RISMEDIA, November 23, 2010—When Northern Virginia-based Century 21 New Millennium—ranked number one in the Century 21 System—went looking for a new home warranty partner this summer, it found everything and more with HSA Home Warranty.
“I was so pleased when we found HSA,” explains Todd Hetherington, CEO of Century 21 New Millennium. “We have many facets to our company, including property management, and the fact that they already had a program for that was a key factor in our decision to work with them.”
Indeed, HSA is one of the few home warranty providers that has a property management-specific warranty offering, according to Hetherington.
“As part of my due diligence in looking for a new provider, I talked to various companies and by far, HSA was a cut above the rest,” says Ted Maschler, director of property management for Century 21’s property management division, Proactive Property Management. “They are offering something that is ready now and available; others are still trying to figure out how to put together a property management program. It’s a tremendous package that’s so specific to property managers; it’s really great.”
According to Maschler, HSA’s property management program helps his group offer its clients many different options, including extended coverages. “These are things that are typically not included in a standard offering,” he says.
Maschler and his group went to various people and property owners and asked them what they were looking for in this type of warranty, given the fact that repairs can be a huge cost, especially with tenants moving in and out.
“The bottom line was that they wanted a very extensive package; something that was very comprehensive and based on need—whether it was for a condo, multi-family or single-family home,” he says. “It also needed to be easy to understand; HSA’s program is all that and more.”
What’s more, Maschler says the partnership works so well because of HSA’s flexibility when it comes to vendors.
“There might be times, in the case of an emergency, where it might be easier for me to use my own contractor…and they are enabling me to do that,” he says. “Even though HSA has preferred vendors, as long as my contractor meets their requirements, they’re willing to work with us on it.”
The result—while still early—has been exactly what Maschler and Hetherington had hoped for. “This partnership is allowing us to provide the best customer service to our clients,” says Maschler. “Plus, HSA is working directly with our clients so it’s cutting out the middleman—us—and allowing for a faster resolution.”
Plus, it’s a big differentiator in a highly competitive market.
“We really believe that the partnerships we enter into have to result in us providing better service to our clients; it’s a competitive advantage,” says Maschler. “Our ability to provide this option to our property management clients is something that helps us stand out and shows people that we are doing something that others are not.”
For more information, visit www.onlinehsa.com.
