Home Warranty in Plano, TX? Discover Relevant Companies
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Best Home Warranty in Plano, TX
Looking for the best data on home warranty plans for your Plano, Texas home? That’s great – you are in the right place. Whether you are a long-time resident or just moving into town, you’ll want to get the lowdown on what to look for and avoid when it comes to home warranty coverage. But first, here are the top three companies providing home warranties in the Plano residential area:
If you are living there, you know Plano is no sleepy suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is a vibrant, growing community with a population of close to 300,000. With a median household income of $95,000, Plano is well above the national average. Homes in Plano have an average appraised value of over $378,000.
So if you are a Plano homeowner, you have a lot to protect. The right home warranty company can help provide another layer of protection beyond what a homeowner’s insurance policy can. A home warranty will cover specific items in your home against breakdown due to everyday normal wear and tear. Homeowner’s insurance will cover when disaster strikes, but when everyday breakdowns occur, you are stuck with the bill. By covering items in your homes like the air conditioning system and appliances like your dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator all in one home warranty plan, you don’t have to worry about if and when they may break down. A home warranty is a service contract that offers a comprehensive protection plan for your home.
Whether you are thinking of selling or staying in your home for a while, the volatility of the housing market is on everyone’s mind these days. When will the bubble burst? How can I keep my investment in this home as safe as possible? Protecting the most expensive and most in-use home appliances and home systems with a home warranty is one way.
If you are new to the area or considering a move, here is a quick video highlighting 15 great things to do in Plano, TX:
Who needs a Home Warranty in Plano?
In the broadest sense, anyone who owns a home in Plano can benefit from a home warranty. This really comes into focus when you think about all of the systems and appliances that need to be functioning all the time in order to keep your home running smoothly. If you have pipes leaking, fixing them can cost a lot of money. Or when your stove stops working and the kids are coming home for the weekend. Or if you go to get a shower and realize the hot water heater is not working. Any of these things can cause a lot of stress and cost a lot of money. Having all of these items and more covered under one policy is a bargain when you think of the alternative.
Let’s look at why homeowners living in Plano should consider a home warranty. Plano has a significant homeownership rate of 61%, just slightly below the national average of 64%. That means there are a lot of primary residences where maintenance and home repairs are a fact of life. Figuring out how to manage all of that can be a challenge.
In a real estate market like Plano, having a home warranty as part of a home purchase can make the transaction go more smoothly. If you are selling a home in Plano, consider purchasing a home warranty to give homebuyers an extra incentive and peace of mind as they make this big purchase of a new home. Home inspections during a real estate transaction can add extra stress to the sale. A home warranty can help alleviate some of that stress. Sellers and buyers should check with your real estate professional to see if they offer a home warranty as part of their suite of services.
There is still another area of home protection in Plano to consider. Forbes Magazine recently ranked Plano as the number one city for renters in the US. With a renters rate of 39%, there are a lot of reasons for landlords to make sure their properties are well maintained. Part of keeping things running smoothly could be a home warranty on your rental properties. Rather than having a repair and maintenance budget that amounts to an educated guess, paying a set amount for a home warranty can give you as a property owner the peace of mind that comes with knowing those important systems and appliances are covered. Instead of dreading those calls from tenants, you know exactly how to handle the problem – with a well-trained technician sent by the home warranty provider!
Plano is a great place to live, with home prices that mirror the national average median and average home sale price. Protecting that investment is important. So if you own real property in Plano, it is good that you are looking closely at your options for home warranty protection.
Top Home Warranty Companies for Plano Homeowners
Top 3 Home Warranties for Plano (2021)
Choice Home Warranty (Best Home Warranty for Plano)
Choice has the best plans at the most competitive prices, along with having among the highest coverage limits of our top picks. That’s why they hit #1 in Plano and in our national rankings.
Select Home Warranty is the most affordable option in Plano. With the overall cost of living being a bit high in Plano, it is nice to have a plan choice that is a bit more affordable.
Top 5 Best Home Warranties In Plano
We’ve looked carefully at the top home warranty companies serving Texas to provide you with details on our top five picks.
Why would Plano homeowners pick Choice for their home warranty service? They are a market leader, with excellent plans at reasonable prices. They are not the rock-bottom least expensive, but they are not the priciest either. We like them for their excellent track record with communication, contractor professionalism, and especially their low rate of claim denial, which is fully half the industry average according to our research.
What do you get for the dollars you spend? The big payoff with Choice is in their above industry-standard coverage limits. They will pay out up to $3,000 per contract item for access, diagnosis, and repair or replacement. That probably won’t replace an entire HVAC system, but if you’ve paid $1,000 or more for a refrigerator or washer and dryer, that coverage limit is going to feel pretty good.
American Home Shield is a very close second to Choice. In fact, there is just half a point separating them in our rating system, AHS receiving a rating of 97 compared with Choice with a 97.5 out of 100. They are another excellent service company.
AHS has somewhat more expensive pricing than Choice but offers more comprehensive coverage. They also offer a unique feature in a “choose your own service fee” pay structure. You can choose a lower service call fee of $75, in line with what the other four top providers are charging, and pay a higher monthly premium. Or you can choose a $100 service fee, or a $125 fee for an even lower monthly premium. It is always good to have options!
Comparing apples to apples, at the $75 deductible rate, their premiums are higher than most of the other options. Liberty’s Platinum Plan is still a higher monthly cost, by $10 than the AHS Platinum Plan.
