Written By: Soroya LaMastra, First American Home Warranty and member of CCAR's Affiliate Committee.
Prevent Buyer’s Remorse with a Home Warranty
Buying a home can be daunting, especially for first-time buyers. When the sale finally closes, home buyers may feel relieved and a bit anxious. Your clients have budgeted for their new mortgage, but what about the additional costs of homeownership? What about all the things that can break down, even in a newer home? Not only do homeowners have to find someone to repair their home systems and appliances, but they may be faced with these added expenses when their budget is already stretched by moving expenses, a new mortgage, and the other costs of becoming a homeowner.
Have Help Ready When Things Break
Some of the most common reasons for first-time home buyer’s remorse are expensive home maintenance and repair costs and losing the convenience of simply calling the landlord to get things fixed. Even when they love their new home, the time and expense of dealing with everything from a leaky faucet to a failing dishwasher or a broken HVAC system can be frustrating for new homeowners: “I wish I could call the landlord when something breaks.”
It’s natural for buyers to wonder: “Did I make the right choice?” But, as a real estate agent, you don’t want your clients to develop full-blown buyer’s remorse. This is where a home warranty can help. Unlike homeowner’s insurance that covers damages or losses from fire, theft, third-party liability or storm damage, home warranties cover many major appliances and home systems. When appliances and home systems inevitably fail, home warranty coverage can help protect your clients’ budgets from the expense of costly repairs and replacements with one easy call.
How Home Warranty Coverage Works
With home warranty coverage, getting an appliance or home system fixed can be about as easy as contacting a landlord. When a covered home appliance or system breaks, your clients contact us, either online or by phone. Then we’ll assign a service provider to diagnose and either repair or replace the covered item. Here’s how easy it is:
- Request service – Go online or call us to place a service request.
- Schedule an appointment – A qualified service provider from our pre-screened network contacts the homeowner to schedule a mutually convenient appointment.
- Repair or replace item – The service provider will confirm coverage, then diagnose the problem and either repair or replace the covered item.*
Include a Home Warranty with Your Transactions
A great way to minimize risk, maximize budget protection, and prevent buyer’s remorse is to make sure your clients have a home warranty when they buy a home. A Home Warranty provides special pricing and coverage for home buyers, plus the following valuable benefits:
- Budget protection from the expense of costly repair and replacement of covered items;
- A simple, time-saving way to schedule service providers when covered items fail;
- The security and convenience of placing unlimited service requests via phone or online 24/7;
- Coverage that lasts for a year or more after closing.
*Please read your contract for specific coverage and limitations.