Home Warranty Companies - San Antonio,TX

Meh...I'd reconsider.
My realtor bought me a policy as a gift when I bought my first home.
I used it once. It saved me a few hundred bucks.
I'd just save the money.

Before you sign on to any company, add up how much it is going to cost, consider how much you figure you will use it and what that will cost. Chances are it is not worth the money.

I would suggest whatever they were going to charge you put in a separate account. You will find quickly you have the money for your repairs and a fair bit left over.

No one is in business to lose money! Premiums will always be more than expenses. Thing is most people can't save, can you save?

Personally I think they are all a scam. I "bought" one of these policies with the condo I purchased for my mom. I always got the lowest of the low in terms of repair people. (I felt like they sent me people who didn't know how to repair anything.) I also didn't get what I was supposed to get in terms of appliances, repairs, etc, because there was always some sort of a catch in the contract. And their customer service was horrible.

We had American Home Shield and I am quite sure THEY are a scam even if others aren't. Just stay away from that company, would be my advice.

I agree with Katrina. When our dishwasher went out the first 3 months we lived in our house, they did a bait-and-switch on us and we ended up having to pay almost as much for the dishwasher as we would have without the warranty. I will bet we got 40 emails trying to get us to re-up with them after the year was out.

Dawn

We've had nothing but bad experiences with the companies we've had when buying homes. It never mattered what needed to be repaired, it never seemed to ever be covered. They always found a way to not cover it. One thing I remember the reason was so out there that we were certain they were making it up on the spot. Appealing did nothing, it still wasn't covered.
As soon as the initial contract expired that was part of the buying of the house we didn't renew.
Having money set aside for repairs and keeping things in working order is a much better idea than wasting money on those companies.

We use First American Home Warranty and it has saved us money already. We bought our home 3 years ago and we have used it mainly for a/c issues and some plumbing. What I have done is get detailed records and when parts are replaced I keep the parts for my own records - it has worked for us.

I had a home warranty several years ago on a home in AZ. I'll try to remember the company's name. It was a life saver. They paid to completely replace the homes air conditioners, both the refrigerated one and the swamp one even tho they were both old when we bought the house. We paid a very small co-pay of less than $100. Their cost was several thousands of dollars and I think our premium was less than $300.

I think it was American Home Shield.

Just as with health insurance, if you need repairs (health care) the premiums are less than the expenses because there will be many people who will not use it. They lose money on those who do but gain money on those who don't. And they invest the premiums that also earn money. I know of no repair or replacement that would be less than $3-400, the usual cost of the policy.

Here is a web site that compares various companies. http://www.homewarrantyreviews.com/reviews

We chose not to go with a company because from a previous experience when we bought our first house ( used) , the company would only repair as is with same like equipment. No option to upgrade or better your equipment. We saw that as a waste.

We built 2 other homes and stayed away from them because if we need repair, we choose to upgrade ... Not just get by.

A friend who worked with a company quit because be said the warranty company's instructions were to get in and out fast, don't communicate.

He quit because he felt that was unethical knowing that someone needed a repair and the warranty company did everything to avoid it.

I have more examples but ill spare you the detail unless you want to know. Save your money and prepare to upgrade as needed to keep your home in top shape.

Good luck!

I have Old Republic and I'm happy with them. It has saved me a ton of money.
We had to replace the central A/C air handler the first summer we were in the house. Service fee and disposal of the old unit cost me a total of $400. Replacing it out of pocket would have been several thousand.
Just found out that I have a broken sewer pipe. Warranty company will pay the first $1000 for replacing it.
Well worth the $60 a month I pay for it.

We've used Blue Ribbon and 2-10 and liked them both.

We bought a house that was kind of a fixer-upper. Everything worked, but lots of things were on their last legs. For the first year after we moved in, I can't tell you how many times we had to call in 2-10 to fix something. And everything was done well and with the $50 fee per visit. We saved hundreds if not thousands that first year. Unfortunately, they chose not to renew with us for another year - I think they realized that this house was a money pit...

We still have Blue Ribbon on our rental house. It's been awesome because our tenants can live there with peace of mind, and so can we 2000 miles away. Everything is covered and everything gets fixed. Luckily, that house is in excellent shape and we've barely had to use the warranty.

We have, and like, 2-10.
http://www.2-10.com/