Richie Alan Naggar, agent & author  (people first...then business Ran Right Realty )

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Katina Hargrove 352-551-0308
Stake Your Land Realty, Inc. - Eustis, FL
Broker/Owner, SFR®, e-PRO®, GRI, AHWD, REALTOR®

Richie Alan Naggar,

Mandatory is an ugly word in any situation. Optional is best😊

Aug 28, 2023 04:56 PM
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

While I believe some are necessary, I don't believe they should be mandatory.

I fear that the term 'MANDATORY' would elicit price-gouging and a highly competitive race to see which home warranty provider can charge the highest prices!

Aug 28, 2023 03:40 PM
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Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

 

We have enough MANDADES thank you very much. 

I'm all for Free Will not being forced into doing something I may not otherwise choose to do. 

It is prudent, as most E&O carriers have incentives for sellers who provide them. 

Aug 28, 2023 04:35 PM
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Candice A. Donofrio
Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker - Fort Mohave, AZ
928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text

Not everybody wants a home warranty. Some warranties are only as good as the vendors that are willing to work with them and many good ones won't because they don't want to wait for authorizations or slow pays. And they're busy enough without them.

Investors in residential don't want them, they have their own maintenance people.

Now my E&O insurance asks me every year what percentage of your residential includes a home warranty and the answer to that is 100%. Still, I disagree that they should be mandatory.

 

Aug 28, 2023 01:35 PM
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Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

Based on experience - total waste of money.
We fired AHS, I fired my rep of 22 years and will never refer AHS nor HW's again. I know some of my clients scored big with them, but my personal experience was...

How The Shining went from box-office flop to one of cinema's ...

 

Aug 28, 2023 06:38 PM
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Buzz Mackintosh
Mackintosh REALTORS - Frederick, MD
“Experience, reliable, leadership”

Mandatory is not a good practice to begin, choice works best. A Buyer or Seller should be offered the ability to purchase and it is a good E&O CYA to have an agent document that for their file.

Aug 28, 2023 06:28 PM
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Ray Henson
eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277) - Elk Grove, CA
Realtor

If we can't negotiate one, then I buy one for my client.  I do not like making them mandatory.  The last thing we need in our industry is a mandatory home warranty.  I would imagine home warranty prices going up and their service level down almost immediately after they were mandated. 

 

Aug 28, 2023 02:48 PM
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Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Mandatory?  No thank you.  

Aug 28, 2023 06:01 PM
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Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

If a buyer wants a warranty they can buy one. And, be careful which one you choose. They all have exclusions of which you may be unaware.

Aug 29, 2023 03:40 AM
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Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

I think we have enough mandatory things as it is.  They are not appropriate in all transactions (investor purchases/REOs/etc.) and it wouldn't be long before the quality of the HPP goes down and the price goes up, if they get mandated.

Aug 28, 2023 10:52 PM
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Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

I'm not much of a fan of "mandatory".  If you live in a market where the average price is 7 figures, dropping $500 on a home warranty isn't a big impact.  But do the same for a home that costs under $200k and the impact is much greater.

And like everything else, some home warranty companies are great, and some are...not so great.  I've experienced both.  Personally we used to have one on our own home, some years it paid off, others it didn't.  But when it took 3 weeks to get a oven heating coil that I could have picked up the next day and installed myself in 15 minutes or less, I checked out of the program.

Aug 28, 2023 03:53 PM
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Jeff Pearl
RE/MAX Distinctive / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

It's a choice. All I hear about home warranties is complaints. Every home will need maintenance and repairs. Everyone should know that. every good home inspector should be able to tell a buyer how much life is left on hvac, appliances, roofing shingles, etc. If a buyer wants a home warranty, either them or their agent can buy one. I know several agents that have paid for warranties for their buyers. Buyers should just set $500.00 aside every month to use for home maintenance. That's $6000.00 a year. Then they can hire local handy persons or contractors when needed.

Aug 28, 2023 02:14 PM
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

I don't believe in making things like this mandatory. 

Aug 29, 2023 04:46 AM
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Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
A moving experience!

Ask me how I feel about "mandatory" private mortgage insurance... go ahead, ask me.  And now you want to add mandatory home warranty?!  I don't think so!

Aug 29, 2023 04:25 AM
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Shayne Stone
HomeSmart - Fulshear, TX
"Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED

NO!

 

I believe that everyone should become their OWN Warranty company and take those monthly payments and deposit them into a Savings Account. And there is a repair needed and you were able to fix yourself, make the deductible payment to your Savings Account...

