Determining whether you should purchase a home warranty for your house can be a tricky decision. To begin with, there is a lot of information out there about what a home warranty is and how it works. Many times people don't actually understand what a home warranty covers. Home warranties can be confused with home insurance, buyers warranties and more. Before we get into the main part of our article, let's answer the question "What is a Home Warranty?"
A home warranty is not home insurance. Home insurance covers your home from things like fires, floods and burglars. Home warranties on the other hand, cover repairs and replacement of your home systems and appliances. (If you want to see our Home Warranty vs Home Insurance infographic, you can click that link.) So, your home warranty will cover things like a broken oven or dishwasher, or dysfunctional furnace or air conditioning system.
How it works is pretty simple. You purchase one with a home warranty company. You can pay anywhere between $400 and $600 depending on how much coverage you want on your home. Then, if something starts going downhill in your home, you've properly maintained it and it's covered under the home warranty contract, you call your home warranty company. They will send out one of their trusted and bonded contractors, who will repair or replace your home appliance or system for a service call fee. It's a simple as that!
Yet even with that simple setup, people use a variety of excuses to decide they aren't going to purchase a home warranty. Here are the three main excuses people make when they decide against a home warranty, and why they are misguided.
IT'S CHEAPER TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS THAN PAY FOR THE HOME WARRANTY
The first excuse many people give when considering a home warranty is the phrase "I don't have enough money for a home warranty!"
Many individuals believe that home warranties are ridiculously expensive and they're better off paying for the repair or replacement rather than spending the service call fee and the couple hundred dollars on their yearly premium. Not only is this incorrect information, but actually the opposite is true. Home warranties don't cost the same, or more than home system repairs and replacements. They cost less. You will save money if you purchase a home warranty.
Of course, you don't have to just take our word for it. First, go and check out our infographic called Home Repairs With and Without a Home Warranty to see how much you could be saving on common home repairs.
Now obviously, there's a limit to the coverage. If you take a hammer to your oven one day because you just can't handle the fact that your quiche isn't baking quite right, your home warranty isn't going to cover that.
"Oh. Whoops."
The same would be true with your car and your car insurance. Think of a home warranty as home owner insurance. As long as you're maintaining your home systems and appliances, you'll save money with a home warranty.
MY APPLIANCES AND HOME SYSTEMS WON'T BREAK DOWN
This excuse is kind of a bizarre one if you start to think about it, but it's one we have heard pretty often. The fact of life is that all home systems and appliances break down. We wish they didn't. It would be nice to buy a dishwasher and never have to worry about replacing it until one day 70 years later, you say "Man! That dishwasher looks really old! I think I'll go buy a new one and give this completely functional version to someone who needs it more than me."
This is not exactly what we were looking for with donations.
That's just not how it happens, though. Unfortunately all home systems and appliances have a life-span and at the end of that life-span there are parts that go out, things that fail and motors that just might not run the same way anymore. That's when a home warranty can be extremely helpful. Instead of having to pay thousands of dollars on home repairs and replacements, you can spend a small service call fee for the inevitable time when your home repairs and appliances do go out.
I CAN MAKE ALL OF THE REPAIRS MYSELF
This is one of the best excuses we hear. Now, this isn't us doubting you. We know that our customers (and potential customers) are absolutely amazing. We just want to make sure you know what you're prepared for and you have the right knowledge for all of the jobs in your home. In order to repair what your home warranty repairs, you would need to be skilled in:
- Plumbing
- Electrical work
- Heating
- Cooling
- Pest control
- Dishwasher repair
- Garbage disposal repair
- Oven repair
- Microwave repair
- Range repair
- Kitchen repair
- Garage door repair
- Changing locks.
Now, we're just guessing, but unless you have six arms and are a certified handyman in each of these skills, it's probably better to go with a home warranty instead.
The best home warranty companies have trusted and bonded contractors that each have specialties. When we get a call from our customers, we make sure to match them with the best contractor for the job, so that it can be done right, with the right skills.
GET THE BEST HOME WARRANTY
Now, if these excuses and their explanations have made you reconsider getting a home warranty, you can go to our website at www.landmarkhw.com and read more information about our home warranties. You can read our home warranty reviews, to see what our customers think of our service, as well as look at our home warranty coverage, to see what our plans cover.