Do I Really Need a Home Warranty? You Might, and Sensible Home Warranty Can Help

You may not know much about home warranty coverage, but it can be a great benefit to your personal comfort and your family’s lifestyle. A home warranty is a contract to repair or replace your home appliances, as well as home fixtures and utility equipment such as essential plumbing and electrical wiring. Home warranties from companies such as Sensible Home Warranty are extremely cost-effective when compared to paying for repairs or new appliances out-of-pocket, and they offer the assurance of knowing that any future repairs are already paid for.

When you have a home warranty plan, you pay a monthly or yearly premium, and when something breaks down, you call the warranty provider for service. The home warranty provider arranges for a repair professional in your area to make a scheduled visit at your convenience to diagnose and repair the problem. If the professional they hire determines that the item can’t be repaired, then the home warranty company will replace it for you.

The repairs or replacements are paid for by the home warranty provider, aside from a small service fee which they charge to the homeowner each time something needs to be repaired. This may seem complicated, but think of it like an insurance policy – you pay yearly rates, as well as a co-pay when you use the policy. It’s just that unlike insurance, instead of paying you the cost of the repairs, the company arranges services or purchases a replacement appliance for you.

There are varying levels of home warranty coverage available from most warranty providers. Basic plans usually only cover kitchen and laundry appliances. This generally includes stove and oven, refrigerator, washer and dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and often built-in (over-the-range) microwaves. These plans generally do not cover less expensive standalone appliances, such as counter-top microwaves, blenders, coffee machines, etc. More extensive home warranty plans cover the essential systems that keep your home habitable – water heater, furnace, heating ducts, central air conditioning, plumbing, and the electrical system.

With Sensible Home Warranty, the complete plan also covers a few miscellaneous items such as ceiling fans and a garage door opener, which are not essential but contribute to your comfort. Other essential items that are only applicable to to some people’s homes are available through add-on plans, such as sump pumps, septic tanks, and well water supplies. In addition, there is coverage available for pools and hot tubs. Sensible Home Warranty offers coverage for these optional items at affordable rates, based on the number of customers that have these items and the cost of repair.

Much like insurance and other industries that deal with risk management, home warranties can be a tricky business for the consumer. There are a few websites out there devoted to home warranty reviews, though, and a quick Google search for home warranty reviews will get you to where you can compare a number of companies and see what customers had to say.