It’s competitive out there and customers are looking for the best value in the HUD-Code manufactured homes they buy. Increase your value by adding a MHWC written, insured new home warranty to every HUD-Code home you build. You benefit from an enhanced reputation, an excellent marketing tool and the best warranty program on the market.

You know a warranty is paramount, but how do you decide which one is the right fit for your business? MHWC is happy to help. Together with its national affiliate Residential Warranty Company, LLC (RWC), MHWC has put together a wide array of warranty programs and services, including warranties for new HUD-Code homes, additions, remodeling projects, building systems and detached garages.

Historically, the standard ten year warranty is what the industry has provided and is the coverage Builders have become accustomed to over the years. With MHWC, Builder/Dealers and Manufacturers may choose between “full” coverage and “structural only” coverage. In either option, your liability as the Member is limited.

“Structural Only Coverage” means that coverage is provided for the structural or load-bearing components of the home for the entire warranty term.
• You continue to use your own customer service program to address workmanship, materials & mechanical systems issues in the first year.
• You’ll pay less to enroll a home in a structural only plan.
• You’ll have access to MHWC’s effective dispute resolution system for structural issues, which includes free mediation. Binding arbitration is also available if needed.
• Non-structural customer service issues must be resolved by your own customer service program.

“Full Coverage” means that we couple Structural Coverage together with industry-accepted standards for first year items (workmanship, materials, and selected portions of mechanical systems).
• By far, “full” coverage warranties are our most widely used programs.
• Clearly written set of warranty standards to spell out coverage are provided for you and your homebuyers.
• Includes 1 year of coverage on workmanship & materials and on selected portions of mechanical systems.
• Includes coverage on major structural components for the entire warranty term.
• You’ll have access to MHWC’s effective dispute resolution system, even on first year customer service issues, which can be a valuable tool in managing your service needs. This dispute resolution system includes free mediation. Binding arbitration is available if needed.

We are more than happy to answer questions and help you review your program choices that best fits your business. Contact Tifanee McCall at 800-247-1812 x2132 or sales@mhwconline.com for more information.

RWC’s new home warranties are packed with “value added” features – features that provide heightened security, resale value, and an important measure of peace of mind for homeowners.

Yes, it’s essential that you have a strong home warranty under your belt to ensure home protection; but don’t just stop there. There are additional ways to ensure your home holds up over time, including seasonal maintenance inspections.

A part of being a responsible homeowner is checking on things before they go haywire. Inspecting your home on a regular basis and following good maintenance practices is one of the surest ways to keep your home happy all year long. Plus, these regularly scheduled seasonal maintenance inspections can help prevent costly problems from occurring.

If you haven’t completed your fall maintenance inspection, there’s no time like the present! Fall is the time to get your home ready for the coming winter, which is often the most grueling season for your home.

There are a number of indoor and outdoor maintenance tasks to complete each fall. 'Tis the season to service your heating system, check your chimneys and electrical systems, clean your chimneys, gutters and ridge vents, fortify your home’s exterior, check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and so on. Though tempting, it’s important that you do not overlook these important tasks. If you do, you are likely to pay…literally. Plus, many of these items left undone can be major safety hazards.

For a complete fall maintenance checklist, we invite you to take a look at our handy resource.

And remember, if you don’t have the time or energy to conduct these periodic home maintenance inspections yourself, there’s always the option of paying someone to do the dirty work! Either way, it’s in your home’s best interest to get these seasonal items checked off your list of to-dos.

Questions regarding RWC’s home warranties? Don’t hesitate to contact us. Discover the value of an RWC home owner warranty today!

As a real estate professional, why should you care about new home warranties? What’s in it for you?

Here’s 5 perks of having a solid RWC home warranty in place - perks that benefit both you, the builder, and the potential buyer:  

1. It Just Looks Good
   As a Real Estate Agent, you know the market for new home construction sales is both competitive and complicated. Not only are builders competing against each other for sales, but also against the resale and foreclosure markets. A new home warranty is a distinguishing feature that makes a new home even more attractive to potential buyers.
2. Quality
   Obviously, the home buyer must qualify under today’s rigid requirements, but the builder may also need to meet certain criteria. Whether a home is financed by a conventional, FHA or VA loan, be assured that a home built by an RWC member is constructed with quality.
3. Buyer Peace of Mind
   Written, insured warranties provide recourse for repairs for your buyers. If the builder is unable or unwilling to correct warranted defects, the Warranty Insurer steps in. Without a warranty, in these uncertain times, a homeowner might be forced to “go it alone” in a time when the average major structural defect exceeds $30,000.
4. Protection
   Real Estate agents benefit directly from the warranty in the event a defect does occur. The warranty ensures that either the builder or the home warranty company will rectify warranted defects.
5. Assurance
   Warranty members have passed stringent screening criteria for professional building ethics, financial stability, and technical competence. As a result, agents are better assured that the home is built by a more qualified builder.

And the benefits of RWC’s home warranties for real estate pros don’t stop there! Click here to discover additional reasons to secure home warranty coverage with RWC.

