Five Towns Real Estate Blog

After preaching about the benefits of Home Warranties to my buyers and sellers, I put my money where my mouth is and got one myself this year.

I like to give them when I get a listing, it covers the seller until the home is sold, then covers the buyer for a year - it also separates my listings from all the others that do not offer the peace of mind of a Home Warranty.

If a home is on the old side, and there are concerns about older appliances, boilers, a/c systems etc - I tell my buyers that i will give them a Home warranty at the closing - to help ease their minds about the replacement costs.

This year I decided to get one myself. It covers all major appliances, systems and more for under $ 400 a year. You pay a $ 100 service call and they will either repair or replace the broken item. if you need another call on the same item within 30 days there is no addiditonal charge. 

I bought it this summer, and it as already paid for itself.

2 weeks ago my washing machine decided it did not want to spin dry anymore. So I called the Warranty Company and a service man was there the next day. He replaced the belts, but said it might be the transmission, he'd call after the Labor Day weekend to see how it was going.

So we ran it, and the next day it stopped again.

To my surprise he actually called me on Tuesday morning to see what was doing with the machine. I tiold him it stopped working, he said he'd call the Warranty people and have them get back to me.

As it turns out a new machine was cheaper than a replacement transmission. So they offered me the replacement cash value or a new equivalent machine. I took the machine.

Yesterday my BRAND NEW WASHING MACHINE was delivered and installed, all I had to do was remove the old one.

What a joy not to have to go out and spend a penny on a new machine.

Now all I have to do is catch up on 2 weeks worth of laundry!!

Home Warranty? I highly recommend it.

You are thinking of putting your home on the market and are interviewing agents.

They are telling you how great they are, all their wonderful sales, how they will list you house on MLS for only 3% BUT

One question you need to ask is: Are you a Listing Agent or a Selling Agent?

Whats the difference you might ask?

it is a HUGE difference - A Listing Agent will do the paperwork, take the photos, out a sign on your lawn, and put your home on MLS and sit back, let other agents find and show your house and see what happens.

A Selling Agent will do all the above and then some. they will make sure your home gets full access on the Internet. The will expose your home to the public and other agents through Broker Open Houses, Consumer Open Houses,  faxes, phone calls, emails. they will constantly promote your home in every way possible. They will be the ones to sell your house.

Ideally when you list you home you want your Listing Agent to also be a Selling Agent. Ask them not only what they have sold but how many of their listings they have actually sold. Just because their listing sold, DOESN'T MEAN that THEY sold it. There is a BIG difference.

Just something to keep in mind as you interview agents. You want a strong selling agent to be on your side. If you need to pay a little more commission to get it, then do it!! A good combo of a Listing/Selling Agent is worth it.

I bust my butt to sell my listings, and I have a good track record in selling them. I will not take less than a certain commission no matter what. If some says by XYZ will take that commission - I tell them to go with XYZ, but that they will get what they pay for. then after they don't sell your house - please give me a call. My time is too valuable, and I work to hard - I just won't do it.