Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Expert Advice On Improving Your Home
Written By David Cusick
Last Updated April 2024
With a variety of seasons in St. Francis, your home systems can go through quite a bit of wear and tear. There’s nothing worse than having your heater go out in the middle of winter. A home warranty can bring you the peace of mind you need and safeguard your savings account from unexpected expenses by covering your home’s major systems and appliances.
The home warranty market has a lot of providers — all with different price points — so our team at Today's Homeowner has compiled this guide to help you choose the best home warranty companies in St. Francis.
Over 10 years of experience
24/7 customer service team
Home inspections aren’t required
90-day repair guarantee
Plans aren’t customizable
Customers can’t choose their own contractor
Not available in washington
Choice Home Warranty offers the best overall home warranty for St. Francis residents. Choice has been operating for about 15 years, making it a highly regarded company in the industry. Choice has 2 simple plans, making the selection process and policy coverage easily comprehensible. With a home warranty from Choice, you can enjoy very high coverage caps and simple-to-understand service contracts. Not to mention, it has great customer service, professional contractors, and lower out-of-pocket costs compared to other home warranties.
The plans that Choice offers to homeowners are Basic Plan and Total Plan. The coverage caps from Choice are about $3,000. The service fees are an affordable $85, which is cheaper than other providers in the St. Francis area.
To get a free quote from Choice Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 929-400-6164. To read more, visit our review of Choice Home Warranty.
Basic Plan
Total Plan
The oldest and most trusted company in the industry
Allows customers to build their own plans
Ability to choose the service fee you want to pay
Broad coverage on up to 33 appliances and systems
Doesn’t let customers choose their own technician
Doesn’t provide coverage in alaska
American Home Shield offers the most customizable home warranty for St. Francis residents. AHS has been operating for about 26 years, making it a highly regarded company in the industry. AHS has 3 simple plans, making the selection process and policy coverage easily comprehensible. With a home warranty from AHS, you can enjoy the ability to customize your plan with the coverages that work specifically for your home. Not to mention, it has a remarkably low claim denial rate in comparison to other home warranty companies.
The plans that AHS offers to homeowners are ShieldSilver, ShieldGold, and ShieldPlatinum. The coverage caps from AHS are about $2,500. The service fees are customizable and range from $75 to $125, which is cheaper than other providers in the St. Francis area.
To get a free quote from American Home Shield, fill out this online form or call 888-365-2839. To read more, visit our review of American Home Shield.
ShieldSilver
ShieldGold
ShieldPlatinum
Offers home insurance deductible of $500
Extra long 180-day workmanship guarantee
Offers free cancellation in the first 30 days
Charges high service fees of $75-$150
Doesn’t allow customers to choose their own technician
Isn’t available in hawaii or alaska
Cinch Home Services offers the home warranty with the best workmanship guarantee for St. Francis residents. Cinch has been operating for about 44 years, making it a highly regarded company in the industry. Cinch has 3 simple plans, making the selection process and policy coverage easily comprehensible. With a home warranty from Cinch, you can enjoy a 180-day workmanship guarantee that ensures your home systems and appliance repairs will be professionally done. Not to mention, it has a broad range of coverage options that will give homeowners peace of mind.
The plans that Cinch offers to homeowners are Appliances Plan, Built-in Systems Plan, and Complete Home Plan. The coverage caps from Cinch are about $1,000-$2,000. The service fees are customizable and range from $75 to $150, which is cheaper than other providers in the St. Francis area.
To get a free quote from Cinch Home Services, fill out this online form or call 877-589-0505. To read more, visit our review of Cinch Home Services.
Appliances Plan
Built-in Systems Plan
Complete Home Plan
Policy starts in ten days
24/7 customer service support
Generous coverage caps on important systems and appliances
30-labor guarantee and 90-day parts guarantee
Offers utility and home service outside line coverage
Higher service fee of $95
Not accredited by the better business bureau (bbb)
Only 2 plan options
The Home Service Club offers the best home warranty with the quickest service for St. Francis residents. HSC has been operating for about 15 years, making it a highly regarded company in the industry. HSC has 2 simple plans, making the selection process and policy coverage easily comprehensible. With a home warranty from HSC, you can enjoy quick coverage where the home warranty goes into effect just ten days after you pay for the plan, instead of the typical 30 days. Not to mention, it has customer service representatives available 24/7, as well as a 30-day labor guarantee and a 90-day parts guarantee.
The plans that HSC offers to homeowners are Standard Coverage Plan and Comprehensive Coverage Plan. The coverage caps from HSC are about $2,000. The service fees are customizable and range from $65 to $90, which is cheaper than other providers in the St. Francis area.
To get a free quote from The Home Service Club, fill out this online form or call 800-750-9443. To read more, visit our review of The Home Service Club.
Standard Coverage Plan
Comprehensive Coverage Plan
Today's Homeowner looks at dozens of datapoints on home warranty companies to come up with our data-driven rankings. It's not possible for a company to pay for preferential treatment in our rankings. We look at the following key factors in determining who should top our list:
| Home Appliance | Repair Cost |
|---|---|
| Air Conditioner | $5,945 |
| Heating | $3,964 |
| Electrical | $595 |
| Toilets | $495 |
| Washer/Dryer | $793 |
| Plumbing | $595 |
| Oven | $1,585 |
| Fridge | $595 |
A home warranty is a protection plan that assists St. Francis homeowners in reducing the costs of appliance and system repairs. The plans provide coverage to swap out or repair appliances and systems that malfunction due to normal wear and tear.
