California Association of REALTORS endorses American Home Shield Home Warranty Plan.

SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 1995--American Home Shield ("AHS") the nation's oldest and largest home warranty company, announces today that their home warranty plan is being endorsed by the nation's largest state REALTOR(R) organization, the California Association of REALTORS(R)("C.A.R.").

"We are pleased to endorse American Home Shield's home warranty plan which many of our members and their clients have used over the years," said C.A.R. president, Ed Albers. "We have confidence in this company's ability to service our members and their clients' needs in providing a home protection plan."

The AHS Home Warranty Plan is a one year service contract providing for repair and/or replacement of home's major systems (heating, plumbing, electrical, water heater, garage door opener) and appliances (dishwater, built-in microwave oven, trash compactor, range/oven/cooktop, disposal, instant hot water dispenser and more).

"Having our home warranty plan endorsed by C.A.R. means a great deal to us, as it should to real estate professionals, home buyers and sellers all over California," said Billy D. Jensen, AHS vice president of sales, Western Division. "It's a widely respected seal of approval, demonstrating their utmost confidence in our home warranty plan."

Over 76% of the existing homes sold each year in California include a home warranty plan, according to the Home Warranty Association of California (HWAC). Home sellers have found that a home warranty plan can help sell their home faster and closer to the asking price.

Home buyers appreciate the budget saving potential and convenience of a home warranty. And real estate agents appreciate that problems related to covered systems and appliances failing due to normal wear and tear after the home closes, are handled by the home warranty company. Typically, the home warranty plan is offered by the seller during a real estate transaction, but if not provided by the seller, it can be ordered prior to the home's closing by the buyer.

American Home Shield is the largest provider of home warranty plans in California. In 1994, AHS issued 39% more home warranty plans than the next largest company in California. On a nationwide basis, American Home Shield paid over $81 million in system and appliance claims during 1994.

The typical AHS contract holder uses their home warranty plan more than two times per year while receiving prompt, professional service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. AHS follows-up on the majority of service calls dispatched to ensure their customers are receiving quality service and conducts ongoing quality service surveys of its customers (with over 800,000 service calls in the U.S. in 1995).

"We feel strongly that our home warranty plan is an integral part of any residential real estate transaction," said Jensen. "As home buyers demand and are getting more and more protection during a resale transaction, ordering a home warranty plan makes sense to help reduce potential litigation."

AHS is part of the ServiceMaster family of companies which is the largest and most respected home service company in the world with over $4.2 billion in customer level revenue and in excess of 5.5 million customers.

AHS is a member of the ServiceMaster Quality Service Network that provides residential and commercial cleaning services (ServiceMaster and Merry Maids), pest control services (Terminix), lawncare services (TruGreen/ChemLawn) and home warranty services (American Home Shield). AHS affiliation with these companies offers significant marketing and service capability to the real estate industry.

For more information on the AHS home warranty plan endorsed by C.A.R., call American Home Shield of California Inc. at 800/735-4663. -0-

Note to Editors: REALTOR is a registered trademark of the California Association of REALTORS.

CONTACT: American Home Shield, Santa Rosa

Billy Jensen, 707/578-2961