Here are reminders of simple ways to stay safe on the job any time you are showing a property.

1. Don’t meet strangers at a property.

For a first meeting, ask the prospect to meet at your office when other people are present. If anything seems off or strange to you about the prospect, make sure to introduce them to others in the office. If for some reason it isn’t practical to meet at the office, and you need to meet prospects at a property, take a partner.

2. Be informed about your clients.

Use a prospect form to gather your potential client’s name, address, car information (including make, model, and license plate) and their driver’s license. If you are uncomfortable asking for this information, tell them it is company policy. 

3. Don’t allow clients to ride in your car unless you know them well.

Again, you can use company policy as the reason, or make an excuse that you have another appointment.

4. Bring a partner if you are showing a vacant home.

If a co-worker isn’t available, bring a friend, or family member. In addition, arrive before a new prospect to take a minute to walk around the property and check for signs someone may be inside, such as broken or open windows, and unlocked or open doors.

5. Don’t show properties after dark – especially vacant homes.

This is especially true of a vacant home where the power has been turned off. If you must show a house after dark, always take a partner.

6. Be aware of your surroundings.

When you arrive at your destination, take a few minutes to check out the surrounding area and park in a visible, easy-to-access area. Ask yourself: Can you be blocked in? Is anyone loitering around? Does anything seem out of place?

7. Trust your instincts.

If you feel uncomfortable or sense anything suspicious, trust your gut and leave immediately. It is better to risk embarrassment or a potential sale than your safety.

8. Have an excuse ready if you feel uncomfortable.

Make up an excuse ahead of time in case you feel uncomfortable and want to leave. For example, “I forgot an important form in the car,” “Oh, gosh, I just remembered I have another appointment,” or “I’m sorry, but I need to take a call.”

Home warranty coverage can be a great way to protect your budget against expensive home system and appliance failures. However, a home warranty isn’t an insurance policy–it’s a service contract. It provides repair and replacement service on a home’s major components (such as heating, plumbing, and electrical) and appliances.
So how do you know if a home warranty is right for you?
Are you on a tight budget? A home warranty can provide reassurance by protecting your pocketbook. With a home warranty you can rest easy knowing that if a covered appliance or system breaks, you’re covered.
Are you selling your home? A home warranty can be a great way to help make your listing stand out against the competition.
Are you buying a brand-new home? If so, your builder may provide you with a home warranty for the first year. Many home warranty companies also offer special warranties for new homes. Check with your builder or real estate agent.
Are you buying a previously owned home? If the home you’re buying is not brand new, a home warranty is a great way to keep your likely over-stretched budget from breaking. With expensive appliances systems near or past their life expectancy, a home warranty might be a good idea.
Here are some tips to help you choose the best home warranty:
The Right Coverage Options
Basic plans often cover major home systems (heating, plumbing, electrical, kitchen appliances, and so on), while enhanced plans can add coverage for air conditioning, refrigerator, washer/dryer, and more. If your home has systems such as a pool, or septic system or well, look for home warranty companies that also offer these coverage options.
Look for a home warranty that offers multiple plans and customizable coverage that can meet your individual needs.
Available coverage typically varies by state and region for most home warranties.
Know What’s Covered
Look for a warranty that does not have age restrictions on covered appliances or systems.
You should understand that not everything is covered by a home warranty, for example, small appliances like toaster ovens and mixers are not covered. Nor are some structural modifications to your home. Make sure you read and understand your contract.
Requesting Service 24/7?
If your heater fails at 9 p.m. on Friday night you aren’t going to want to wait until Monday morning to place a claim. Some service providers have Saturday service so make sure you can request claim service around the clock, either online or by phone.
Make sure you choose a home warranty that allows unlimited service requests during your contract.
Repair or Replace Covered Items
A good home warranty will cover appliances and systems regardless of age or make/model.
A home warranty should replace your covered items if they cannot be repaired.
Having a home warranty can take the stress and hassle out of repairing or replacing home systems and appliances when they break down. Your home warranty company will also provide a contractor, saving you the time and energy of having to track down the right trades person for your needs.
To learn more about what a home warranty from First American Home Buyers Protection covers, you can view sample coverage for home buyers and sellers, or sample coverage for homeowners who are not involved in a real estate transaction.

“Fall Back” time is coming. When it arrives on November 6th, we, in theory, gain an extra hour of sleep. If you’d like to spend that extra hour doing something other than sleeping, here are seven quick and easy home improvements, each of which you can complete in an hour to instantly add a fresher look to a home. Whether you’re a real estate agent or a home seller, these tips could just help sell a home more quickly. Don’t let that extra hour go to waste!
Paint the front door. Some homeowners actually paint their front door seasonally, but you don’t have to go to that extreme. In one hour you could tape off the external-facing side of a front door and add a fresh coat of paint. Adding an eye-catching color can help draw potential buyers to that front door.
Add new curtains. New window treatments, particularly curtains, always improve the look of a home’s interior. If you already have the hardware in the right place, you could put up new curtains in every room inside of an hour.
Rent a power washer. Using a power washer on an entryway, pathway, or driveway can immediately give the area in front of a home a newer, cleaner look.
Add plants. New seasonal plants or flowers placed in front window boxes and porch planters provide a splash of color and a sense of welcome.
Install a new faucet. Nothing brightens a kitchen or bathroom sink quite like a shiny new faucet. You can upgrade the hardware for a sink in an hour.
Trim a tree. A fresh haircut to trees in the front of a home can instantly spruce up a property. With a pair of loppers and a ladder, you can even out overhanging branches to give them a clean-cut look.
Touch up mulching. Applying a new layer of mulch over the old immediately improves the look of a yard at little cost.
Have your own one-hour home improvements you’d recommend? Let us know about them!

