Above, Brad DeVries
Like many of his colleagues and counterparts across the nation, Brad DeVries—president and CEO of HUFF Realty, Rector Hayden REALTORS® & Semonin REALTORS®, Berkshire Hathaway affiliates serving Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio—is laser-focused on successfully navigating a market defined by constricted inventory and high interest rates.
Continuing to emerge from a distressed economy, DeVries is employing a range of practices to provide clients greater levels of comfort throughout the home-buying and -selling process. That includes being there to guide clients through the journey and making sure they understand the value of home warranties.
“Someone once said, ‘90% of this business is just being there.’ And it continues to hold true,” explains DeVries.
“People still want to buy first homes. They’re still getting married, they’re still getting divorced, they’re still having babies, they’re still becoming empty nesters and they’re still moving into retirement homes. And many desire to be investors,” he adds. “We just have to stay in front of them.”
To that end, DeVries and his fellow company leaders are striving to find the sweet spot when it comes to being there for their clients whether physically in the office or working remotely—with a concerted effort toward educating clients about the advantages associated with home warranties such as the HSA home warranty.
After declining home warranty coverage over two decades ago on a new home purchase, DeVries has become a strong supporter of home warranty plans.
“I found out the hard way,” recalls DeVries, who had to shell out thousands of dollars for a new HVAC system. “Had I been properly protected by a home warranty plan, I could have saved a fortune,” he adds.
When asked why he and his team members talk to buyers and sellers about the HSA home warranty—even those purchasing new construction—DeVries doesn’t hesitate to point to the budget protection that comes with the home warranty in addition to the fact that it helps homeowners sleep easier at night.
“Everyone knows that new construction is quite expensive these days. Building materials and labor costs are the drivers for that expense. When a homeowner needs work done on their home, or expensive appliances and mechanicals dealt with, they experience first-hand the costly consequences of not being covered by a home warranty.”
Today, one in four clients secure home warranty protection, although DeVries continuously strives to move the needle closer to 100%.
“Not only are home warranties a true value-add, they’re often used as a negotiating tool, especially during the height of the seller’s market when people were making offers but foregoing inspections in order to make their offer more attractive,” explains DeVries. “A warranty would create much greater peace of mind for the buyer who opted not to have that home inspection,” explains DeVries, who believes that the seller’s coverage is most important—and most valued.
“It covers items during the listing timeframe, transferring the warranty to the new buyer upon closing,” says DeVries. “It helps establish a longer timeframe for coverage than if the buyer purchased it upon closing a loan.”
For more information, please visit https://www.onlinehsa.com.
