It’s a wonderful feeling when you finally clinch your property deal and realize you have become a homeowner for the very first time. Sometimes seemingly endless weeks or months have gone by, while you jump through lots of administrative hoops, before your purchase is finally approved and you, literally, get the keys to the door. Unlike rentals, ownership brings with it lots of freedoms and also responsibilities. The fate and the upkeep of the property is now in your hands, and you have to look after it structurally as well as to purchase and maintain the contents.

Moving home

If you’ve lived in rented accommodation for a while you may have furniture and appliances that you can simply transfer, or you may prefer to make a fresh start and buy new items. For most people, it’s usually a bit of both – if you start off with stuff you’ve owned for some time, you can gradually replace it with new versions when they’re affordable. One way to help you do this is to use a protection plan for your new home and its contents, such as a home warranty. If you’re searching for home warranty companies, you’ll soon find that among the top companies are firms that offer you a particularly good service. Check reputable websites for endorsements by business watchdogs such as consumeraffairs.com and trustpilot.com.

Warranties for your new home

If you’re a first-time homeowner you’ll be new to the business of home maintenance and repairs, which makes a home warranty a really useful backstop. Given the expenses of buying a property, you are unlikely to have access to emergency funds straight away should anything unexpectedly go wrong. That’s why a home warranty is such a smart option. One annual fee can cover repairs to the systems and appliances in your home, providing you with financial security in the face of potentially costly repairs.

Older appliances

If you’re bringing existing equipment and appliances with you when you move, you’ll find that, with reputable warranty firms, age doesn’t matter. The best, most reliable, firms cover items that are in good working condition and have been properly maintained, no matter their age. Depending on your plan, the same applies even if you’ve bought an older property with fairly ancient heating or air conditioning systems. As long as these are maintained in good working order, your home warranty will cover them.

Insurance

If you’re not clear about the benefits of a home warranty compared to home insurance, you may want to consider the important differences between the two. Home insurance exists to cover items damaged by some type of hazard – such as a fire, wind, flood or certain other natural disasters. A home warranty, on the other hand, will help you to repair your household appliances and mechanical systems, that have been properly maintained, and that eventually fail simply due to normal wear and tear.

Additions

In certain circumstances you might wish to add extra items to your basic plan, for example if you’ve taken a mortgage to fund the costs of fitting solar panels you may want to check if these can be added to your home warranty. The same is true if you install a pool or spa, for instance, or a septic tank system. In most cases, so long as you pay attention to regular general maintenance tips you will manage to keep your new home in great condition, and in the event of a problem your home warranty supplier will cover any allowable damage.

Protecting your property

The first property you own won’t necessarily be your last, so preserving and improving on your property’s value is key when it comes to climbing the property ladder. As long as you benefit from high quality replacements or repairs to systems or appliances that break down, you will be maintaining your property in the best possible way, thus enhancing its value. For example, an existing home warranty on your property can result in it selling on up to 50 percent faster than homes without a warranty, according to reports, plus you may get a return that is also about three percent higher.

Finally, it’s possible, although not likely, that for an entire 12 months you will not need to call on your warranty for any home repairs at all. However, even if this is the case, your peace of mind is likely still well worth the cost of your annual service contract.