Category: Homeowner Tips

A home warranty is like a garage that covers your entire house and keeps it safe from bad financial weather. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying a home, selling a home or if you currently own a home, there are several special benefits for each category when it comes to having a home warranty.

Benefits for Sellers

Your home will be much more desirable to potential buyers if they see that the home is covered by a home warranty plan. You’ll be able to sale your home that much faster if you get a warranty before putting your home on the market. A second benefit for sellers is that they can avoid extensive delays in closing if they get a warranty for their home, minimizing the odds of an equipment or system failure slowing down the closing process. A third benefit for home sellers for getting a warranty for their home is that they’ll save money if the home repair or problem is caused by a workmanship issue that needs to be fixed more than one time. In some cases, your repairs are covered for 180 days.

Benefits for Buyers

One of the immediate benefits of a home warranty if you plan on buying a home is that you’ll save money and you won’t have to make major changes to your budget to save up enough money for expensive home repairs and appliance replacement. With a home warranty, all you’ll have to pay for is the trade service call. Another benefit is the comprehensive coverage, meaning that your warranty covers appliances as well as systems and that there aren’t any square footage restrictions. A third benefit is that you’ll have a technician that has been pre-screened to take care of your repairs and replacements rather than a technician who may or may not know what they are doing and may or may not have the proper training to adequately handle your particular repair.

Benefits for Current Homeowners

With a home warranty, placing a claim is easy, free and can be done online as well. Something else to think about is that with a home warranty you can call for as many system and appliance repairs as you need without worrying about going over a limit. A third benefit for current homeowners who have a home warranty is that they can save a lot of money on popular appliances if they ever decide to remodel their home or upgrade their appliances. If you don’t already have a home warranty, look into getting one whether you’re buying, selling or currently own a home. Your nerves and your bank account will thank you for it.

The only thing nicer than having an air conditioner in the summer is having an air conditioner that works. It’s best to make sure that your air conditioner is working before the weather starts to warm up. Prevention is always more efficient and usually cheaper than a solution. So make sure that your air conditioner is in good working order before you need it.

Perform a Home Energy Analysis

A home energy analysis will let you know where most of your energy is going and ways that you can cut back on your energy use. A home energy analysis can also give you an idea of how much it will cost to implement energy saving strategies and how much of a return investment you can see. By getting an energy analysis, you can find out how you’re losing cool air and money during the warmer months of the year. If you like, you can also have a qualified technician personally visit you at your home to perform the energy analysis with special equipment. The technician might also give you some energy saving products that you can put to use, like compact florescent light bulbs.

HVAC Maintenance

If you have a home warranty, it’s recommended that you have a HVAC unit maintenance check performed every six months by your warranty provider in order to catch any minor problems that you might be having before they become major problems, major problems that cost you major amounts of money. Maintenance checks can keep your A/C from going on the fritz and save you from possibly spending days without a working air conditioner.

Enroll in Demand Conversation

Check with your utility department to see if they offer a demand conservation program where they switch on your central air conditioning system, electric water heater, heat pump and pool pump to efficiently and safely cycle your air conditioner’s air compressors for short bursts of time whenever an abundance of energy is being used during the warmer months of the year. Demand conservation programs can actually earn you some money on your summer utility bill.

Look for Energy Efficiency Tips

You can also prepare your A/C unit for the summer by looking up tips online that will help you use your home’s energy more efficiently. If you’re trying to go green or reduce your carbon footprint, home energy is a great place to start. You’ll find that most of the tips probably won’t cost you much at all and that you can start implementing them immediately.
Do everything you can to prepare you air conditioner for the summer season. Not only will everyone in your house appreciate it, your wallet will too.

