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Most Common Home Warranty Claims

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Get the most out of your Home Warranty

As home inspectors, we feel that all houses that are more than 5 years old should have a warranty. Why? Because things fail. A good home warranty can protect you from unexpected repair bills. The problem is that if a defect is pre-existing, meaning it was there before you took possession, your claim could be denied. That is why you need to have a great Home Inspector. If they miss an existing defect, it could void your home warranty leaving you stuck with the bill.

According to American Home Warranty, one of America’s largest home warranty companies, about 80% of home buyers prefer to have a home warranty. And it is easy to see why. Here is a breakdown of the most common claims.

So what are the things that break down in a house the most?

Approximately 79% of all Home Warranty claims are for mechanical failures. Mechanical items are those items in a house that were typically assembled off-site. Some of these items include the garage door openers, food waste disposers, water heaters, and appliances. The remaining claims are for structural items such as the roof, foundation, garage door, etc.

Of all of the mechanical claims made, the vast majority of claims relate to the heating and air conditioning systems (HVAC). These make up over 30% of the mechanical claims. That is why it is so important to have a competent home inspector carefully check these systems during the home inspection. If the HVAC system was not installed properly, or if the defect existed before the new buyer takes possession,  the claim could be denied. With such a high claims rate, you need to be sure the HVAC system is functional at time of inspection in order to be covered. While furnace are nearly always a covered item, AC systems are not always covered. Be sure to add the AC coverage to your policy.

Structural items include the roof, foundation, and other items that are frequently built onsite. Of these, roof problems make up the largest portion of home warranty claims. If you have a claim due to a leak, don’t always expect a whole new roof. You will probably get the area repaired, but an entire new roof is likely not covered. Keep in mind that roof coverage may be optional. So be sure you add it to your home warranty policy.

Home Inspectors often hear people overlook defects in a house which the inspector calls out. For example, an inspector may note that a water heater is at or beyond its expected life. Often there are signs of pending failure. A buyer or agent may say “don’t worry, your home warranty will cover it when it leaks.” Please keep in mind that this is not a wise strategy. While the home warranty company may replace a water heater that leaks, it will not cover secondary damage due to water damage. And the water damage may be far more significant than the cost of a water heater. If your Home Inspector recommends replacing an item, you should consider doing it.

Tags: Home Warranty
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Your Feedback is Important!

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

We Love YOUR Feedback!

We want to hear from you so that we can continue to offer the right services to home buyers. Even if you haven’t made up your mind about which Inspection Company to use, please take this super short, anonymous survey and let us know what you think.

Quick Survey

Thank you!

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Raising the Quality of Home Inspections – Again

Monday, August 1st, 2011

New Supervisory Position to Maintain the Highest Quality Inspections

The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company is happy to announce the promotion of Jamie Hawks to Supervisor of Field Services. This new position will ensure the highest level home inspections available in the industry. Our goal as always is to provide Home Buyers and Real Estate Agents with the most thorough, reliable, consistent home inspections that protect all parties in a real estate transactions.

Jamie will oversee our continuing education, template development, and overall quality of our services and reports. He will also be the point of contact for any dispute resolution should they arise. Jamie’s experience includes thousands of inspections, and just as many clients. His ICC and NACHI certifications uniquely qualify him as an expert in the inspection field.

The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company is the largest home inspection company in San Diego County. We were the first home inspection company in San Diego to include the use of thermal imaging cameras with every home inspection. We combine the use of high-tech equipment with the best reports in the industry. Today we perform more inspections, with more home inspectors than any other home inspection company in San Diego.

When choosing a home inspector please consider our experience, customer service, and use of technology. We are here for you now and we’ll be here in the future. Please call us with any questions or comments at (760) 203-9682. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Home Inspection Company Growing Despite Difficult Market

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Press Release

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Release date:                January 24, 2011

Philippe Heller – President
The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company
1672 Main St. #E-125
Ramona, CA 92065 
(888) 494-5150
pheller@sdinspections.com
www.sdinspections.com  or www.facebook.com/sdinspections

The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company continues to grow despite the uncertain real estate market. We are proud to welcome Jeff Duncan to our team of home inspectors. He brings 8 years of home inspection experience to the company.

“We attribute our growth to an ongoing dedication to excellent service, using the best technology available, and treating buyers with respect and Jeff personifies these values” according to Philippe Heller, president of The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company. “We maintain our leadership role in the San Diego home inspection industry through constant innovation.”

Getting a thorough home inspection is more important that ever due to the large number of bank-owned home sales and “flip” houses. The selling price may be great, but you won’t know what you are buying without a good inspection. Be sure the home inspector you hire is prepared with the best tools available such as thermal infrared cameras and testing equipment such as gas leak detectors, and Carbon Monoxide detectors. Their website http://www.sdinspections.com is very informational for agents and buyers.

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Beware the ‘Newbie’ Home Inspector

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

Nothing Can Take The Place of Experience

It seems like there is a new home inspection company popping up every week. With the slow down in the economy, many people have decided to go out on their own. While you have to appreciate their entrepreneurial spirit, there are some things you need to know before you hire a brand new inspector.

Just like any professional, some things are only learned from experience. So the first thing to know is that regardless of their ‘certification’, the new inspector won’t have the field experience of an inspector who has been in the profession for a number of years. You just don’t learn about the stuff we see from a classroom or via an online course!

So how do you identify a new inspector?

Don’t be lured by a website alone. It is easy to go into business and set up a website. The State of California does NOT license home inspectors. Anyone can print a business card, set up a website and market themselves as a home inspector.

Many new inspectors will use words like ‘we’, ‘group’ or ‘team’ liberally throughout their website. They do this to appear well-established. But in fact many of these companies have just one guy. A multi-inspector firm takes years to build and is only achieved by a very few honest, ethical companies that perform dozens or hundreds of inspections per month. An independent inspector simply does not do enough inspections to support more than one inspector.

Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see how long they’ve been around. The BBB reports when a business was started. If you are a more sophisticated Internet user, you can see when they registered their domain name. You can also check with their certifying organization such as NACHI or CREIA to see how long they have been an inspector.

You will also recognize another common thread among new companies. They are consistently cheaper than the well-established companies. And they are always immediately available. The reasons are clear. They are hungry for work! They would love to practice on your house.

The best inspectors will have a lot of high tech testing equipment, and they carry adequate E&O insurance. Be sure to check with the low price inspector to see if they are insured. Some new inspectors initially forego carrying insurance to save money. (Our insurance is very expensive.) This can be disastrous for everyone involved in a transaction.

Why does this matter?

We frequently hear horror stories about bad inspections. Unfortunately we hear these stories after it is too late – the house has already been purchased. As a buyer or an agent you have to decide what is best. There is no substitute for experience. A home purchase is too important. Choose the best home inspector available.

If you have any questions about what is important when selecting a home inspector, please feel free to contact us. The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Co. Is a multi-inspector firm that has performed thousands of inspections since our founding in 2004.

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