BHHS Select Properties President and CEO Maryann Vitale Alles endorses the HSA Home Warranty.
Forty years ago, Disney opened its futuristic EPCOT theme park, TV viewers were checking out David Letterman for the first time and newly minted REALTOR® Maryann Vitale Alles was providing an added touch of service by educating clients on the importance of home warranties.
“After I got my license, my original company had a relationship with the home warranty company now branded as HSA Home Warranty, and they’re the same people I’m still working with today,” says Vitale Alles.
That practice has followed her through a career arc that has seen her transition from REALTOR® to CEO and owner of the largest locally owned real estate company in Metro St. Louis servicing both sides of the river. Today, as president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties, Vitale Alles and her team of 550 agents are helping clients buy and sell homes across Metro St. Louis. She still insists that every qualified client be made aware of the benefits associated with investing in a home warranty.
With inventory tight, and at least half of the homes being sold by her agents ranging anywhere from 20 to 30 years old, Vitale Alles sees an HSA investment as “a win-win.”
“During the pandemic insanity, very few clients were receptive, but now we see home warranty investments coming back in a big way. Sellers are offering them, and buyers are looking for them because they need some risk protection for the most expensive things that are covered by a home warranty,” says Vitale Alles, who goes on to explain that since January, some of the markets her firm serves are showing a significant increase in home warranty acquisitions.
Vitale Alles adds, “Even though buyers are waiving inspections, sellers want some comfort.”
Over the years, Vitale Alles has been approached by numerous home warranty companies.
“When a new home warranty company hits the market, it’s like everybody wants to take you to the prom,” she says, “but we’ve always had a good relationship with HSA and their team. We share the same values, and you want to build a long-term relationship like this with a company that shares your values.”
Vitale Alles appreciates the way in which HSA takes a hands-on approach to training each and every one of her company’s agents, reinforcing the importance of investing in a home warranty.
“We then insist that every agent present the HSA home warranty, explaining how it works and the benefits to the consumer. This is important because I don’t want agents out there recommending anything unless they’ve been trained on it. It’s risk-management protection for consumers,” she adds.
The biggest advantage, according to Vitale Alles, is that sellers don’t have to pay for the warranty until the closing—and if the property doesn’t sell, the sellers don’t have any financial liability.
If for whatever reason a warranty is not procured at the time of the contract, Vitale Alles then turns to her agents’ training to help educate buyers about the importance of acquiring a home warranty at closing, noting the benefits that extend beyond basic protection, such as HSA’s rekeying service.
“I would highly recommend any owner or agent develop a relationship with a home warranty company like HSA,” says Vitale Alles. “I even give my neighbors HSA brochures because I think it’s a good investment for existing property owners, too,” she concludes.
For more information, please visit https://www.onlinehsa.com.
New Jersey residents: The product being offered is a service contract and is separate and distinct from any product or service warranty which may be provided by the home builder or manufacturer.
