There is an insurance that can help keep appliances working like new. With this kind of insurance, if an appliance breaks down, there is a certain amount of coverage given. Even with the insurance, however, keeping appliances up-to-date will make any neighbor jealous. Waiting until the insurance can cover those upgrades helps with a small budget and allows even the most expensive upgrades to be within budget at times.
Appliance insurance, however, is more commonly known as a home warranty in the United States. Very simply, this warranty is exactly what is stated in the first paragraph: a promise that if an appliance breaks down, it can be replaced or upgraded. Of course, the warranty can be full of tricky language that could lead to a denial of a claim. How else would it be available?
The upgrades and repairs offered allow the money saved to be used to upgrade more than one appliance. Say that the kitchen sink is clogged and the fridge is shortchanging. Unclogging the sink is simply a matter of getting under the sink, unscrewing the pipe and blowing. No insurance needed there.
The fridge is replaced under warranty and it only costs about $70. If a family had set aside much more just in case the replacement wasn’t covered, they could now decide to upgrade the light in their kitchen, the kitchen sink faucet, and the guest bathroom tub with the extra money. All the neighbors are suddenly jealous.
Why are the neighbors jealous? The upgrades weren’t simply a discounted, out-of-date version of the light, faucet or tub. They were top-of-the-line, slightly out-of-date updates.
Trendy and fresh, the upgrades had become the talk of the neighborhood. This can be replicated in anyone’s home with a home warranty. Of course, the models and upgrades will vary from case to case, but it could happen as described above.
With top-of-the-line upgrades (usually available at local hardware stores or online), neighbors will be ready to make that family the talk of the neighborhood—in a good way. After all, with updates to most appliances coming in a few years each, there’s plenty of time to get the newest fridge, tub, faucet, light, or whatever else catches their fancy.
While having a new upgrade is good and fancy, making sure the upgrade or repair is worth the money is also a good idea. Reading reviews may be time-consuming, but if the company or product has three times the bad reviews as it does good, it was worth it. The same goes for if the product or service has five times the good reviews than it does the bad. Even if the best company in the area is only average, making sure that it’s the best in the area is worth the time invested in the endeavor.
Imagine the same situation from earlier (the kitchen sink and the fridge), but the family didn’t do the research. The fridge that came in for $70 is actually incredibly difficult to keep cold and fries the circuit every other day. However, instead of being able to upgrade the tub and everything else, they have to buy a brand new fridge. While the fridge is incredible with double doors and large shelves, the tub is still in need of an upgrade and there’s no money to do so.
While home warranties have their ups and downs, if used carefully and with consideration, the upgrades and replacements can keep all the neighbors jealous.
This post was originally published on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. Check the blog daily for real estate tips and trends for you and your clients.
