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I would say it depends on the house you're purchasing -- if it's relatively new, then you might want to skip a warranty. If you already had a home inspection and there were no "warning signs" of imminent failure of the major components, then it might be a waste of money. I ususally recommend them on older homes with owners who don't have the means to make major repairs if something were to break. Many people have family members who are in some type of business that could help with a plumbing repair, appliance repair, heating & AC repair, electrical repair, etc., or they're the do it yourself type of owners who will take care of anything that comes up. You need to decide how well prepared you are to take care of a problem that arises before you purchase a home warranty. And even with a warranty, you have to pay a "co-pay" to the service company and sometimes they only repair within minimal standards for the warranty company. I've had mixed results with buyers who have had to file for claims against the warranty - some are very pleased and others have run into problems getting the warranty company to cover the repairs (they have exclusions on what will or won't be covered).
I will never own a house without one. They have saved me soooo much money over the years.
For example, the last house I bought was closed in Dec. It was run the heat time. The heat worked. Come late spring when it was time for A/C-no cold air. I had my A/C unit replaced for $55.
The house before that used the tar out of the warranty. I had plumbers, appliance repairmen, A/C duct & A/C condenser, and a new hot water heater & new dishwasher.
As others have said, if you are buying new you might be able to get away with it. I would not have a house more than 11 months old without.
We had the AHS warranty in our old home and had our seller buy us one in our new home. It only covers items that break that have been maintained, like our almost 20 year old furnace that they almost had to replace. It ended up needing a $300 repair and we paid $55 for it. I love having a home warranty, it saves money on those things you didn't know you needed...
I have an AHS home warranty and I'll always keep one on mine. My house is only 2 years old. Ask the agent who told you it was a waste of money if he's sure enough that he'll guarantee it for you? If he's willing to pay for a new AC or wiring or plumbing then by all means listen to him.
yea she told me that it was a waste of money to make the buyer feel better..because there is a ton of small print..I was just curious cause we can get one with the house we are purchasing and are considering it.
We also have an AHS home warranty, and have renewed it every year since we purchased our home two years ago. So far, it has more than paid for itself each year and we have been very pleased with the company. Our home is 21 years old and has the two original a/c units and furnaces. We plan to keep the warranty until our furnaces and a/c units bite the dust! After that, we will play it by ear and see if the warranty continues to be worth it (assuming we still live in this house).
We took the AHS home warranty and added a little for the washer and dryer, in case they die on us too. We'll keep it going probably the whole time we own a home because every year we've had a reason to use it.
Our house (that we're selling now) has had AHS since we bought it around 10 years ago. Since then they've declined to cover nearly ANYTHING. The few things they HAVE covered, they always found ways to cover as little as possible of it. For example, we had a waste pipe break under the house. They covered only the cost of replacing the actual pipe itself, and refusedto cover the cost of removing the portion of floor above it to gain access, or repairing the floor afterwards - which, of course, was by far the most expensive portion. It was always like that for us - everything we checked on, "we don't cover that" or some such.
We certainly won't be getting them for the new home.
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