Home warranties have become a common addon to listings and sales contracts so are they really worth it? YES! Home warranties will cover items which a buyer’s home owners insurance will not cover. Home warranties are an insurance policy, placed on a property either at the time of listing by a seller or at the time of purchase by the buyer. The warranty if placed on the property by the seller will cover the seller for the listing period then when the home is sold the warranty will cover the buyer for one full year. The warranties cover items such as the furnace, hot water heater, internal electrical, internal plumbing, AC unit, duct work, sump pumps and some apliances just to name a few (please refer to the policy coverage of the individual warranty provided by the seller’s or buyer’s agent which applies to your property). Most policies also cover addittional items at a minor cost to the buyer or seller. The policy will usually have a deductable which is paid to the contractor which comes to the property to do the repair. Deductables range from $50 to $100 in most cases which is much lower than the deductable on a typical home owner’s policy. Most home owner’s policies do not cover items previously mentioned and if they did the deductable would be too high and the claim would not be worth it. Unlike claims on your home owner’s insurance policy, a claim on the home warranty does not affect your insurance standings or credit. Recently a statistic came out that nearly 71% of home warranties have a claim in the first year, this is even higher in the North Eastern US with our older communities and weather conditions. So yes, home warranties provide a great value to the buyer and the seller so the next time the question comes up about home waranties consider their value!

As always we hope nobody will ever need this recomendation but it is better to be safe than sorry. Keeping a mulit-purpose fire extinguisher in the kitchen and one on each floor of the house will give you the comfort of knowing that if something does go wrong you are prepared with the proper safety equipment. Inspect and recharge if the pressure is below the operating range, this information can be found on the fire extinguisher guage. Review a fire escape plan with your household which should include making everyone aware of the locations of the fire extinguishers, flash lights, escape routes and other safety devices you will employ. Even the youngest of children should be taught how to use all equipment and escape routes just in case something would happen to a responsible adult during the emergency. Most importantly change your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on a regular basis. All bataries should be changed at a minimum of every 6 months or when necessary. Be Safe!

That’s right, you can buy your new home through me and a portion of the proceeds goes directly into your childs college fund. If you haven’t heard of the Upromise College Savings Program then now is the time. Did you ever thing that when you are buying that everyday product in the grocery store, buying a home or dining in a restaurant you could actualy be putting money into your childs college fund?  You can have you family and freinds contribute just by registering them on line. There is no cost for the program and the benefits are astounding! The Upromise site will email you on a regular basis and let you know how your account is doing and exactly where you are saving money. The site is very informative and will give you tips on hundreds of ways to save money for your childs college fund. Don’t have any children of your own, what about neices, nephews, grandkids or your best freinds kids. Yes, that is right you can even have money going to benefit their college fund and not even change your style of living. Click on the link to the right and this will guide you through the easy registration process and begin saving right away.