A Homeowner's Warranty (HOW.) The Texas Real Estate Commission believes so
strongly that this product reduces litigation that there is actually a
paragraph in the contract offer form in Texas to request that the seller
provide this for the first year of ownership. The buyer can renew on an
annual basis.
A Homeowner's warranty warrants most of the working parts of the
house such as the HVAC, waterheater, stove, disposal and some of the
electrical and plumbing. You would want to confirm with the company you
chose as to what is covered and usually you can add on a refrigerator or
pool at an additional expense.
The way it usually works is that when something in the house breaks,
the new homeowner calls the warranty company. For a nominal fee referred
to as the deductible (about $85), the company sends a repairman out to
repair the issue. If it can't be repaired, they are supposed to replace
it and all for that deductible fee.
If you Google warranty companies, you will probably find unhappy
customers with all of them because people are more likely to take the
time to complain than praise. My perspective is that it's better than
paying the repair and replacement cost on your own.
So here is my experience: I've used two different companies. One
subcontracts to a vendor in your area and arranges for a repairman to
come out. The other has on staff repairman and can't necessarily respond
as quickly but they are cheaper. I have had a stove, disposal and heat
exchanger, which is the heating component of a central air and heat
system, replaced. And had the air conditioner repaired several time.
When the stove broke, the company tried to repair it but the appliance
was so old they couldn't find the part and gave me the option of waiting
6 weeks for them to rebuild a part or accepting half the cost of a new
stove and I thought it was a deal that I only had to pay for half a
stove. The disposal was no problem. Repairs to Ac was no problem. The
heat exhcanger required some code updating which did cost an additional
$1200 but the unit which was over $2,000 was covered by the deductible
so I was happy to get a new heat exchanger for only $1200 instead of
$3,200.
If you are buying a new or newer home, you may not feel the need to
renew this service but if you have older appliances, you might consider
the risk factor and benefits.
Austin, Texas. Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.
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This is Callan Scott Bayerdorffer. Isn't he sweet! That's what his big sister Mia says.
My new grandson! And my wonderful daughter. Callan was born 5/19 and we
are excited to meet him. Here are some pictures with his proud big
sister and Daddy.
In April, John and I went on a Bahama Cruise with our friends of over
40 years, Don and Brenda. Yes we did go on Carnival! Our wonderful
travel agent, Carl Anderson of Anderson Vacations fixed everything for
us when our cruise ship, Carnival Triumph failed at sea. No, we weren't
on that cruise but scheduled for a future one. Since Carnival offered a
15% discount if we rescheduled; we did.
We went on the Carnival Magic which is only two years old and and so
large there were about 3,000 people on board. Carl recommended the floor
and section of the ship which would be the most pleasant in which to
stay and a balcony room which was totally worth the extra expense.
There were lots of fun things to do on the ship. We didn't go down the
water slide but it looked like a lot of fun. There was a casino, several
bars, a gym, spa, games, 2 pools, multiple hot tubs and more. I'm not
much of a drinker but his is what we did - drink! We would have Bloody
Mary's with breakfast, hit our favorite on board pub which Carl
recommended every day at 4 for cocktails, have wine with dinner and end
the evening on our balcony with more wine. It was fun and relaxing!
What did we do inbetween drinking parties? There were three ports at
which we stopped. First, Key West where we walked around the beautiful
port area, toured the Mel Fisher Museum of ship wrecked treasure and
shopped. Next we went to Freeport in the Bahamas where we went to the
beach and shopped. Last we went to Nassau where we took a 45 minute
Catamaran ride to a coral reef where we went snorkeling and shopped. On
sea days, we laid on lounge chairs reading, watching people, watching
the sea and napping and in the evenings we would listen to live music or
take in a comedy show. Everyone who worked on the ship was fabulous.
We had a GREAT time and can't wait to do it again!
First-time homebuyers, Kevin and Julie just closed on their home and
everything went smoothly. Now for the move. Enjoy your new home in Cedar
Park!
5 out of 5 Stars on my Review form my sellers. Plus "Robin
was an amazing seller's agent. Through her diligence and attention to
detail, I had several offers for more than the asking price within 48
hours of listing. I highly recommend her." Call me to sell your house. 512.589.7988.
