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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