In general, it pays to have extended warranty coverage on any vehicle you own. When the manufacturer’s warranty expires it leaves you vulnerable to frequent and extremely costly repair expenses. Though not all vehicles will experience a major breakdown, most will and the only way to protect yourself from these unforeseen expenses is to make sure you purchase extended auto warranty coverage for your vehicle. This is especially the case with high line luxury or exotic vehicles such as Maserati, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, etc. Though the plans we offer have paid out on quite a few extremely high warranty repair claims, we recently set a new high at the claim that exceeded $53,000. This claim was for a Bentley and involved several power train issues. It is not uncommon for us to see claims in the $20,000-$35,000 range but this vehicle’s problems have raised the giant red flag about owning these types of vehicles without some type of exotic auto warranty protection.

Most people understand that a dealership can provide you with warranty coverage to protect you from these financial hardships but what few people understand is that you can also purchase this coverage outside of the dealership environment at a considerable savings. That being said, it is essential to do research on any company purchase warranty coverage from as there are numerous providers that are far less than reputable. Ideally you want to do business with the company that has been offering warranties for more than 10 years, has an actual underwriter, is accredited and highly rated with the Better Business Bureau, and that after a Google search, does not have any negative feedback, fraud, or rip off report listings.

Auto Advantage Inc. is one of the highest rated providers in the industry and is been offering reliable auto warranty coverage since 1979. They are both accredited and A+ rated with the Better Business Bureau and only work with the highest-rated underwriters in the industry. They are also a warranty wholesaler offering their dealership level programs at 10% over wholesale dealer cost as they are non-commission provider. Visit Auto Advantage Inc. now to check the rates and available coverage for your vehicle.

When purchasing a used vehicle is important to be sure that the vehicle is in excellent working order before finalizing a deal or taking delivery. It is obvious that purchasing an auto warranty when you have a vehicle it is no longer covered by the manufacturer is an excellent idea to protect you against any unforeseen repair expenses that might arise. It is not uncommon to have repairs pop up you were not expecting that can cost $500, $1,500, or even $3,000 or more.

However, many consumers are not aware that unlike medical insurance, automobile warranty companies are not obligated to cover a vehicle’s pre-existing conditions. To prevent getting caught off guard with a pre-existing issue with a vehicle is strongly recommended that you have the vehicle inspected by a qualified used vehicle inspection service or dealership prior to finalizing a purchase. If you are purchasing the vehicle from a dealership do not automatically assume that they have fully inspected it themselves even though they might have. It is worthwhile to have a second opinion by hiring an independent inspector to check the vehicle out. If you are purchasing a vehicle privately it is even more important to have the vehicle checked out by a qualified mechanic or inspection service. This will help you avoid getting caught off guard with a repair that may not be covered by your auto warranty.

Auto Advantage not only provides the highest quality car warranties in the industry, but also has a full independent inspection service that can check out your vehicle prior to the vehicle’s purchase or warranty activation. Visit our Auto Advantage’s website to get a quote for the best coverage available for your vehicle. 

When purchasing extended coverage for your vehicle is important to understand what the coverage does and does not cover. One of the main items that some “shady” companies will exclude from coverage is breakdowns of covered parts that have failed due to wear & tear. A wear & tear failure is a breakdown of the part has not completely failed but is no longer working the way the manufacturer intended to. This means that if a covered part has not completely failed, but is beginning to fail but has not stopped working completely or broken into pieces they would exclude it from their coverage.

It is important to know the difference between wear & tear items and scheduled maintenance items. Scheduled maintenance items are not covered by any extended automobile warranty. Examples of scheduled maintenance items are oil changes, tune-ups, tires, wiper blades, batteries, etc.

All “reputable” auto warranty companies will include breakdowns of covered parts that have failed for any reason including wear & tear. All Auto Advantage auto warranty programs include breakdowns due to wear & tear.

 There are many extended car warranty programs to choose from but it can be a bit tricky to find a “reputable” plan to suit your needs. The best way to choose a reliable extended car warranty program is to find a company that makes the following criteria…

1. Make sure the company is in business for 10 years or more. This assures you that they are not only in the business of selling coverage but also successfully paying claims.
2. You want to choose a company that has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and perhaps more importantly, is accredited by the BBB which holds them to a much higher standard of excellent business practices and customer service.
3. You want the warranty program to be directly underwritten by a US-based insurance carrier holding at least an A rating with an industry rating service such as AM Best or Standard & Poors. This will assure you that if any part of the claims administration process fails the underwriter will directly pick up all claims if needed.

