Learn how the home you are buying or selling compares to its surrounding market. We update our data approximately every 15 minutes!
Ever wonder why automated estimates vary so much? Find out why.
Subscribe and receive email notifications of new blog posts.
RSS Feed
Home insurance and home warranties are similar, but they are not the same. Both provide some sort of coverage for an unexpected event, but coverage and claims are different between the two.
For first-time homebuyers the process of buying your first home can be overwhelming and confusing. It is important to educate yourself and communicate your questions or concerns with your real estate professional. One key factor in owning your first home is to understand the difference between a home warranty and home insurance.
According to HSA Home Warranty, "a home warranty is a one-year contractual guarantee that should certain appliances or mechanical systems fail due to normal wear and tear during the coverage period, those items will be repaired or replaced, subject to a small deductible." A home warranty is in place for the first twelve months after closing.
On the other hand, home insurance provides coverage due to unexpected catastrophes, such as earthquakes, windstorms, fires and more. It also provides protection for loss of property from theft, including everything from jewelry to electronics.
There is no question as to the need for home insurance as your mortgage lender will require you to purchase a policy and have it in place on the day of closing. It will be required as long as you have a mortgage on the property. Further, if you were to purchase a home with cash, home insurance is strongly recommended to protect your investment.
A home warranty isn't required to close or purchase a new home. However, it can provide peace of mind should the dishwasher or hot water heater break two months after closing. A new home comes with lots of opportunities and a lot of unknowns, so this type of coverage will provide breathing room should the unexpected happen and be a costly fix.
In either case, for home warranties and home insurance, ask questions, understand the coverage you will have, and store the paperwork with your closing documents and house information so you have it handy if you need it.
For more articles about purchasing your first home, visit our Cutler Real Estate blog.
We respect your concerns about privacy and value the relationship that we have with you.
Like many sites, we use cookies on our website to collect information to help improve your browsing experience. The cookies that we use allow our website to work and help us to understand what information is most useful to visitors.
For the best website browsing experience, please enable cookies. Go here for instructions on how to enable cookies on your browser.
