Posted: November 15th, 2006
Many of the homes around the region were built in the postwar period and have hot-water boilers for radiation heat. Pipes can be metallic and prone to corrosion. I see lots of appliances which date back to the 70’s and are now likely candidates for failure in the near future. For $425, a warranty is a great deal. In my own home the A/C compressor went out the first summer we were there – the warranty company charged us $50 for the service call (mandatory, by the way) but when the technician condemned the unit, the replacement was free! That paid for a few years of policy right there. My rule of thumb is if the house is older than 5 years but less than 50 years, a warranty should be considered if the appliances are older rather than newer. For a house older than 50 years one should seriously consider a warranty. By the way, warranty companies are starting to offer coverage on roofs, too.
