10 Terrifying Home Ownership Stories (and How Home Warranties Help)

For many, home ownership is the American Dream. But without a home warranty, that dream can turn to a nightmare when important items—like heating and cooling systems—break down.

In the spirit of spooky season, we’re sharing 10 scary stories about breakdowns around the home and how a home warranty from 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (2-10 HBW) could have helped. All names have been changed to protect the identities of the embarrassed.

1. The phantom closing that breakdowns buried

Approaching a closing is thrilling, scary, and sometimes heart-pounding. But it’s truly terrifying when a breakdown buries a closing six feet under. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to Michael Myers (no relation), an agent who didn’t attach complimentary* Seller coverage for his client.

Not too long before closing, the buyer offered to attach home warranty coverage for the seller while the home was on the market. But Michael decided that in a seller’s market, he could take the risk of leaving his clients uncovered.

Two days prior to closing, his sellers experienced a major furnace breakdown. When the buyer found out, they demanded that the seller fix it. It took over a month to find service and cost the seller over $2,000. They were none too pleased when they found out that Michael forewent coverage!

If Michael had included complimentary home warranty coverage for Sellers, his sellers could have had 2-10 HBW address the issue more cost-effectively.

2. The horror of the hot house

After an unseasonably cool early summer, and not long after they bought their home, the Lewises found themselves running their A/C every day for a week. The only reason they stopped was because their A/C broke down.

The Lewises didn’t know what to do. Contractors were booked for weeks out, and the repair would cost them $2,500 out of pocket. With an elderly family member to take care of, a hot house wasn’t acceptable.

When the Lewises saw their neighbors getting A/C service, they asked how. “Our agent gave us something called a home warranty. We just filed a claim online and they sent this technician out. Saved us a bunch of money too. You can come hang out with us if you want!”

When the Lewises called their agent to ask why they didn’t have home warranty coverage, all she could do was apologize. They made sure she understood they wouldn’t be referring her to anyone they knew.

3. The terror of the unchanged lock

Younger people often feel invincible, and it’s no different among first-time home buyers. When Glenn and Julie Duncan bought their first home, their agent advised them to change their locks right away.

But Glenn and Julie waited. They were trying to spend as little as possible, after all.

On a cold October night, an old acquaintance of the former owners used his key to break in, taking as much cash and jewelry as he could hold.

If their agent had included Buyer coverage from 2-10 HBW, Glenn and Julie could have avoided the robbery and gotten reimbursed up to $100 for changing their locks within 45 days of closing.

4. The horrifying homecoming

Bill and Becky Bunson were downsizing after sending their twin boys off to college. Their agent found them a smaller but older home that they liked, but didn’t mention the importance of home warranty coverage.

When the boys came home for the holidays, the Bunsons’ water heater couldn’t keep up. It broke down, forcing the Bunsons to burn nearly $1,800 replacing it after a week without hot water.

A home warranty could have helped reduce the cost to address the problem to $100 or lower.

5. No coverage over troubled waters

When Bruce and Jeff McMillen began their house hunt, they wanted a house with a pool for their son. When they found one they could afford, their agent offered to provide home warranty coverage from 2-10 HBW. They accepted, but when the agent asked if they wanted coverage for their pool, they declined, believing it wasn’t necessary.

Two weeks into summer, the pool pump failed. Bruce and Jeff couldn’t find anyone would could fix it at a price they were comfortable with. The pool sat stagnant for months, until Jeff covered it with a tarp that rests over it to this day.

If he had had a home warranty plan, he could have avoided this fate.

6. The bone-chilling bite of a winter inspection

Mary and Tyler were more than happy to buy a home in the winter, due to less competition. It was a cold day during their inspection, and neither they nor their inspector thought to test the air conditioner, even though the condensing unit looked a little old.

Everything else worked well, and so their agent saw no need to include a home warranty. When an early spring heat wave hit, Mary and Tyler found out the hard way that their A/C didn’t work.

Had their agent included home warranty coverage with the Pre-Season HVAC Tune Up option, they could have caught the problem and had a better solution than paying $2,500 out of pocket to replace it.

7. Danse Macabre for the dishwasher

Sam and Stacy Saint-Saëns scraped every dollar they could to buy their dream home. But their dream turned to a nightmare when their agent didn’t inform them about the power of a home warranty.

Just days after moving in, Sam started the dishwasher for an overnight cycle. When Stacy woke up early the next morning to make coffee, her slippers were soaked. Their dishwasher had died overnight, leaving a pool of standing water in the kitchen.

Thankfully, the water didn’t warp the flooring. But they had to pay big to repair the dishwasher. With a home warranty, it could have cost them much less.

8. The terrifying family-day travesty

Giacomo and Gia DiLorenzo were thrilled. They’d just bought a new house and wanted to celebrate by hosting their entire family for dinner. Little did they know that their agent failed to enroll their home in warranty coverage.

Right before their big family function, their oven broke down. With no one to call for repairs and not enough money to replace their oven on the fly, they had to settle for cold cut sandwiches instead of a feast.

If their agent had enrolled them in coverage, they could have called 2-10 HBW.

9. Revenge of the inferior coverage plan

Anna and Louise had finally saved enough money to buy a home. When the seller offered inferior home warranty coverage, their agent told them to take it, because “It’s better than nothing.”

When their refrigerator broke down, they filed a claim, only to have a rep tell them, “Because your fridge is so old, we can only reimburse you $20.” They ended up dipping into their savings to come up with $1,200 to replace their refrigerator.

If only their agent had chosen 2-10 HBW, they could have paid as little as $75, because age doesn’t matter for 2-10 HBW coverage.

10. The nightmare on Poplar Street

Eddie Ruger had the most popular home on Poplar Street. Over two sweltering summer days, over 60 buyers had shuffled in and out of his house. He was sure he’d have no trouble selling it.

When his agent offered to provide A/C coverage from 2-10 HBW for just $50 while the house was on the market, he declined.

Unfortunately, because he was running his A/C nonstop, it broke down not long after the offers started rolling in. As buyers learned about the issue, each one requested that he either fix it himself or make a concession.

Eddie ended up paying thousands to fix his A/C, and faced longer delays than necessary for declining coverage.

Conclusion: A home warranty can keep the ghosts and goblins of breakdowns at bay

The dream of buying or selling on the journey of home ownership can quickly turn into a nightmare when breakdowns rear their ugly heads. With home warranty coverage from 2-

10 HBW, agents can help their clients avoid the worst consequences of breakdowns.
Don’t let these scary stories become a reality for your clients. Attach a home warranty to all your transactions for the peace of mind of quality coverage.