Do you want to add to the appeal of your home when selling? Aside from the basic mechanical or cosmetic repairs your home may need when you list it, there's one other easy and inexpensive way to make buyers feel good about purchasing your home. It's called a home warranty and for years it's been a popular marketing tool, especially for older homes.

We all understand that appliances and home systems like heating and air conditioning eventually wear out or break down. Unfortunately, they usually choose the day the new buyer moves in to break down. By offering a home warranty to buyers, they are actually receiving peace of mind, since the warranty will cover most repairs to appliances and other systems for the first year of new ownership. They may also cover some systems for the seller during the listing period.

Let's pretend you are the new buyer and the first week you move in, something breaks down. What are your first thoughts? Maybe the seller knew about it and didn't disclose it to me. Maybe it was making a funny noise and that seller knew it was about to go out. But if there is a home warranty in place, you'll think - I'd better call the home warranty people right away and get it fixed. So, everybody's happy. The buyer is happy because it's fixed and the seller is happy because they did not have to deal with the problem.

If the seller is not offering a home warranty with the property the buyer is writing an offer on, the buyer can ask the seller to provide a home warranty for them as part of the contract. If the seller cannot understand the value of the home warranty, the buyer can purchase the home warranty for themselves at closing.

Having a home warranty will increase the likelihood of getting an offer on your home. To file a claim, the buyers call a single toll-free number to arrange for repairs for any item covered in the policy and pay the deductible. A point to remember when you have a home warranty is to always report the problem to the home warranty company right away. The home warranty company needs to be informed of the problem and they will tell you which local, competent repair people to call. If you handle the repair yourself and then send them a bill, they will not pay it. Home warranties are so practical that buyers often continue their coverage past the first year.

When selling your home, ask for a home warranty. You'll find that this minimal investment could pay off in a great offer from confident buyers!