HOME WARRANTIES

Dear Dave,

We are looking to buy a house and have narrowed it down to some of the older neighborhoods and older homes.  One of the houses we looked at included a 1 year home warranty.  We decided that house wasn’t right for us – but we did like the idea of the home warranty.  What do you think of home warranties – are they worth it or not?
Thanks for the help,

Rich and Lydia – Delta, CO

Rich and Lydia,

How exciting!  It is always so much fun house hunting for that special new home, that’s one reason I love my job so much.   Moving on to your question about warranties…. I have changed my stance on warranties over the past couple years.  I used to think they were not worth the money and I still have some reservations, however recently I have become more informed and now believe they can be a valuable asset to some home purchase.

They can prove useful on any home that has problems after close, but the real benefit does come with an older home where age has run its course and items like appliances, heating or cooling systems, roofs, hot water heaters are nearing the end of their anticipated lifespan.  It is not unheard of for one or two of these things to fail within a year or two of closing.  If you purchased a home warranty you will love the fact that all you may have to pay is the deductible.  Trust me, nobody wants to move in and have to replace a furnace that fails 3 months after close.   You can often times sign up for them year after year so you can maintain the coverage benefits for several years after you close.   Bottom line, it is nice to have some peace of mind that you will receive some financial help if something fails.  On older homes, they are worth it.

Dave Kimbrough
The Kimbrough Team

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