When something breaks down, you file a claim and pay a service fee. The home warranty company then arranges a contractor to handle the replacement or repair. Homeowners may have out-of-pocket costs only if the cost of the repair or replacement exceeds the item's coverage limit. A home warranty gives homeowners reassurance, as it helps avoid expensive emergency repairs. The coverage is particularly helpful for owners of older houses or houses with systems near the end of their life span. However, homeowners with newer homes and modern appliances might not require a home warranty.
Home warranties protect your home systems and appliances. Common appliances covered include dishwashers, garbage disposals, washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, and more. Included systems are normally plumbing, heating, electrical, and air conditioning. Many home warranty companies provide add-on coverage for septic systems, central vacuums, roof leaks, and locksmiths. St. Francis should understand that most home warranty plans have a 30-day waiting period before repairs are covered. The majority of policies also only cover repairs and replacements due to normal wear and tear. Home warranties don't include natural disasters, pre-existing conditions, cosmetic issues, or misusing a system or appliance. Stay current with preventative maintenance to help guarantee your next repair or replacement is covered.
Home warranties use several terms that you'll want to know before signing a contract, such as:
When choosing a home warranty provider, there are several key factors to consider:
Home warranty coverage differs significantly when it comes to what's covered. Most plans include protection for electrical, heating, AC, plumbing, and appliances. More inclusive options also offer coverage on other items such as pools, well pumps, spas, and roof leaks. Focus on providers with broad coverage options including upgraded plans. Flexibility like this will help you customize protection for your needs.
You'll pay a service fee, typically $60–100, for each claim filed with your home warranty provider. These fees to accumulate quickly with each claim, so you may seek out companies advertising more affordable fees to optimize savings on each repair claim. Certain providers may waive deductibles if homeowners don't submit any claims within a set period of time.
A home warranty provider's reputation provides insights into factors such as repair speed, claim approval rates, contractor expertise, and customer satisfaction. Check review sites like Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or TrustPilot to learn more about companies. Good feedback and ratings suggest a company known for quality service.
Home warranty providers keep networks of professionals to handle covered repairs. Larger networks raise the likelihood of getting qualified technicians to service your home ASAP. Ask potential providers how many contractors they have in St. Francis to get a sense of how quickly your repairs could be handled in an emergency.
Home warranty companies might offer extras such as maintenance discounts, energy efficiency upgrades, and coverage for smart home devices. These add value beyond just repair coverage. Added perks maximize the usefulness of the home warranty.
Home warranty policies are an affordable way to guard your home systems and appliances from normal wear and tear. With temperatures in St. Francis reaching an average high of 53℃F, you may find that some appliances, like your air conditioning system, get a lot of use. A home warranty can significantly bring down out-of-pocket expenses should your HVAC system stop working.
In addition to saving you money on out-of-pocket expenses, a home warranty can provide you peace of mind and save you the hassle of trying to find a qualified repair person to visit your home. Home warranties usually come with a network of pre-vetted technicians who can handle any repair issues you may come across. Another added benefit of having a home warranty policy is that it can raise your home’s property value. If you ever decide to sell your home, you may be able to transfer your home warranty plan to the new homebuyer depending on the provider you have your home warranty with.
There are also some drawbacks to getting a home warranty policy, like the coverage exclusions. For example, home warranties may not cover home systems or appliances that already have a manufacturer's warranty.
In addition, if you don’t maintain your home systems or appliances properly, or if they need repairs due to a natural disaster or animal infestation — anything besides normal wear and tear — the home warranty may not cover it.
A home warranty plan costs, on average, around $300 to $600 a year in St. Francis. Our top-rated home warranty providers' most comprehensive coverage options vary from $546 to $840 per year. You can decrease your monthly bill with some companies by choosing a higher service fee. Additionally, it's often cheaper to pay annually rather than monthly.
Home warranties and home insurance differ in what kinds of damage they cover. Home warranties cover issues with home systems and appliances that need repairs or replacements due to normal wear and tear. A home insurance policy is a different kind of insurance that protects the entire home from natural disasters, which can sometimes be a concern in St. Francis. It doesn't cover a typical appliance or system repairs.
A home warranty can help investors, real estate agents, home sellers, homebuyers, and homeowners. It can provide peace of mind to anyone involved in homeownership.
The different types of home warranties in St. Francis include plans that cover either appliances or systems as well as comprehensive plans. A comprehensive plan will cover many of your home systems and appliances, such as your dishwasher, washing machine, and heating and cooling systems. An appliance or system plan will cover only the items mentioned in the policy.
Home warranty plans usually last a year. Many providers let you renew your plan yearly, and some offer month-to-month plans as well.
Typically, the homeowner is the one who is responsible for paying the premium and service fees. However, if you have just bought a new home, sometimes the seller will pay for the policy. This can then be transferred to the new homeowner, who will pay the service fees. In St. Francis, where the median value of a home is $254,096, having the seller pay for the home warranty can be a good asset for your new home.