Select Home Warranty has good coverage at mid-range premium prices, and the lowest service call fee, at $60. They are known for good workmanship, communication, and work done quickly.
Select also offers roof leak coverage as a part of all their plans. In our research, their contractors have a high rating for professionalism, which is important in choosing the right home warranty for your Plano home.
The coverage limits are lower than the other companies in the top three, at $2,000. They also have the highest cancellation fee of $75 after the first 30 days.
Liberty Home Guard is a relative newcomer, but has been climbing in our ratings over the past few years, and landing this year at number five. They have a user-friendly customer service portal, making the process of filing a claim as simple as possible.
There is a lot to like about Liberty, and it shows in their customer reviews. They have the only A+ BBB rating in the industry. That’s a significant accomplishment.
They offer good coverage, though not the most comprehensive. Their Platinum Plan is the most expensive among our top five home warranty providers in Plano. They are a newer company, so they have not established a long track record of service, but they are certainly off to a good start.
Total Home Protection is another company that is fairly new to the industry, but the coverage and service they provide are getting noticed by customers and industry pros alike. Their Platinum Plan covers a very respectable 20 systems and appliances in your home, including sump pumps and trash compactors. They offer optional coverage for things like pool and spa, water softener, septic system, even your central vacuum.
Like Select Home Warranty, they have a $0 transfer fee policy, so if you have another home that you’d like to have covered instead, there is no charge to make the switch. Our research shows excellent ratings in communication and workmanship, compared with industry averages. In fact, they received our Best in Service Company award-winner for 2021. When it comes to home warranty reviews, THP gets high marks, with a 4-star rating from Google Reviews.
Their coverage limits are lower, topping out at just $500, so that is a factor you should be aware of in making your overall choice for home warranty coverage.
What to look for when choosing a home warranty in Plano
When it comes to coverage for your Plano home, you want to find the right balance between cost and coverage. So it’s important to not just look at the cost per month but to make sure the items that are most important to you are covered. You need to make sure the coverage limitations are workable for your situation. You may have paid just $800 seven years ago for that refrigerator, but replacing it with the same or similar model might cost twice that these days.
Or if your budget is stretched thin already, it might make sense to get the lowest-priced coverage, so you are not spending too much each month, but you have coverage so a system or appliance breakdown won’t break the bank.
Home Warranty Coverage in Plano
So what exactly can you expect from a home warranty plan for your Plano home? Home warranty providers generally offer two or three types of plans. Those that offer three types of coverage offer a Systems Plan, an Appliance Plan, or a Combo Plan. Companies like Choice offer two – a Basic Plan and a Total Plan. Most customers choose a Combo or Total Plan to get the most bang for their buck. This will cover all of your most used and needed appliances and major systems.
For example, here are the items covered under the Choice Total Plan:
The most comprehensive coverage, like that of the AHS Combo Plan, also will include things like instant hot/cold water dispensers, rekeying of locks, and roof leak protection. Some also cover things like trash compactors and built-in food centers, so you will want to look carefully at the coverage to make sure the most important items are covered for your unique home and situation.
There are also optional add-on coverage items you can get with a home warranty. If you have an inground pool or spa in the backyard of your Plano home, you might want to add that coverage. Other common optional add-ons would include well pumps, freestanding ice makers, and stand-alone freezers. Companies like Liberty Home Guard also offer protection on home electronics and saltwater pools. You’ll want to research what each company offers carefully in order to get the exact coverage you are looking for.
When a problem with a covered item arises, you put in a service request and the home warranty service provider will send a licensed technician to your home to assess the situation and make needed repairs.
Cost of Home Warranties in Plano
How much should you expect to pay for a home warranty on your Plano home? First, it’s important to understand the two main components of the cost of a home warranty plan. There is the monthly premium, and a deductible, often called a service call fee.
Average Combo Plan Premium for Plano – $60 per month
Average Service Call Fee for Plano – $74
The top picks for Plano are also our top picks nationwide, so the Plano average cost of coverage is the same as the national average.
Another consideration when it comes to the cost of a home warranty is the coverage limits. This is because, with a large claim, you might have to pay out of pocket if the claim limits are not large enough. Choice has the most generous claim limits, at $3,000 for each covered item per year. AHS also has a $3,000 coverage limit for appliances and $1,500 for HVAC systems, with lower coverage for other items. Total Home and Liberty each have limits of $2,500, and Select has coverage limits only up to $2,000.
Remember that you can and should get a free quote from each of your top picks for home warranty coverage before making a final decision.
Key Considerations for Plano Residents
What a great place to live, with all the benefits of urban living, with country living right at your doorstep. In Plano, you are not just living in one of the most populated areas of the state, but in the middle of a rich agricultural hub as well. What’s not to love about a place where you can enjoy food from around the world, and drive to a local farmstand to pick up local beef and veggies?
But darned if this place isn’t a real sauna in the summertime. The National Weather Service describes the DFW region as “humid and subtropical.” That can be especially hard on your systems like HVAC during those hot, humid summers when the AC runs all day just keeping the moisture out of the air.
All that being said, Plano is a beautiful, desirable place to live and work. You want the home you’ve paid top dollar for to have the best protection it can, so your home value is maintained and you can enjoy it rather than spending your spare time fixing everything on a growing to-do list.
With a good home warranty plan, you can get protection for your air conditioner and all of your important appliances and systems for hundreds instead of thousands of dollars per year in repair and replacement costs.