When considering new construction, many potential buyers wonder, "How does a home warranty work?" Either a builder or a separate home warranty company can provide special coverage for specific parts of your new home, similar to the protection offered by insurance.
Here are some of the most important questions and answers about home warranty companies and contracts:
What is a home warranty?
Home warranties are different from homeowners insurance, which protects the property against fires, hail and other serious hazards. Instead, a home warranty covers appliances such as washing machines and dryers, refrigerators and HVAC systems.
How do home warranties work?
When you have a home warranty, you're covered if and when a covered system breaks down. Home warranties provide a guarantee of repairs to your household's appliances or systems as long as the damage occurred as a result of normal use.
How much does a home warranty cost?
The cost of an annual home warranty can vary depending on many factors such as size, features and condition of the home. The cost typically isn't affected by property age, except for newly constructed buildings, which increase costs.
Home warranties are available for owners of other property types as well. Separate structures like hotel rooms or individual apartment units are generally not covered by standard plans, but can be covered at extra costs.
Benefits of a home warranty
For a homeowner with fewer emergency funds who want to make them available for other purposes, home warranties can act as buffers for the homeowner. A home warranty is also useful for homeowners who have less time or interest in DIY repairs and want to have close contact with the professionals.
Is a home warranty right for you? Often, the benefits greatly outweigh the disadvantages. However, it's important to clarify any details of the warranty service contract for full understanding how it affects your covered appliances and systems.
About the Author
Rudden|Bobruska Team
Gary Rudden, Lisa Rudden, and Nick Bobruska
RUDDEN BOBRUSKA TEAM
What sets your team apart from other real estate teams?
There is no team out in the market that offers what we do. All of us are Realtors, but
we each have specialized roles, which make our team so unique!
After decades of living and selling real estate in the DMV, we have established
ourselves as one of the top real estate teams with our market expertise and
cutting-edge technology. Our savvy high-tech marketing is on every website
and social media source. We have a huge network with other top agents, which
helps to premarket homes and discover homes for buyers before they reach the
open market. Our services include professional in-house staging services, broker
expertise in negotiating and navigating contracts, and buyer representation in all
price ranges. Each client has different needs and we create a marketing plan based
on those needs.
Our most distinct feature is our in-house construction and renovation team. We
are literally a full-service, one-stop shop when selling or buying a home!
How does the in-house construction and renovation team work?
All work is managed and completed through our licensed and bonded construction
crew. No need to call outside contractors. We are like “HGTV,” but we just don’t
have a show! Whether it’s a small makeover or a major renovation, we do it all. Our
sellers love this aspect of our team because we make preparing your home for the
market so seamless. Our buyers love the advice and insight we can give for future
renovations and repairs.
Having a licensed Maryland Home Improvement contractor as part of our team
along with the knowledge, experience, commitment and services that we offer, truly
puts our team as a vanguard in the real estate industry.