American Home Shield® (AHS®) brings added security to the real estate transaction
Greg Miller, an associate broker and team leader at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate in Portage, Mich., says that regardless of whether one’s a buyer or seller, a home warranty is important to both parties in a transaction. American Home Shield (AHS) is the company of choice for both Miller and his clients.
For the buyer, who is most likely investing a great deal of life savings and capital into the property, the last thing they want in early ownership is for something to go wrong.
“If the water heater goes, or there’s an electrical problem right away, that’s not the best time for buyers to come up with extra cash,” says Miller, who recently received a call from clients who were dealing with a leaking water heater. Thankfully, they had a home warranty.
“Without that, I would have numerous dissatisfied customers,” says Miller. “If there’s no warranty, there’s nothing for them to do, and that’s not what people want to hear,” adds Miller. “The AHS warranty has saved people money over and over.”
Miller’s clients are especially grateful for AHS protection during the summer months when air conditioners are notoriously known to break, resulting in a hefty price tag.
“A lot of people don’t have that kind of money, and if they don’t have the warranty, the call isn’t going to go well,” says Miller. “It’s stressful for us as agents, too, because we certainly want to help.”
Although not mandatory for his sellers, Miller explains to all of his clients that he would personally never sell a house without a warranty because if something breaks during the listing or inspection period, it could destroy a possible sale.
“Even after the sale, there could be problems,” explains Miller. “Here in Michigan, you accept the property as-is at closing, but things break at very awkward times. The buyer sometimes assumes that the seller didn’t disclose known issues, but that might not be the case. That’s why it’s important the warranty is included on all listings.”
Additionally, for his buyer clients, they routinely ask the seller to provide a home warranty. For a minimal amount of money, the AHS home warranty helps to protect both buyers and sellers from the unexpected and often expensive costs of repair and replacement of covered home-system components and appliances.
Miller recalls the time a seller called him in tears because the furnace had gone out during the listing period. Fortunately, the sellers had an AHS home warranty. After connecting the couple with AHS, they were able to get assistance with the installation of an entirely new furnace, which they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.
Working with Steve Light, his local AHS representative, is an additional benefit of the longstanding relationship.
“Not only is Steve incredible and knowledgeable, he’s someone who answers calls,” says Miller. “The customer service has been unbelievable. If we have problems that we can’t solve, we’ll just call Steve directly and he takes care of it. Both AHS’ customer service and commitment to its agents and customers are excellent.”
For more information, please visit www.ahs.com/realestate.
Keith Loria is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