Most consumers that contract a home warranty in Chandler have some familiarity with terms of service contracts and other insurance. This is good because it gives a general idea on these different instruments for risk management. On the other hand, a home warranty differs from all of these other protections in key ways. If you make assumptions that home warranties work exactly the same as other insurances then you may miss out on some benefits, and not understand why others may not be covered. The first thing to understand is that a home warranty in Chandler is different from the car warranty you may have on your vehicle, either from the dealership for from a third party provider. A car warranty only comes into effect if a vehicle part has failed due to unforeseen circumstance, acts of God as it were. It will not cover part that naturally wears out over time. A home warranty does cover parts that wear. In essence, they cover any part repair as long as that part is included in the contract. Many types of home repair and major appliances are generally covered. Another thing to understand is that a home warranty in Chandler will only repair a part that has been broken, not a part that is about to break. Take the example of banging pipes. Noisy pipes are generally an indicator of problems in the water pressure system, but at which component. If a plumber is sent and cannot pinpoint a failing part, then the homeowner may leave the $50 service charge to you. On the other hand, if the pressure problem is due to a regulator that is not set properly, then you will probably have to pay for that call as well. However, if the regulator is defective and needs to be replaced, then the home warranty provider will honor the claim. This is an important point. The provider does not fix noisy pipes (symptoms) only broken parts. This example is important because if the pressure problems persist, a pipe could burst causing extensive damage. Much of this damage could be the responsibility of the warranty provider. In other words, if they had taken preventative measures with the symptoms, they could have avoided having to underwrite a much larger expense. Regardless, they will not do that. Ultimately, the responsibility for taking the risk of the service call lies with the homeowner. A third component of your home warranty in Chandler is how to deal with denying claims due to existing conditions. This could happen if you own a water heater (with an average lifetime of ten years) and purchase your home warranty just after you have owned the heater for ten years, and just before it decides to give up the ghost. Honoring this claim is tricky because it breaks the risk model of the warranty provider. They are insuring for reasonable wear and tear, and expect to receive premiums during the times appliances are wearing out. Denying this claim could well be reasonable. As you work with a home warranty company, you should understand what they are insuring and decide whether their pattern of honoring or denying claims is reasonable. By understanding the coverage terms, you will know exactly what you are contracting. Homeowners that do complete their homework generally find that the coverage for a home warranty in Chandler is worth the money indeed.]]>

Should a plumbing problem occur your home warranty company will be there for you to help you by handling finding a licensed and reliable plumber so that you do not have to worry that you are being taken advantage of and to ensure a timely repair. But, there are also some basic home plumbing maintenance steps you can take to help prevent plumbing problems and should minor plumbing problems occur, you may be able to handle some simple fixes on your own. First, a great thing for all homeowners to know is where your emergency shut offs are located. You should have emergency shut offs located under all of you plumbing fixtures and knowing how to quickly and effectively shut off water could save some major headaches and help avoid damage during a plumbing problem. Next, in maintaining your kitchen plumbing you will want to do such things as avoid putting any grease or cooking fats down the drain as they will solidify and cause clogs. Also, when running your garbage disposal you should run cold water during the disposal as well as for 15-20 seconds after turning the disposal off. Also, you should avoid putting any hard or stringy materials through your garbage disposal as they can cause damage. In your bathrooms, avoid putting sanitary products, cotton balls, tissues or any other objects down your toilet as they are likely to cause clogs. In your showers make sure your drain has a strainer to catch hair as that will quickly lead to a clog if unmanaged. You will also need to regularly clean the strainers. Also, you should check your water heater at least once a year for sediment build up or leaks. Should a clog occur, there are a few basic ways you can unclog the drain and resume normal usage. First, a great way to unclog a drain that uses basic household ingredients is to pour one cup of baking soda down the drain and then one cup of hot vinegar, wait a few minutes for it to do its work and then flush out the drain with two quarts of very hot water. Another similar method is to pour the one cup of baking soda down the drain and then one half cup of table salt and allow to sit for a few hours. Once it has sat, use very hot water, approximately two cups, and flush the drain. Should more high strength measures be needed there are chemical plumbing cleaners available at most hardware stores. You can also use drain snakes and plungers should the problem be particularly stubborn. By regularly maintaining your home plumbing you can avoid costly repairs. Should you feel your plumbing problem warrants a professional level of repair, contact your home warranty company and explain your problem. A good home warranty company, such as Platinum Home Warranty, will be available 24 hours to assist your with your needs and make sure your repair is handled quickly and professionally.]]>