Residential Warranty Company, LLC (RWC) and its affiliates, HOME of Texas and MHWC, continue to make strides in streamlining the application process for builders joining the group’s elite builder warranty programs. The latest step is to eliminate the inspection requirement* for homes being ‘grandfathered’ (homes that are either under construction prior to membership approval or completed, but not occupied) into the program. Previously, the home warranty companies required that up to 3 homes be inspected prior to membership approval, at a cost to the builder of $150 per inspection. By eliminating this requirement, RWC, HOME & MHWC are able to save potential members up to $450 in inspection/application costs.

Joining RWC’s elite builder warranty program is the best way for today’s builders to deal with customer service and risk management issues. Offering a wide variety of unique home warranty options, RWC understands that just one warranty rarely meets everyone’s needs. RWC's “menu” of warranties and services creates comprehensive coverage and effective risk management for the greatest long term stability.

RWC’s mission is to provide a level of security to builders and their customers and has devoted over three decades to that purpose across the country. Being able to provide a variety of services to members is the result of much hard work and due diligence along the way. RWC has established itself as a rock solid leader in providing home warranty protection. When a builder becomes a member, they benefit from 30+ years of leadership and experience that is unrivaled in the warranty industry.

*Homes over $1 million in sales volume may still need to be inspected. Prospective members may contact the home warranty company for further details.

Residential Warranty Company, LLC is one of the nation’s oldest and largest providers of written insured builder warranties. Builders seeking options in coverage, sensible home warranty protection, and assistance in dealing with customer service, choose RWC. In business for over 30 years, RWC has warranted over 3 million homes and its Insurer is rated “A- (Excellent)” by A.M. Best. An extensive “menu of choices” in both home warranties and general liability insurance is available, enabling builders to reduce their liability and increase the marketability of their homes.

RWC’s new home warranties are packed with “value added” features - features that provide heightened security, resale value, and an important measure of peace of mind for homeowners.

Yes, it’s essential that you have a strong home warranty in place to ensure home protection, but don’t just stop there. There are additional ways to ensure your home holds up over time, including seasonal maintenance inspections.

A part of being a responsible homeowner is checking on things before they go haywire. Inspecting your home on a regular basis and following good maintenance practices is one of the surest ways to keep your home in tiptop shape all year long. Plus, these regularly scheduled seasonal maintenance inspections can help prevent costly problems from occurring.

If you haven’t completed your summer maintenance inspection, there’s no time like the present! There are a number of indoor and outdoor maintenance tasks to complete each summer including repairing walkways and steps, painting, checking your chimney and roof, etc. Though tempting, it’s important that you do not put these important tasks off. If you do, odds are, you will pay...literally.

For a comprehensive summer maintenance checklist, we invite you to use this handy resource.

And remember, if you don’t have the time or energy to conduct these periodic home maintenance inspections yourself, there’s always the option of paying someone! Either way, it’s in your home’s best interest to get these periodic inspections done.

Questions regarding RWC’s home warranties? Don’t hesitate to contact us. Discover the value of an RWC home owner warranty today!

Yes, our builder warranties cover structural defects! That structural coverage is just one of the many benefits of RWC’s home warranty programs. Providing an RWC warranty on your homes reduces your liability and assures you that your homeowners are protected for covered structural defects for the entire term of the home warranty.

RWC offers two different types of structural coverage: Major Structural Defect (MSD) coverage and Designated Structural Element (DSE) coverage. During the coverage periods when the insurer is the warrantor, the warranty resolution process includes a free fact-finding inspection by a licensed, professional engineer. After that inspection, RWC determines whether the alleged defect is covered. If coverage is granted, then RWC repairs, replaces or pays the reasonable cost of repair or replacement of the affected structural component.

Here is one case study demonstrating the home warranty coverage we provide and the manner in which we handle homeowner complaints.

Major Structural Defect (MSD) Case Study:

This home was in year 10 of coverage. The homeowner claimed that “the garage foundation has failed, causing cracks, sinking of floor and walls.” He also complained that the damage did not allow a door to function properly.

RWC retained a licensed, professional engineer and scheduled him to perform an inspection of the home. RWC uses the observations and opinions of engineers to make coverage determinations when homeowners allege that their homes have an MSD or a defect in a DSE.

The engineer found and reported that there were foundation wall cracks along the perimeter of the garage and indicated that the cracks were particularly obvious in the area of the main door. Elevation readings indicated that the garage had experienced significant differential settlement and that settlement was an ongoing problem. The engineer gave RWC his opinion that the garage foundation wall had failed. The combination of failure of a structural element, actual damage to a structural element in the form of cracks in the foundation wall, and an adverse effect on safety (the garage main door not functioning properly) satisfied the Major Structural Defect criteria. Thus, we granted the claim.

Next, RWC obtained a repair plan from the engineer. The plan called for the placement of seven hydraulically-driven push piers to stabilize the downward vertical movement of the garage’s foundation wall.

