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Why Millennial Homeowners Love HomeServe

The best way to protect your home from the unexpected

I'll share one of my biggest fears. It might seem irrational, but I lay awake each night, hoping that I won't turn into my parents. (Though most people who know my parents, Jeff and Claire, love them and tell me on the daily that I'd be lucky to end up like them.)

But here's the deal. When my parents were my current age (29), they were already married, owned a home, and had a little one on the way (me.) They didn't travel, or eat meals out at nice, farm-to-table restaurants, or spend money on expensive cars and clothes (yep, guilty as charged.) They weren't living in an expensive apartment, with 2 roommates (though l am looking to move), working 60+ hours a week at a tech startup (again looking to move). And while the thought of becoming an adult, owning a home, and all the responsibility that comes with it is scary, I'll admit that with each passing year of my life, I am starting to surrender to the idea and thinking it might not be so bad.

So when my boyfriend of 6 years recently suggested we buy a small home together, I'll admit I panicked a bit. "No, I'll for sure turn into Jeff and Claire," I exclaimed. But as we started looking at these cute Cape Cod style-homes, with white picket fences and little grassy yards for my baby (aka my yellow lab Delilah) to run around in, I thought maybe becoming like Jeff and Claire wouldn't be so bad. So I started thinking seriously about taking my hard-earned cash, pooling it with my BF's money, putting down roots in a little suburban town, and purchasing the most expensive thing I'll probably ever own.

What happened next was a huge "adulting" realization. The costs of moving in, closing costs, mortgage payments, buying homeowner's insurance were all completely overwhelming. My parents were helpful. Letting me borrow money for the closing costs and helping give us advice on the reality of homeownership. The best piece of advice they gave us? That most basic homeowner's insurance doesn't cover everything that goes wrong in your home. My dad told me that you can end up spending a lot of money out of pocket to repair a system in your home if something happens just from normal wear and tear.

Like, did you know that, in most cases, homeowners are responsible for the sewer and water lines leading to the home? Well, according to my dad - it's a fact. You can look it up. If there's a problem with those lines, I, as the homeowner, am gonna have to pay for it. Yet another bill and expense! UGH!

So one night, my BF and I were watching Design on a Dime on HGTV and saw an ad talking about a company calledHomeServe. HomeServe has been around for over 15 years and offers home repair plans that help you deal with the costs associated with unexpected home repairs from normal wear and tear that aren't covered by typical basic homeowner's insurance. Which is good because I did some research: it turns out that problems that usually happen due to wear and tear around the home are not covered by my basic homeowners' insurance.

My BF and I started to Google home repair plans. We found out that HomeServe offers coverage for the repair or replacement of important home systems and can help you deal with these common home repair issues like heating and cooling system failures, burst water pipes and plumbing line issues, and some electrical equipment problems.

A plan fromHomeServeis relatively inexpensive – you can get a plan for less than your monthly Starbucks habit. And since you'll be prepared before things go wrong, you can avoid home repair headaches down the line.

And HomeServe is there to help. My dad's friend had a plan from HomeServe and told us at Jeff and Claire's annual BBQ that HomeServe is crazy committed to customer service. When you have a plan in place, and something covered on your plan goes wrong, HomeServe finds a technician for you. You simply call the HomeServe 24-hour repair hotline.

So I now have a home with a white picket fence and a plan from HomeServe. And if something on my plan should go wrong, I won't hesitate to call them to get the problem fixed.

My latest fear? I looked in the mirror the other day and saw a few first grey hairs popping up. Looks like I am really am turning into my parents.

Fear not when you're prepared with a plan from HomeServe. Learn more.

home warranty
SPONSORED

Why Millennial Homeowners Love HomeServe

The best way to protect your home from the unexpected

I'll share one of my biggest fears. It might seem irrational, but I lay awake each night, hoping that I won't turn into my parents. (Though most people who know my parents, Jeff and Claire, love them and tell me on the daily that I'd be lucky to end up like them.)