You have taken care of your yard all spring and summer to ensure it was a beautiful place to spend time and for others to see. The winter months and their cold temperatures can be hard on our yards and lawns but there are many ways you can keep your yard maintained during the winter so that, come spring, it will be ready to come back to life nicely. First, you will want to overseed your grass with a cool season grass for winter to keep your grass looking nice. Maintaining your lawn is probably the most labor intensive part of winter yard maintenance but it is certainly worth it. According to many sources, the best time to overseed your lawn is about six to eight weeks before the first hard freeze of the winter season. You will also want to mow your lawn short during the winter months, especially in particularly cold climates as grass that has grown overly long will lay on itself under the pressure of snow and could cause snow mold which could be destructive to your lawn, or, at the very least, a big pain come spring. In warmer climates, such as Arizona, over-seeding should be done when temperatures during the day are around 78 to 83 degrees. You should also fertilize your lawn before the long winter months. With your grass cut short, fertilizing the lawn will be very effective as the benefits of fertilizer will go straight to the roots producing optimal results. Also, if you will be taking an extended break from mowing your lawn during the winter, you should make sure to tune up your mower prior to storing it. You will want to drain your lawn mower’s gas tank and change the oil. Also, you can clean out any debris stuck in the bottom of your mower, sharpen or replace the blade and check the spark plug. Safety when cleaning your mower is very important and should not be overlooked. Before beginning any maintenance on your mower you should check and make sure the spark plug wire has been disconnected. If you live in an area that receives a lot of snow, be sure to clear the snow regularly and make sure large amounts do not accumulate on any branches as this can be a big hazard. Also, regularly raking up and removing leaves prevents damage to your lawn. You can also protect your plants from damaging freezing temperatures by covering them before a frost occurs. It is best to wait until the fall stages have happened for the plant and it has entered “winter mode.” When temperatures below 34 degrees Fahrenheit are expected to occur, cover your plants with a breathable material such as burlap, linen or even newspaper. You will need to secure your cover with rocks or another device to ensure wind does not shift your covers. If you have any plants in containers it is best to move them inside before a freeze occurs. Luckily, there is not much to winter yard maintenance but it is very important that you take the steps to ensure your yard is prepared for colder temperatures. By properly maintaining your yard in the winter you will be able to easily transition to a spring yard when temperatures warm up a bit.]]>

Whether you are living in a home or have a vacation home that you live in for a portion of the year, there is basic plumbing maintenance that needs to happen. It is very important that when the temperatures start to turn cold, you prepare your plumbing for the change. During the winter, extreme temperatures can lead to problems for many homeowners. It is a good idea to have a home warranty to protect you and your home should a problem arise. A good home warranty will be available around the clock for you and can help you get your repairs done quickly and easily. It will give you the peace of mind that you are covered in case of an emergency. By winterizing your plumbing you can protect your home and hopefully avoid such an emergency altogether. The last thing you want on a cold winter night is to discover that a pipe has burst because you did not properly winterize your plumbing. There are some simple steps you can take to winterize your plumbing and spend time enjoying the holidays with your family rather than dealing with untimely and costly plumbing problems. First, you will want to begin with a simple visual inspection of your plumbing, particularly your external plumbing. If you see any cracked or missing caulk around the external plumbing, you will want to fill and fix any holes as this is an easy way for the cold air to get into the pipes. Additionally, for external pipes, you will want to make sure the pipes are wrapped or insulated in some way. You can get foam to wrap around the pipes, there is also insulating tape available and in a pinch you can always wrap your pipes with insulating towels or rags. You should also disconnect your hose during the winter months. Any water in a garden hose can easily freeze and cause major problems in your pipes. On the inside of your home, you should keep temperatures relatively warm. The internal warmth of your home will help regulate the temperature of your plumbing. If the weather drops very low, for example, below 30 degrees or more, you may want to go around your home and run all the faucets and flush the toilets to keep water moving and help prevent freezing. Lastly, you may consider winterizing your water heater by insulating it. While your water heater will more than likely not be at risk of bursting, it will help your water run more efficiently and help you save money on your energy bills. Depending on your location and how cold it gets, you may need to do all or only some of these things. The important thing is to routinely inspect your plumbing and be aware of what is going on in your home. If you have made the wise decision to invest in a home warranty you also have the added peace of mind that, should a problem arise, you will have someone on your side in an emergency. By properly winterizing your plumbing you will more than likely prevent any major problems and save yourself time and money.]]>

