While the real estate landscape has changed in many ways over the years, Stuart Thomas, broker/owner of RE/MAX Select One in Huntington Beach, Calif., hasn’t wavered for the past 13 years when it comes to offering each and every client that comes through the door the option to purchase a high-quality home warranty.
After meeting with Roberta Curlender, area manager at First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation, Thomas notes that the decision to team up with the company for his clients’ home warranty needs was a no-brainer. “Not only does Roberta handle herself professionally from the get-go, she’s always available to assist us with our home warranty needs,” says Thomas, who goes on to say that a home warranty is written into every offer they write.
During the past few years when distressed properties were the norm, home warranties played an integral role in enabling a sale to take place. With various plans to choose from, ranging in scope from covering the essential systems and appliances within the home to more comprehensive plans, a First American home warranty goes a long way toward providing buyers peace of mind—which is one thing you can’t put a price on.
For a company with a lot of listings on the books at any given time, “it’s great when a buyer feels confident that something’s covered,” says Thomas. In fact, a quick call to First American’s customer service department will connect the contract holder with a service representative to get the issue addressed in a timely manner.
“If you think about a real estate transaction, certain elements such as the title and escrow don’t come back into play once they’re taken care of,” says Thomas. “But a home warranty is different. It most likely will come into play once the closing has taken place, so having a reliable homebuyer’s protection company on your side is critical.
“I’m constantly hearing from the agents in my office that Roberta provides excellent customer service and that First American’s contractors are professional and reliable.”
For those real estate professionals that are not providing home warranties? According to Thomas, they’re doing their buyers a disservice. “Even if the buyer doesn’t think they need it, at some point down the road, they most certainly will appreciate the value it brings.
“First American is an absolutely rock-solid company, and I know they’ll always be there tomorrow,” says Thomas. “Knowing we are associating our clients with such a solid company, like First American, makes life a lot easier.”
For more information, please visit www.homewarranty.firstam.com.
