What are Home Warranty Plans? | IGS
Buying a home is a momentous occasion for most people, but it's easy to forget that a house is basically a collection of wires, pipes, and other critical systems. Over time, normal wear and tear and can take its toll and cause these to fail. While you can't predict an emergency, a home warranty product can help you get the repairs you need without breaking the bank.
Here's something you might not know: It seems like your utility company or your homeowners insurance should handle repairs for normal wear and tear on pipes and wires – but that’s typically not true. Often times, these pipes, lines, and wires are your responsibility.
So, what do you do?
Believe it or not, nearly 65% of American homeowners don’t have enough in their savings accounts to cover even the smallest repairs. Unfortunately, unexpected malfunctions or breaks can cost thousands of dollars to repair. The key to managing these unexpected situations is to plan ahead and protect yourself. That's the benefit of a home warranty protection plan.
Choose a home warranty plan.
Paying a low monthly rate to protect your budget from some of the biggest household disasters sounds like a no brainer, right? But, is it really all it’s cracked up to be? When you’re comparing home warranty protection products, there are a few things you should be mindful of:
Does the company guarantee the quality of the repair service?
When something breaks, you won’t want to go through the scenario again anytime soon. So, you’ll want to get the details on the repair quality from the home warranty company. Customer reviews or testimonials may be a great way to find out about the quality of a home warranty plan's repair services.
How often does the home warranty company pay for service?
Are there a lot of hoops for your service request to jump through? This is a great question to ask so you can be sure you’re choosing the right company. Plus, having a solid understanding of how the request for service process works will be one less thing you need to worry about when an incident happens.
What does the home warranty protect?
Not all home warranty plans are created equally. There are a lot of things that are protected, but to keep each plan affordable, there are a handful of things that aren’t. When conducting a home protection plan comparison, make sure to check each warranty's terms of service so you know what you’re signing up (and paying) for.
How quickly can you expect your home warranty service request to be completed?
The home protection company may not be able to give you specifics, but process timing is important to consider. Here are a few process considerations to evaluate. Ask about how long it takes between:
- Reporting of the request to a contractor being sent
- Contractor evaluation to service request approval
- Request approval to job start time
- Job start time to job finish time
Are there any hidden fees?
Things like fees for early termination or service visits can be hidden upfront and may come back to make your repairs more expensive than you’d like. So, be sure you read your service agreement thoroughly.
We want to help make your decision easier.
At IGS Energy, we pride ourselves on exceptional customer service. Not only do we offer a variety of home warranty products to suit your needs, we don’t apply a cancellation fee should you decide our product isn’t for you. Learn more about our home warranty plans. If you should ever have a home warranty service request, all you have to do is give us a call or fill out the service request form and we’ll handle the rest for you:
- We will identify a professional for you from our trusted network of certified contractors.
- The contractor will contact you (within 12 hours of reporting your claim) to schedule the repair.
- We will guarantee the quality of the protected repair for one year.