 

Y'all would be amazed on how much y'all would be Saving!!! LOL

 

Aug 28, 2023 05:02 PM
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Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

I don't believe in mandatory.  However, I do advocate risk reduction and making good choices and giving good advice to my clients. 

Aug 28, 2023 03:23 PM
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Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent

A home warranty can be priceless, especially if the house is older, was not properly maintained or appliances are at the end of life but something to be negotiated between buyer/seller, not mandatory.

My husbands nephew and wife used another agent to buy their first house and it cost his mom & dad $6,000 for a new HVAC system because the home warranty was not asked for, not included in the sale!

Aug 28, 2023 02:18 PM
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John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

We have an 'opt out' clause in our standard purchase form as far as the home warranty is concerned. Yet, it is expected that the seller will provide the buyer with a home warranty. Not a law, but real estate tradition.

I am a believer in home warranties. I have seen them save the day too many times not to want my buyer to have a home warranty.

It can also protect the seller from accusations such as "You knew that water heater was failing and you refused to tell us!".

Aug 28, 2023 02:03 PM
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Clay R. Seay
Florida Homes Realty & Mortgage - Saint Augustine, FL

No, hell NO !... how about a survey? title insurance? an appraisal? a home inspection? None are MANDATORY, but by all means, lets make a home warranty the one item that MUST be purchased, lol, NOT !

 

Aug 29, 2023 08:00 AM
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

I have never been against them & I was amazed to see how many people are buying them every year for their own homes. 

It's just not for new buyers any more.

I'm allergic to mandatory.

Aug 29, 2023 06:50 AM
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Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

As Realtors, I don't think we can make this mandatory. I'm with those who don't want it mandatory. Not everyone wants a warranty and not everyone would use it the first year. 

I personally had a bad experience with a home warranty. The seller provided it from a reputable company. It was for a home we owned in Wilmington. My son and a couple roommates lived in it. The water heater went out. We couldn't get the warranty company out to look at it or even return our calls. College boys can go a day without a shower or two let alone a week. I had to call them out on social media and ended up replacing it myself and getting reimbursed. It was a terrible experience.

I do think they're good to have for older homes or first time homebuyers but not everyone uses them. 

Aug 29, 2023 06:33 AM
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Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Mandatory???  Absolutely beyond our authority and an extreme over reach.

If we want to help to sell these, that is another area that I have a problem with since it makes us look complicit when there is a dispute with the warranty company for not performing their obligation.

Best to just suggest that they should get one, and leave out the endorsements and side sales of these questionable warranties.

Aug 29, 2023 04:15 AM
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Margaret Shea
Margaret Shea, William Raveis Real Estate - Cheshire, CT
Integrity, Service, Experience Working for You!

Glad to see so many agents and brokers come in on the side of optional. If you've ever taken the time to read the fine print in a home warranty contract, you'll see why we should stay out of it!  For the buyer, a home warranty can either be helpful or it can lull a buyer into a false sense of security and discourage due diligence. 

Aug 29, 2023 11:06 AM
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Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Richie, I think they should remain optional, and CO put a paragraph into the contracts to buyers and sellers know they are available.    

Aug 29, 2023 10:42 AM
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Diana Zaccaro Broker Associate
Tropical Beachside brokered by eXp - Cocoa Beach, FL
"The Accidental Blogger" Cocoa Beach, Florida

I think it should be optional, not mandatory. There is enough regulation and BS that we have to deal with, more is not needed. And they don't always work, I have never used or given one but have heard plenty of horror stories about problems people have had with HW companies.

 

Aug 29, 2023 09:36 PM
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Adam Feinberg
Elegran - Manhattan, NY
NYC Condo, Co-op, and Townhouse Advisor

Warranties are only as good as the company backing it. While there are likely some reputable company's offering them, I don't know who they are- and whether the conditions will remain that way. I don't want to risk my business reputation on others. 

Sep 03, 2023 08:57 PM
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Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

In our listing contract, the seller can choose to purchase or not. I used to object to the big brokerages-they give bonuses to agents for using the warranty. I still want to sell houses not warranty insurance.

Aug 31, 2023 03:51 PM
Rainmaker
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Tony Lewis
Summit Real Estate Group - Valencia, CA
Summit Real Estate Group Valencia & Aliso Viejo

Not one size fits all.  Some buyers won't use them others may tear down their house.  Having the option to have one is enough for me.

Aug 31, 2023 12:31 PM