RWC then hired a contractor to visit the home to provide an estimate based on the engineer’s repair plan. RWC offered a monetary settlement to the homeowner in the amount of the contractor’s estimate. The homeowner accepted the offer and executed the required Full and Final Release. The homeowner was satisfied and the claim was resolved without requiring the builder to take any action or pay one dollar to the homeowner.

This is just one example from our nearly 100,000 Warranty Resolution files that shows how homeowners and builders alike are protected by RWC’s home warranty coverage.

Homeowners receive assurance that their homes will be fixed if they experience defects covered by the builder warranty, and builders have their customers satisfied by an experienced and capable Warranty Resolution staff at no cost to them – a great value to both parties!

As hopefully you are aware, all of RWC’s home warranty programs include our effective home warranty resolution process which includes mediation and, if needed, formal arbitration. We are asked from time to time if the system works...or in other words, if the warranty is “worth it.” So from time to time, we like to highlight a specific case study which shows exactly how this process benefits you, our member.

In this case study, the home was in Year 1 of home warranty coverage and was financed through VA/HUD. The homeowner’s request for warranty performance stated: “The duct work is making continuous knocking/ticking noises during every heating and air conditioning cycle.”

During RWC’s mediation, the builder informed RWC that they spent more than 40 hours “without exaggerating” trying to find the ticking while opening up the ceiling, and there definitely was not oil canning. The builder concluded that he had exhausted all efforts. RWC declared the issue unresolved and referred the homeowner to the warranty’s arbitration provisions.

The homeowner completed and returned the arbitration forms and paid the arbitration fee of $950.00. The parties to the arbitration were the builder and the homeowner.

The arbitrator determined: “Residential Warranty Company standards provide that with regard to ‘excessively loud notices’ in ductwork, such ductwork will be adjusted if necessary to eliminate noises caused by oil canning. Therefore, parties during the arbitration agreed in that the reported noise problem is currently not audible. The homeowners stated that they have, in fact, not heard it for some time, and not at all during this air conditioning season. The request of the homeowner is ‘Not Covered’ according to the warranty book. No repairs or other further remedies are necessary for a problem which both parties agree does not currently exist, and one party claims to have never existed. Based upon the above findings of fact, and the award in favor of builder, all costs are to be paid by the homeowners.”

Not only did the builder have a successful award, but he did so in a very timely, economical manner. Additionally, it was not necessary for either party to be represented by counsel.

This is a real case and a perfect example of how the builder’s warranty standards prevent unmerited complaints and support the value of RWC’s resolution process.

Learn more about RWC’s home warranty plans and builder benefits!

Finally, after several lean years, the new home building industry is enjoying improvement. The nation’s vacant home inventory is virtually depleted and new homes are being built again to meet the demand. Interest rates are still low and buyers have more confidence, so not only are homes being built, but they’re being bought.

What are you doing to entice buyers and set yourself apart from your competitors? What kinds of bells and whistles are you including in your homes that other builders are not? How are you promoting your quality and strength? What’s your response to a potential buyer when they ask, “What if I have a problem in my home and you’re out of business?”

That’s a real concern for buyers. None of us can forget how difficult the economy has been. We’re all cautious when making large purchases. Home buyers especially want to be assured they’re getting the most for their money and that they’re purchasing a home from a reputable, quality builder.

By providing RWC’s sensible home warranty, you’re proving to your customers that if there’s a problem in their home, it will be corrected. We investigate all of our members. We want to be sure our members have a solid reputation, build a quality home, have financial strength, and provide excellent customer service. You don’t just subscribe to RWC. You earn your membership, so be sure to proudly include and display the fact that you’re a RWC member. Add our new logo to your printed materials and media advertising and add a link on your website to our homeowners page.

This will also help you compete against resale homes on the market. Most resale homes include a third party home warranty. Quality, reputation, reliability, warranties, and assurance are all very important factors in a home buying decision.

Have you ever had a difficult homeowner after the sale? RWC can help you there, too. Our dispute resolution process is extremely effective. We have trained individuals that assist you and your homeowner through a free 30 day mediation process. Mediation is efficient and effective. From time to time, a homeowner isn’t satisfied with the outcome. For those occasions, binding arbitration is available. Again, RWC’s staff schedules and assists the parties through this process.

Now that homebuilding is gearing up again, be sure to emphasize your advantages. Don’t miss out on sales because you didn’t promote yourself effectively. In addition to your company’s profile information, be sure to advertise that you provide an insured, third party warranty from the nation’s largest home warranty company. Warranties issued by RWC are insured by Western Pacific Mutual Insurance Company, A Risk Retention Group (WPMIC). WPMIC specializes in new home warranties and, in fact, does not write insurance for any other unrelated risk. The financial strength of the company – over $100 million in surplus equity – dedicated for new home warranty resolution means you don’t have to worry about the insurer behind your warranty going out of business because of either man-made or natural catastrophic losses (hurricanes, oil spills, etc.).

The benefits of RWC’s home warranties are numerous for your homebuyers and for you. Enroll today!