But here's the deal. When my parents were my current age (29), they were already married, owned a home, and had a little one on the way (me.) They didn't travel, or eat meals out at nice, farm-to-table restaurants, or spend money on expensive cars and clothes (yep, guilty as charged.) They weren't living in an expensive apartment, with 2 roommates (though l am looking to move), working 60+ hours a week at a tech startup (again looking to move). And while the thought of becoming an adult, owning a home, and all the responsibility that comes with it is scary, I'll admit that with each passing year of my life, I am starting to surrender to the idea and thinking it might not be so bad.

So when my boyfriend of 6 years recently suggested we buy a small home together, I'll admit I panicked a bit. "No, I'll for sure turn into Jeff and Claire," I exclaimed. But as we started looking at these cute Cape Cod style-homes, with white picket fences and little grassy yards for my baby (aka my yellow lab Delilah) to run around in, I thought maybe becoming like Jeff and Claire wouldn't be so bad. So I started thinking seriously about taking my hard-earned cash, pooling it with my BF's money, putting down roots in a little suburban town, and purchasing the most expensive thing I'll probably ever own.

What happened next was a huge "adulting" realization. The costs of moving in, closing costs, mortgage payments, buying homeowner's insurance were all completely overwhelming. My parents were helpful. Letting me borrow money for the closing costs and helping give us advice on the reality of homeownership. The best piece of advice they gave us? That most basic homeowner's insurance doesn't cover everything that goes wrong in your home. My dad told me that you can end up spending a lot of money out of pocket to repair a system in your home if something happens just from normal wear and tear.

Like, did you know that, in most cases, homeowners are responsible for the sewer and water lines leading to the home? Well, according to my dad - it's a fact. You can look it up. If there's a problem with those lines, I, as the homeowner, am gonna have to pay for it. Yet another bill and expense! UGH!

So one night, my BF and I were watching Design on a Dime on HGTV and saw an ad talking about a company calledHomeServe. HomeServe has been around for over 15 years and offers home repair plans that help you deal with the costs associated with unexpected home repairs from normal wear and tear that aren't covered by typical basic homeowner's insurance. Which is good because I did some research: it turns out that problems that usually happen due to wear and tear around the home are not covered by my basic homeowners' insurance.

My BF and I started to Google home repair plans. We found out that HomeServe offers coverage for the repair or replacement of important home systems and can help you deal with these common home repair issues like heating and cooling system failures, burst water pipes and plumbing line issues, and some electrical equipment problems.

A plan fromHomeServeis relatively inexpensive – you can get a plan for less than your monthly Starbucks habit. And since you'll be prepared before things go wrong, you can avoid home repair headaches down the line.

And HomeServe is there to help. My dad's friend had a plan from HomeServe and told us at Jeff and Claire's annual BBQ that HomeServe is crazy committed to customer service. When you have a plan in place, and something covered on your plan goes wrong, HomeServe finds a technician for you. You simply call the HomeServe 24-hour repair hotline.

So I now have a home with a white picket fence and a plan from HomeServe. And if something on my plan should go wrong, I won't hesitate to call them to get the problem fixed.

My latest fear? I looked in the mirror the other day and saw a few first grey hairs popping up. Looks like I am really am turning into my parents.

Fear not when you're prepared with a plan from HomeServe. Learn more.

home warranty
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Don't Rely On Luck, Rely On HomeServe

No one likes dealing with the hassles and messes of homeownership. Especially issues with your plumbing system.

Overflowing toilets. Sink clogs. These aren't issues most homeowners like to talk about, let alone deal with. But when something goes awry with the plumbing system in your home, you need to spring into action as soon as possible. So let me tell you a little story. One about how my indoor plumbing breakdowns surfaced and were addressed - and how having a home warranty plan in place from HomeServe was worth it as it helped me manage the costs.

Signs of the problem

As pointed out by The Spruce, the emergence of brownish or blackish wastewater from one or more drains - or the toilet - represents a pretty clear sign of problems with the pipes that connect your home to the local municipal sewer lines. Multiple plumbing fixtures backing up all at once is an even bigger red flag.

