Warranties and Inspections

About Home Warranties and Home Inspections

When do you think about Home Warranties? When you are the buyer or when you are the seller? BOTH! As a buyer you don't want to move into the home and find that the water heater goes out on your first morning in your new home. With a home warranty, you call the home warranty company and they make all the arrangements to replace your water heater. You may pay a small fee (sometimes $35) but the water heater and installation are covered by the home warranty.

What if you were the seller of the home where that water heater went out the day after you moved out? You are out of the house and you don't want to worry about anything that happens there any longer. With a home warranty, you don't have to worry about it. The home warranty company will take care of it.

Your REALTOR® will know the best companies to contact so that you can review the advantages of purchasing a home warranty. Some of the policies cover appliances and home systems but not swimming pools or air conditioners. You need to talk to your REALTOR® early in the transaction so that you make sure to get the policy that best suits your needs.

Also, talk to your REALTOR® about who is going to pay for it. This is part of the negotiating process. The buyer may ask for the seller to pay for it, but the seller may choose not to. This is where your REALTOR's® negotiating skills pay off.