There are also many different levels of coverage available for your vehicle. These levels are Power train, Major Component Plus, High-Tech Component, Component Type Bumper-To-Bumper, or Exclusionary Bumper-To-Bumper coverage. Depending on the age and mileage of the vehicle all or most of these levels could be available. It is important to look through the different levels of coverage for any companies you are considering side-by-side to make sure that you are purchasing the best coverage available for your needs. Do not rely on plan names such as Platinum, Elite, or Gold as they do not always correctly define the level of coverage you are purchasing. Some less than reputable companies will take a very basic plan and label it with a very fancy name. You want to look at the actual list of what is covered to make sure you are getting what you’re paying for.

All in all, an extended car warranty is an excellent investment and can save you thousands of dollars over the term of the coverage. To begin researching the different types of coverage you can visit Auto Advantage and see what the choices are. It is a great idea to fill out the quote request form and let them send you the specifics including coverage details and pricing.

Most cars come with a manufacturer’s warranty for 3 years or 36,000 miles. Some have longer 4 year were 50,000 mile coverage. And even fewer have a 5 year or 60,000 mile warranty. As fate would have it, most major auto repairs occur after the manufacturer’s warranty period expires. Purchasing an extended auto warranty can save you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on each repair. And as repairs at up over the life of an extended car warranty it is not uncommon to have savings equal $5,000, or even $10,000 or more.

If your car is out of warranty, or will soon be out of warranty and you don’t want to or don’t have the ability to pay these high repair bills that are imminent, purchasing an extended auto warranty is a consumers best bet.

To learn more about the different types of coverage available for your vehicle and the cost visiting a “reliable” company’s website for a quote is a great idea. A good place to start might be visiting Auto Advantage who have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and are also accredited by the BBB and who have been supplying car warranties to the public since 1979.

Is your furnace or boiler on its last leg? Are you spending a lot more money than you’d like on heating your home? Keeping your home heated requires more energy and costs more money than any other system in your home, so taking the plunge for a new system might make sense. Before you decide, however, here are some things to consider.
Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
While it might be time to replace your heating system, you should first make every effort to improve your home’s energy efficiency. If you have a home that never seems to warm up no matter how much you run the heat, it is probably time for a home energy audit.
Adding insulation and reducing air leakage makes your home more energy efficient and can help keep you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Don’t discount the impact that caulking and weather-stripping around your doors and windows can make as well. Sealing and insulating leaky HVAC ducts can also be very cost-effective.
Replace Your Furnace or Boiler
If your heating system is more than 10-15 years old, you’ll find many great energy-efficient options for furnaces and boilers. Modern heating systems can achieve efficiencies as high as 98.5%, which means that virtually all of the fuel is converted into useful heat for your home. Older furnace and boiler systems are only about 55-70% efficient, so only 55-70% of the energy actually converts to heat (and 30-45% of the energy is lost).
If you live where winters are cold, it makes sense to invest in the highest-efficiency system you can afford. In milder climates, the extra investment required to go from 80% to 95% efficiency may not be worth it.
Convert Your Fireplace
Most of us love our fireplaces, but they are one of the most inefficient ways to heat your home. And when not in use fireplaces are a major source of warm air loss–sending your heated air right up and out the chimney. If you crave the coziness of a fire, but would like more heat than a traditional fireplace can offer, consider adding a gas insert or an efficient wood or pellet-burning stove.
Today’s wood and pellet stoves are far more efficient and cleaner burning and can easily heat a small to average-size home. But wood smoke is a major source of pollutants, so some areas restrict the use of wood-burning stoves. Before installing a wood or pellet stove, contact your local building codes department or state energy office about wood-burning regulations that may apply in your area.
Gas inserts have come a long way from the purely decorative models of the past. They are efficient, clean, and super convenient: no hassling with wood or pellets, or cleaning out ashes. They are clean burning, low maintenance, and you can use a wall thermostat to control the heat output and maintain a specific temperature in the room.
No matter how you choose to heat your home, remember that properly maintaining and/or upgrading your equipment can help you save money. Make sure you regularly change any air filters, and get your HVAC system tuned up annually.

Purchasing an auto warranty is a risk if you don’t know the rules and regulations of the warranty. It is wise for vehicle owners to think about hiring a professional car consultant who can help them through the sometimes-tricky process of buying an auto warranty. Buying an auto warranty without assistance poses a greater risk of purchasing a fraudulent warranty.

A fraudulent auto warranty is generally a warranty that offers a great variety of features and prices so well that it just too good to actually be true. However, the seller that is claiming that they provide this auto warranty won’t actually provide all of the services they are offering to the consumer. In the used car market, fraudulent warranties are common. This makes it important for consumers who are looking to buy used car warranties to be careful throughout the purchasing process.

Due to the circulation of fraudulent auto warranties, the US administration made a law that protects consumers that is called the used car warranty law. This law is also well known as the lemon law.