Giving Thanks for a Home Warranty Service Agreement

Today’s homeowner has so many things to be thankful for. A roof over their head. Strong, dedicated agents willing to tackle the challenges the current market presents. And in many cases, protection against breakdowns through a Home Warranty Service Agreement (i.e., home warranty) from 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (2-10 HBW).

For many professional agents, a home warranty from 2-10 HBW is their ace in the hole. We sat down with Marianne McCreary, owner and associate broker at Partners Real Estate Professionals, to hear three stories about clients who gave thanks for having a home warranty.

1. Hard work and quality protection pay off

After years of renting, two clients asked Partners Real Estate Professionals to help them find their dream home.

These clients were the parents of a wonderful, self-sufficient, 17-year-old special needs child. They’d scrimped and saved for three years, and were finally ready to jump into the home-buying process with a USDA home loan.

When we found them a home they loved and could afford, one of the first things we did was request that the seller offer a home warranty to our clients.

The reasons we made this request were simple:

1. Our clients wanted to minimize out-of-pocket expenses.
2. They were offering over ask and wanted assurance.

This was a for-sale-by-owner seller, and when we negotiated with her, we requested that she include home warranty coverage for our clients.

Her house and the appliances in it were a bit older, but still in working condition. She agreed to include home warranty coverage for our clients, partly because they were offering over ask, and partly because she loved our clients.

We immediately explained the value of a home warranty to our clients. They were relieved to learn that if something like their oven broke down from routine use, they had a solution that could really reduce their out-of-pocket costs.

In their first year as homeowners, they experienced several breakdowns to important appliances. They called us and asked for help in walking them through the process of filing a claim with 2-10 HBW.

The process was simple. They told us how thankful they were to have an opportunity to resolve unexpected breakdowns while minimizing their out-of-pocket costs.

We all know how challenging the first year of home ownership can be. Thankfully, 2-10 HBW’s Home Warranty Service Agreement helped our clients overcome some of the bigger challenges homeowners often face.

Did you know?

One of the biggest regrets homeowners have is maintenance and other costs are too high. A home warranty helps address a big other cost: the expenses of addressing an unexpected breakdown.

2. Keeping the boss safe and (financially) secure

The summer of 2021 was extremely tough for buyers. But in one case, a home warranty from 2-10 HBW put one of our clients on the path to home ownership AND protected them against an unexpected breakdown.

During the summer of 2021, our office constantly brainstormed on two goals:

1. Getting sellers to accept our buyers’ offers.
2. Protecting our clients in negotiations.

These were difficult discussions. However, we used a 2-10 HBW home warranty to our advantage.

One of our agents had the immense task of helping her husband’s boss buy a home. The challenge was that the home they wanted was older and had multiple cash offers, and our client needed financing.

Our client was one of the final two offers the sellers considered. The other seller offered cash, but they also offered less than ask.

Our agent worked with our client to write up an offer we felt was better, which included paying $5,000 over ask.

As our agent crafted this offer, she strongly encouraged our clients purchase a home warranty from 2-10 HBW. She told them that it would cost them about $650, but it would provide the peace of mind and budgetary safety net they’d need if something major like their air conditioner broke down.

The importance of a safety net

The good news was that our client’s offer won. The bad news was that not long after they moved in, something went wrong.

One night, while our clients were sleeping, their air conditioner broke down and caught fire. Fortunately, someone called the fire department immediately, and our clients escaped safely. Other than the air conditioner, the damage was minimal.

However, our clients were staring a big financial burden in the face. A new air conditioner would cost them well over $5,000 out of pocket.

This client called our agent with one question: Should we call our homeowners insurance or home warranty provider?

Our agent recommended that they start with homeowners insurance, and then call 2-10 HBW if they wouldn’t cover it.

This family was so grateful to be safe and have an additional safety net to complement their home insurance.

Did you know?

A Home Warranty Service Agreement covers breakdowns caused by routine wear and tear. It’s an excellent complement to homeowners insurance!

Additionally, a home warranty can help put homeowners over the top in negotiations while protecting them in the future. Without 2-10 HBW, our clients may not have been able to make a winning offer.

3. Making ma and pa proud

Younger home buyers often find themselves at a bigger disadvantage than their parents did. That’s especially true after the sale. But a home warranty can be a big budget saver, like it was for one of our younger clients.

This client was a first-time buyer who was adamant about buying a home on the water. We helped him search for eight months and finally found him a home in his price range.

Of course, there were multiple offers for the house. But we had an advantage: a home warranty from 2-10 HBW.

The house was older, as were its appliances and furnace. It also needed improvements to the landscaping and decks. Our buyer was confident he could take care of the landscaping and decks, but was less sure about the appliances and furnace.

So, as we created our offer, we requested that the seller include a home warranty for our buyer. Through our negotiations, our agent and the seller’s agent agreed that including a home warranty would be a win-win.

The seller accepted the offer, and our buyer closed in the summer. He told us how proud his parents were that he managed to close on his dream home.

But the pride didn’t stop there.

He’s gonna make it after all

Summer came and went with no issues. Our buyer spent a good chunk of money improving his landscaping and decks.

But when winter started, our buyer found that his furnace and refrigerator had stopped working. He realized he didn’t have the money to pay for repairs out of pocket.

Naturally, he first called his parents to ask what to do. They recommended that he call us for advice.

When he did, we reminded him about his home warranty from 2-10 HBW. He filed a claim for both breakdowns and paid a service fee of less than $100 for each claim.

The two independent service contractors 2-10 HBW dispatched determined that routine wear and tear was the cause of each breakdown. They repaired the furnace and the refrigerator.

The thing that our buyer was most thankful for was how much money he saved.

2-10 HBW paid $1,052 for the furnace repair, and nearly $1,500 to address his refrigerator breakdown.

Our client was thankful to have chilled ice cream and warm feet again. He was even more thankful that he didn’t have to ask his parents for financial help.

His parents were thankful that he found a solution on his own.

And we were thankful that 2-10 HBW provided a budget-saving solution to two major breakdowns for our client.

Conclusion: A home warranty provides reason to be thankful

Good agents want to protect their transactions and clients. Many good agents also believe that it’s their duty to serve their clients well after the sale.

A home warranty from 2-10 HBW has the power to protect transactions, protect clients, and provide added value after the sale.