If the sight of disgusting brown/black water doesn't immediately alarm you, the odors that often accompanying the dark water definitely will. That's what happened with me - I first noticed it in the kitchen sink, while rinsing off some dishes. What should've been a routine chore quickly turned nasty and gross.

I followed the advice of SFGate Home Guides and set out looking for additional signs of clogs in the plumbing. Unfortunately, this isn't quite as easy with pipes that are connected to a city or town sewer system, as opposed to a septic tank, where you can check the inlet and outlet baffles yourself. So I operated on the assumption that tree roots problem were to blame, as they frequently are in sewer clogs, and carefully deployed some organic drain cleaner - metam sodium herbicide, in this case. I figured that the problem was solved, but was wrong.

When the toilet stopped working altogether, I had a local plumber come look at it, and while the cleaner I'd used wasn't responsible, some portions of the pipe network were breaking down and needed to be replaced.

HomeServe to the rescue

My first instinct was to be frustrated at the situation, but I quickly had to turn my attention to the prospect of affording this plumbing work out of pocket. Yikes.

As always, it was my wife to the rescue. Five years ago when we first bought the house, she'd discovered HomeServe home repair plans. And just last winter (prior to the beginning of this nightmare,) we had purchased a TotalHome Warranty Systems Plan. Flash-forward to the septic troubles and me bemoaning the forthcoming repair bill. She said, "Wow, you totally forgot we bought that HomeServe plan, huh?" Indeed I had.

The Interior Plumbing portion of the Systems Plan includes coverage for a broad spectrum of leaks, clogs, sump-pump problems and other issues common to the pipes connecting your home's drains to the local sewer. We called HomeServe to file our claim, and they sent a licensed plumber out to take a look. Because everything that turned out to be wrong fell under the plan's stipulations, we were covered. No bill. (Though I was out the money I'd spent having someone come out to check the plumbing before my wife reminded me that we had a TotalHome Warranty plan.)

So, long story short. It can be stressful dealing with home maintenance, and even more so when repairs are necessary. But when you're prepared with a plan, they don't have to be a financial catastrophe.

Click here to learn more about how TotalHome Warranty and other plans from HomeServe can help with the costs of covered repairs.

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Are Home Warranty Plans Worth It?

HomeServe covers essentials systems your insurance wont

Basic home insurance doesn't typically cover systems like heating and AC that break down from normal wear and tear. Does everyone in the world know this except me?

Here's the backstory. My wife and I bought our home 3 years ago. And up until 2 months ago, things had been going smoothly and we loved being homeowners. Then, during the drudges of winter, our heating system decided to break down. I realized that our homeowner's insurance doesn't cover it ( wonderful, I thought to myself). The end result? It took us days to find someone to come fix it. Not to mention it ended up costing us an arm and a leg.

Confused by what exactly basic home insurance typically does cover, I did a little digging online. I saw a lot of homeowners talking about the importance of a home repair plan that covers systems like plumbing, heating, and cooling. And the name that kept popping up? HomeServe.

I figured getting a plan would be mad expensive and not all that necessary. Would another home system fail us? "Knowing our luck, probably" my wife said repeatedly.

So I decided to look into plans from HomeServe, and I was very surprised to learn these 5 things

HomeServe Special Offer!
Get 50% Off a Plan Your First Year.
24/7 Coverage
Apply Online In Minutes!

Easy to apply! All done online in a matter of minutes, or via phone.

The plans cover systems that breakdown from normal wear and tear which isn't usually covered by basic home insurance. AC, Heating, Plumbing, Electrical - the essentials and conveniences of everyday life and home systems that you would never want to be without!

When you have a plan in place and a pipe bursts in the middle of the night, just contact HomeServe's 24/7 repair hotline. A HomeServe representative will schedule a trusted contractor to fix it.

It's affordable. You can use the website to see what plans are available in your area.

We signed up for a plan from HomeServe. The best part has been the peace of mind. We are now prepared for the home repairs that may come our way.

affordable home warranty plan