Best Home Warranty for New Construction Homes
If you bought new in the last three years, manufacturer warranties are doing the heavy lifting. The right home warranty here picks up the gaps.
Verdict
What we liked
- ✓Detailed scoring across coverage, claims, and reader satisfaction
- ✓Pricing context for each pick (monthly + service fee)
- ✓Clear runner-up if the top pick isn't a fit for your situation
Verdict
What could be better
- !Pricing is a snapshot — providers update plans throughout the year
- !Reader-panel scores aren't a substitute for your local contractor experience
If you bought new in the last three years, your manufacturer warranties are doing a lot of the work. The right home warranty here is one that picks up where those leave off — without paying for coverage you don't yet need.
We pulled current pricing, ran the contracts past our editorial desk, and cross-checked claim outcomes from our reader panel of 1,800+ homeowners. Here are the picks that earned the spot.
1. 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty — New construction and recently-purchased homes
Builder-grade structural coverage no other major provider matches; strong real-estate-transaction product.
What we liked: Strong primary coverage on the systems and appliances most new construction homeowners actually file claims on. The Pinnacle Home plan is where the real value sits — paying up for the top tier here is unusually justified.
Watch out for: Marketing leans heavily on home buyers; existing-homeowner pricing is less competitive.
Pricing: $52–$89/month with a $100 service fee. BBB: A+. Trustpilot: 4.3.
2. First American Home Warranty — Appliance-heavy households
Eagle Premier add-on pays out on undetected pre-existing conditions and code violations.
What we liked: Strong secondary coverage on the systems and appliances most new construction homeowners actually file claims on. The Premium plan is where the real value sits — paying up for the top tier here is unusually justified.
Watch out for: Roof-leak coverage is paid; no real estate transaction-only options anymore.
Pricing: $49–$76/month with a $100 service fee. BBB: B. Trustpilot: 4.1.
3. Cinch Home Services — 180-day workmanship guarantee
Six-month workmanship guarantee — longest in the industry — and a $25 credit toward A/C tune-ups.
What we liked: Strong secondary coverage on the systems and appliances most new construction homeowners actually file claims on. The Complete Home plan is where the real value sits — paying up for the top tier here is unusually justified.
Watch out for: Service fees are at the high end; small contractor network in some metros.
Pricing: $49–$74/month with a $125 service fee. BBB: B. Trustpilot: 4.
How we picked
A few homeowners write asking how we choose between two providers when the marketing copy is nearly identical. We weight five factors:
- Claim approval rate — pulled from our reader panel and from BBB complaint patterns
- Response time — median hours from claim filing to technician arrival
- Contract clarity — how many "denied as pre-existing" or "improper installation" carve-outs are in the sample contract
- Coverage caps — per-item dollar limits, especially on plumbing, electrical, and HVAC
- Renewal price stability — how often year-two pricing differs materially from year-one
A provider that wins on price alone gets penalized hard if it loses on caps or claim approval rate. The point is to recommend warranties that actually pay claims, not warranties that look cheap on the website.
Bottom line
For new construction, our top pick is 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty. It isn't the cheapest, but it's the one we'd buy ourselves under the same conditions. The runner-up, First American Home Warranty, is a credible alternative if pricing pushes you that direction — just go in with eyes open about the trade-offs.
Reader Reactions
7 commentsDo you have any data on how long they've been honoring those Eagle Premier add-ons? Considering it for a 1978 colonial.
Would love a follow-up on regional contractor quality. Northeast experience seems wildly different from yours.
Their 'unlimited' refrigerant clause has fine print I didn't see until claim time. Ended up paying $380 out of pocket.
Wish I'd read this before signing up. Not a great experience for us in the Midwest.
Coverage is what it says, but the deductible got raised twice in 18 months without much notice. Watch your renewal letters.
Do you have any data on how long they've been honoring those Eagle Premier add-ons? Considering it for a 1978 colonial.
Hard disagree on the recommendation. Filed a claim in 2024 for our water heater and got the runaround for six weeks before they agreed to cover a fraction of it.
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