditioning, electrical system, plumbing, water heater, dishwasher, oven/range/cooktop, microwave, kitchen refrigerator and garbage disposal.  Coverage can be expanded to include pool/spa equipment, washer/dryer, and well pumps.  For covered systems, the home owner only pays a fixed service fee (typically $55 to $75) for each service call during the warranty period. 

For you, as a home owner, two key benefits of a home warranty are:

• protection against high unexpected repair or replacement costs for covered systems, and 
   

• the convenience of one company to call for warranty work, eliminating the need to find and schedule service technicians on your own. 

If you are selling your home, there’s a third key benefit:

• a home warranty can make your home more attractive to buyers in today’s competitive real estate market.

Home warranties can be especially valuable if you own an older home or if your appliances may be reaching the end of their useful life.  However, it’s important to read the contract and fully understand what a warranty will or won’t cover.  For example, pre-existing conditions aren’t covered and upgrades required to meet new building codes generally are not covered.

The usual home warranty period is one year.  However, if you are selling your home, an option is available to cover your property both during the listing period and for one year after closing.  Base prices for home warranties in our area typically begin around $325 for condominiums and $365 for houses, with a $70 add-on for seller listing coverage.

As part of my overall home marketing program, I offer sellers the option of either a “free” professional staging consultation or a “free” basic home warranty (including seller coverage) as part of my listing services.  If you’d like to discuss listing your property for sale, please give me a call at 941-830-0999.

If you are buying in our area and you aren't already working with another real estate agent, I'd like to earn the opportunity to work with you.  Once we find the right home for you, we can discuss whether purchasing a home warranty for your new property could be a good idea.  So, please contact me for further discussions!