AHS American Home Shield http://www.ahswarranty.com The best way to judge these companies is by the amount of warrany claims are paid. You will find that AHS pays out alot of claims to its clients when compared to others.

Thanks for the great references everyone!

i use american Home shield but have also had a good experience with old Republic.

I would recommend Global HW and specifically not recommend Fidelity HW. I tried for 2 months to get my heater services last month, and ran into repeated issues with them telling me that the unit was not services properly, and not repairable. I had Global before and had no issues getting claims paid. 2 sites that I did find helped me with this were BBB (http: http://\www.bbb.com) and HSS (http: http://\www.homeshieldscam.com). The last one had a great article on the top 10 reasons that the home warranty companies don't pay. Hope this helps!

My preference is American Home Shild for a home warranty! Personally speaking its a great selling point for the seller and the buyer! I'v only had one buyer that was not considering a home warranty until I pointed out the benefits and the peace of mind, plus the low service fee. He jumped on it then! And rightly so! Almost any major defect would cost more than a service fee. Would you not purchase a home warranty over being stressed financially if you were concerned the furnace or a/c unit might fail?

Hi Jess,

All of these HW plans are fine (largely equal terms) and are offered by an can be explained by most listing brokers. I reccommend asking your attorney if he wants to add the following line to the P&S as many buyer's don't read the fine print and have serious misconceptions about it's value.

"Buyer has read, understands and accepts the terms, conditions and limitations of the Home Warranty Plan provided by the Seller."

In my opinion offering some closing costs to the buyer (of equal or greater value) is a much more effective marketing tool.

Good luck, Andy

Two that I know of are Home Warranty of America (HWA) and American Home Shield (AHS). You can buy just Buyer coverage, or you can get Seller/Buyer coverage which covers the home from the time you list it until a year (or 13 months in the case of HWA) after closing.

In general my experience has been good. You don't get to pick the repair service, and the homeowner does have to pay a "Trade Service Call Fee" ($50-$75), but I have seen it save people a lot of money. Plus it is nice insurance for a new homeowner. I have had both a buyer and a seller (two different listings) make use of the service when something broke down (hot water in one case, heating system in another.)

Let me know if you need contact info for either.

Deb

i like American Home Shield also.

I would recommend AHS - American Home Shield. They cover Ct., MA, ME, NH, RI, and VT. They offer different plans. You do not have to pay the plan until the closing. phone # is 866-797-4788.

Hi Jess,

My clients have been pleased with the following:


Weichert Home Protection Plan
http://www.2-10.com

The Weichert Home Protection Plan provides repair or replacement coverage for the operating systems (air conditioning, heating, electric, plumbing) and appliances in the home.

It is different from homeowner's insurance and it is also different from the warranty provided by the builder of a new home.

It's simple to use the services provided by the Home Protection Plan. When you experience a problem with a covered item due to normal wear and tear, you call the warranty company directly using a toll-free number for service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. A local, authorized service contractor is assigned to perform the service and the homeowner arranges an appointment directly with the service contractor. The homeowner pays a trade service call fee directly to the service contractor and the balance of the cost to repair or replace a covered item is paid directly by the warranty company to the service contractor.

Coverage is available to sellers, buyers and current homeowners and includes only those covered systems and appliances that are in good working order on the effective date of coverage. The home warranty does not cover pre-existing conditions. See brochure for details on coverage terms, conditions, limitations and costs.

Good luck. Let me know if you need any help!

I have used HMS Home warranty in the past and my clients seem to be quite happy with them. You can Google them for exactly what they cover. They can be found at hmsnational.com. In general they cover:
Most HMS Home Warranties cover:

* Air Conditioning
* Heating Systems
* Refrigerators
* Water Heaters
* Ovens/Ranges
* Electrical Systems
* Plumbing Systems
* Built-in Dishwashers
* Built-in Microwaves
* Garbage Disposals
* Built-in Trash Compactors
* Ceiling Fans
* Clothes Washers
* Clothes Dryers
* and more.*

I have a couple clients here in Jamaica Plain and a couple in Roxbury that I bought these plans for as part of their real estate transaction and they seem to be very happy - no complaints that I've heard of. Good luck.