Many homeowners do not need home warranty at all. With some planning and learning about your sweet and neat home, you can save some money. Get your home inspected by a reputed home inspector and obtain a detailed report. It will help you decide whether you need home warranty. Feel free to ask home inspector’s opinion about the need to buy warranty.

You definitely need home warranty-

• if any of your big ticket appliances such as air conditioner, water heater etc. are about to reach the end of their life cycle and there is a fair chance that you will need to replace them.
• if you do not want to get your hands (and mind) dirty when something breaks down.

You may need to consider buying home warranty-

• if your house is older than 10 years and you have been spending some money on maintenance
• if you are financially not prepared to handle major expenses when a system break down
• if you do not have a trusted service contractor and do not want to go through the pains of calling contractors from Yellow Pages
• if the appliances are not maintained properly

I don’t want to buy home warranty. What next?
Okay, if you decide not to buy home warranty, then follow these steps

1. Look around, get references and settle with a good plumber in case of emergency. Shop around and negotiate the rates if you can. Have a backup plumber contact.
2. Learn a little more about major appliances and pay attention to their maintenance needs. Regular maintenance is a must if you want to live without home warranty. Visit the Maintenance Tips section of our website to learn more.
3. t is a good idea to get your major appliances such as heating/cooling systems inspected by a professional every 2-3 years, if those systems are old.
4. At the beginning of each year, re-assess your home warranty needs and you may decide to go with a home warranty policy if necessary
5. Every year, save what would have been your home warranty premium costs in a reserve fund, so that you don’t have to scramble when you need a major repair/replacement. This advice is for those who do not have adequate emergency cash reserves. Others, invest your hard-saved money elsewhere for better returns.

Posted on March 20th 2007 by HWR Team | Filed under Home Warranty |