Nobody wants to be cold during the winter months. We crank up the heat and bundle up in our warm and cozy homes. Unfortunately, many insects and rodents can have the same idea as us. They will seek out the warmth and comfort of our homes, especially if we do not keep up with routine maintenance that would prevent them from entering. We often do so much to decorate our homes to make them beautiful during the holiday season but are we masking lurking problems and welcoming pests into our homes? The most important part of winter pest control is prevention. You can save yourself time and frustration by preventing these pests from entering your home in the first place. There are many insects that are dormant during the cold winter months but we cannot forget the ones that seek out warmth and shelter. Some pests to be aware of that could enter your home are ants, cockroaches, and rodents. Being vigilant about year round pest control can keep nasty critters out of your house and away from your family. First, you will want to check the perimeter of your home on a regular basis. Things you should be on the lookout for include the conditions of your walls and roof, should you see any holes or cracks where insects could enter you will want to have them sealed immediately. Also, if you see any scratches, marks, or droppings you may have rodents nearby or already in your home. Chimneys and stove pipes should be covered by protective screens to prevent rodent entry. If you have a fireplace and store firewood it can retain a lot of moisture and invite insects. You will need to store all firewood as far away from your home as possible. By maintaining the exterior of your home you are taking the first step to protecting your home from unwanted visitors during the winter months. Next, you will want to protect the interior of your home. Now is a great time to declutter and maintain general cleanliness. Clutter is like an invitation to rodents and bugs to take up residence in your home. Also, food should be stored in airtight containers. Cleaning out your cabinets will also help prevent creatures from scavenging around in your home. Storing items in cardboard boxes is not a great idea because insects like to hide in cardboard. Instead, in your basement or garage, store items in plastic containers. Should you hear any sounds or scratching in your ceiling or walls it is best to call professionals to help you remove any unwanted visitors from your home. You should also keep up with your routine pest control such as pesticide during the winter months to help ensure protection of your home. When you have decorated your home and made it a beautiful and comfortable place for your family during the winter months the last thing you want are insects and rodents to make an appearance! Routinely maintaining your home will prevent major infestations from occurring and help keep your home beautiful this winter.]]>

Most people who own a home take time to make it beautiful and safe for their families to live in. We routinely vacuum, replace light bulbs, sanitize, maintain appliances, change air filters and more, but we often forget about our smoke detectors. We hope that we will never have to be awoken to the loud alarm of our smoke detectors and we rely on them to protect our families, but we often forget they are there, let alone do routine maintenance checks. According to the National Fire Protection Association, we should be testing our alarms monthly by pressing the test button. Home many of us remember to check our fire alarms yearly, let alone monthly? But the fact is, when a fire occurs in our home it can spread quickly and without our knowledge if our smoke detectors are not properly functioning. Smoke detectors can give us the early warning that will not only help protect our home from total loss, but more importantly, save our lives. If you do not currently have a smoke detector in your home, all hardware stores sell them and they can make recommendations as to how many you need. They are an inexpensive way to protect your home and family, and are also easy to install. Many experts recommend installing smoke detectors in every sleeping area and on every floor of the home. Once you have installed smoke alarms, routine maintenance is critical but it is also relatively easy. According to Realtor.com, “About 90 percent of U.S. households have smoke alarms installed. However, a CPSC survey found that the smoke alarms in 20 percent of those households-about 16 million-were not working, mostly because the battery was dead or missing.” CPSC Chairman Ann Brown also notes that, “Smoke alarms can save lives, but they won’t work if they are not maintained. They should be tested monthly, and the batteries should be replaced at least once a year or when they make the ‘chirping’ sound.” It is astonishing that approximately 16 million smoke detectors were not working! Especially during this time of year when we need to practice fire safety with our holiday decorations and lighting as well as our home heating, those smoke detectors could mean the difference between life and death! Additionally, the age of your smoke detectors could be problematic. The National Fire Protection Association recommends replacing smoke alarms every 10 years or sooner if they do not respond to testing and battery replacement. An interesting fact that some may not know is that there are also smoke alarms available for those hard of hearing or deaf; the alarms use strobe lights and vibration. Along with smoke alarm maintenance it is also very important that every family has a fire escape plan that they have practiced and know well. By taking these steps to maintain your smoke detector you will have the peace of mind that you have protected your family as best as possible from the dangers of fire.]]>

