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Home Warranty Can Help Sell Your Chester County PA Home

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
by Scott Darling

In recent years of ever-increasing fees by service repair companies and continued belt-tightening by home buyers, the provision of home warranty protection plans by sellers has become a rather common--and even expected--incentive. The knowledge that they won’t be hit by unexpected repair bills in the first year after purchasing their Chester County PA home is reassuring to buyers, especially first-timers who have no experience in home maintenance.

A home warranty plan is essentially a service contract that covers a major housing system, for example, plumbing or electrical wiring -- for a set period of time from the date a house is sold. The warranty guarantees repairs to the covered system and is renewable.

How Much Does a Home Warranty Cost?

They are fairly inexpensive, typically ranging from $250 to $400, depending on coverage. Home warranty companies sometimes run special sales and either discount policy prices or offer additional coverage for the same price. The policies are prepaid for a year in advance, at which time they expire or can be renewed.

How Do They Work?

Although specific plans provide for specific types of coverage, most operate the same way.

  • If a home system or appliance breaks or stops working, the home owner calls the home warranty company.
  • The home warranty company calls a provider with which it has a business arrangement.
  • The specific provider calls the home owner to make an appointment.
  • The provider fixes the problem. If an appliance is malfunctioning and cannot be repaired, depending on contract coverage, the home warranty company will pay to replace and install the appliance.
  • The home owner pays a small trade service fee (less than $100).　

Types of Coverage

Because all plans differ, you will want to ask specifically what is covered. Ask your real estate agent to recommend a proven plan and inquire if upgrades are available for your Chester County PA home. Pay close attention to whether the home warranty company will pay for repairs to make certain types of systems or appliances compliant with new regulations and be aware that they won’t pay for pre-existing conditions. Usually covered are heating and cooling systems, water heaters, appliances, electrical systems, inside plumbing stoppages, ductwork, ceiling fans, and garbage disposals.

Advantages Of Offering a Warranty Plan

Home warranty companies profess that in addition to providing buyer peace of mind, the protection plan you provide for your Chester County PA home prevents many post-sale disputes, speeds up the sale, and helps to bring in a higher price. They also suggest that you take out such a policy during the listing period to provide peace of mind to you, the seller, too!

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Landscaping Your Chester County PA Home--Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat

Monday, April 19, 2010
by Scott Darling

Interested in conserving the environment? Intrigued with the idea of providing a haven for neighborhood wildlife AND reducing the amount of work, water, and chemicals needed to keep your landscaping alive, well, and attractive? Read on…

Winter is the perfect time to plan a backyard wildlife habitat for your Chester County PA home and design a garden that provides essential kinds of wildlife, such as birds, butterflies, amphibians, and small mammals. Because natural environments are quickly disappearing due to rapid development, greener gardening techniques which are mindful of the ecosystems and needs of native creatures have become essential.

There are many online sites which provide detailed instructions for turning your property into a mini-sanctuary for wildlife, but the initial steps are relatively simple and include providing food, water, cover, and space.

Provide Food for Wildlife

chester county homeEveryone needs to eat! Planting native herbs, grasses, shrubs, and trees is the easiest way to provide the foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds and nuts that many species of wildlife require to survive and thrive. You can also incorporate supplemental feeders and food sources.

Supply Water for Wildlife

Wildlife need clean water sources for many purposes, including drinking, bathing and reproduction. Water sources may include natural features such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and wetlands; or human-made features such as bird baths (change water 2 to 3 times per week), puddling areas for butterflies, installed ponds, or rain gardens.

Create Cover for Wildlife

Wildlife require places to hide in order to feel safe from people, predators, and inclement weather. Use things like native flowers, leaves, shrubs, thickets, brush piles or even dead trees. Remember to utilize both the horizontal and vertical spaces in your yard.

Give Wildlife a Place to Raise Their Young

Wildlife need a sheltered place to raise their offspring. Many places for cover can double as locations where wildlife can raise young, from wildflower meadows and bushes where many butterflies and moths lay their eggs to caves where bats roost and form colonies.

Green gardening for your Chester County PA home targets a reduction in water and chemical use, a decrease in the size of the area covered with turf grass, and generous use of mulch. How you maintain your garden or landscape (either formal or casual) can have important positive or negative effects on the health of the soil, air, water and vegetation that we all use! Here are some sustainable gardening techniques that you will help you conserve and protect our natural resources.

Mulching

Mulch helps keep water in the soil and available to the plant, rather than evaporating into the air. This can help reduce water consumption. As mulch breaks down, it provides nutrients to the soil, which can help reduce or eliminate the need for additional fertilizers. Be sure to use mulches that are from sustainable forestry practices (not Cypress tree mulch) and are free from pests and diseases. Your cooperative extension office can help you find sources of mulch in your local community.

Reducing Lawn Areas

Grass lawns often require chemicals and frequent maintenance. Gas-powered lawnmowers produce high amounts of greenhouse gases, which contribute to the air pollution that causes global warming. Since lawns are often made of only a few types of plants that most animals do not consume, they do not provide a lot of value for wildlife. Replacing grass lawns with native wildflowers, bushes, and trees provides the food, shelter, and cover that help to maintain healthy, natural ecosystems and reduces your time and labor working on the lawn!

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping is an approach to landscaping that minimizes outdoor water use while maintaining soil integrity through the use of native, drought-tolerant plants. This is a common practice in drier areas, where water supplies and water quality are in very short supply.

Removing Invasives and Restoring Native Plant Communities

Native plants are better for the environment than exotic plants, generally requiring less fertilizer and other additives, less water, and less effort in pest control. They are especially important to native wildlife, such as pollinators, that may have coevolved with a particular species. Pollinators often rely on a certain type of flower as a source of food, while the flower depends on the pollinator to transport its pollen to other flowers for reproduction. When non-native or exotic plants are used, they often upset the delicate balance of a local ecosystem and sometimes even out-compete native species (hence the term invasive) to the point of extinction. Wildlife benefit more when native plant communities remain intact or are restored to their natural habitats, thus providing the best source of food for wildlife.

How to get started? Inventory what is presently in the backyard of your Chester County PA home and consider what can stay, what should go, and what is needed. Locate a list of plants and trees that are native to your area. Contact your local nurseries or agriculture extension office or search for assistance on line. Two informative sites are National Wildlife Federation and Wildlife Habitat. Also, give yourself a pat on the back for helping to restore natural habitats--and look forward to spring!

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