We are all trying to save money right now. Owning a home can be expensive. Having a home warranty is a great way to help should unforeseen home problems arise. Having a home warranty will help to prevent you from spending an arm and a leg if something breaks down. Another great way you can save money year round is with a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat will help you save money because it is energy efficient and it will also be one way to make your home more “green.” When you are sleeping or away from your home during the day your heating and cooling needs will be different than when you are spending time awake inside of your home. According to Houselogic.com, “It’s no secret that heating and cooling account for the bulk of a home’s energy usage – an average of over $1,000 annually. Switching from a manual to a programmable thermostat is one simple way to save as much as $180 a year.” That is a huge savings! The temperature control settings make a programmable thermostat easy to use and efficient. You can time the settings around your schedule so that, in the winter, you can set the thermostat to keep the temperature a little cooler during the day while you are gone, and set it to warm up your home for your arrival. Also, while you are asleep at night you can wear warm clothes and use heavy blankets so you will not need to heat your home as much at night. There are even programmable thermostats that will help you to know what the most energy efficient settings are and learn your habits and adjust itself accordingly! There are programmable thermostats available that even can have different settings for during the week or weekend. Additionally, for those that frequently travel, a great option may be a programmable thermostat that can be managed remotely through a web portal! It does not get more convenient or efficient than that! Lastly, in extreme weather months you can program your thermostat so that your home heats or cools 30 minutes before you intent to wake up or arrive home. You will get all the benefits of energy savings that programmable thermostats offer while still maintaining your comfort all year long. With programmable thermostats no sacrifice in comfort is made and yet energy savings, and thus money savings, are still achieved. Programmable thermostats are relatively inexpensive and fairly easy to install. Now is the time to make the switch to a programmable thermostat and start helping the environment and saving big money today!]]>

There are many every day appliances we rely on to work when we need them, but, often we may forget to properly maintain them. When we make the wise decision to protect ourselves with a home warranty, we often forget to do general maintenance and upkeep on appliances. We can make the most of our investments in both appliances and our home warranties by doing checks and maintenance on our appliances. Microwaves are an invention that has given Americans convenience and timeliness in our increasingly busy society. We often rely on them to quickly heat a meal so that we can make it to work or school on time, get our families fed, and get everything done in our day that we need to. Aside from cleaning out and spilled food or residue, we often do not do any additional maintenance to keep our microwaves functioning properly. While many of us wipe down our microwaves on a regular basis to get those stray pieces of food out, we may not check our grease filter. We should routinely clean out the grease filter on our microwave. As with any general maintenance, you should consult the owners’ manual and follow any manufacturer recommendations. If any food debris has accumulated and is difficult to clean, you can put a glass with a cup of water in it and heat it for approximately 3 minutes. Allow the cup to sit in the microwave for a few minutes. By doing this, you steam the inside of the microwave and loosen all of the difficult stuck on food debris. This will make it much easier to wipe down the inside of your microwave. Once you have ensured that you are working with a properly cleaned microwave, you need to take care to ensure that you are putting the correct things in your microwave. To begin, you should only put microwave safe dishes and containers in your microwave. They should be properly labeled as such to ensure you are not doing damage to your microwave and to also ensure your container will not melt or catch fire. Also, takeout food containers are not typically safe for the microwave. You should also be careful not to use dishes that are too large. By overloading your microwave, you can reduce air circulation in the device, which will cause overstress on your microwave. As with any home maintenance, you should always take precautions to avoid dangerous, electrical situations and to always consult your manufactures guide. It is crucial to follow the manufacturer instructions to a tee. Through the advancement of technology we have been given many of our modern conveniences. We rely heavily on these conveniences, such as microwave, to keep our families functioning on a day to day basis, and in a timely manner. It could greatly slow us down to wake up one day and find that our microwave is not working. By following these simple tips, we can extend the life of our microwave and enjoy the convenience it has to offer.]]>