Buying Your First Home? Let Free Guide From AHS Help Ease Anxiety

First-time homebuyer manual offers step-by-step advice to help guide
home-buying process

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Anxiety is a common emotion for
first-time homebuyers. The cost of buying a home, the uncertainties of
financing and the legalities of contracts can make anyone nervous - especially
first-time homebuyers - a group that's expected to account for more than half
of all homes purchased in 2009.

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American Home Shield (AHS) is helping to calm the nerves of jittery first-time
buyers with their new website, FirstHomeExperience.com. The site helps
explain the intricacies of buying a home so that new homeowners can have less
stress and greater enjoyment during the exciting home buying process. It also
features valuable money-saving offers, links to helpful resources, important
maintenance tips and more.

Among the most useful tools on the site is the custom-written First-Time
Homebuyer Guide. This free, 24-page publication serves as a guidebook through
the home buying experience, offering a wealth of tips and checklists to help
buyers navigate the maze of making their first home purchase.

It provides practical information on everything from tax credits and credit
scores to tips on what to look for in a home inspection, home warranty,
homeowners insurance and more. It even offers a checklist to help your real
estate agent find just the right home for you, and also covers things like
packing tips and ways to plan ahead so the move-in process is as smooth as
possible.

"The First-Time Homebuyer Guide is great for anyone who is buying a home,
especially first-time buyers," said Lelia Chapman, vice president of field
sales for AHS. "It provides some insightful advice and takes you step-by-step
through the home-buying process. It also explains many of the terms and
phrases that may be confusing to someone who is buying their first home."

Four of the most common, but confusing, terms in the home-buying process all
begin with the letter "C." Many first-timers are uncertain about the meaning
of these words, and that only adds to the anxiety of buying a house. They are
all clearly defined in the First-Time Homebuyer Guide.

Comparables - homes with similar square footage that have recently sold in the
area. Comparables are very important because real estate professionals often
use them to help owners set their asking prices, and the bank appraiser will
use them to determine the home's value for the mortgage loan. You can
download a Home Comparison Worksheet at www.FirstHomeExperience.com.

Contingencies - conditions that must be met for the contract to be executed.
In real estate, contingencies may address appraisals, loan approval, home
inspections, termites, radon, lead-based paints and many other possibilities.
Contingencies sometimes include the sale of the buyer's current home as well,
which won't apply to a ?rst-time homebuyer.

Closing costs - these may include the appraisal fee, attorney or closing
agent's fee, survey fee, any loan discount fee (points), inspection fees,
title fees, title insurance and closing fees. The real estate professional or
lender can help estimate the amount of closing fees well in advance so buyers
can have the money on hand.

The closing - this is the ?nal meeting, usually with the buyer's real estate
agent, the seller (although the sellers may complete paperwork separately),
the closing agent or attorney and sometimes a mortgage representative, where
the buyer and seller sign the necessary paperwork including the settlement,
make the monetary transaction, and the buyer takes possession of the house
immediately or in a designated time period shortly thereafter. At closing,
the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer.

In addition to the First-Time Homebuyer Guide and all of the great information
found at FirstHomeExperience.com, visitors can enter to win a $100 Sears gift
card each week by posting on Twitter. They also have the opportunity to win
more than $4000 in prizes and gifts by submitting a limerick on Twitter - a
Twitterick - describing their home-buying experience.

About American Home Shield
American Home Shield founded the home warranty industry in 1971 and remains
the industry leader in home warranties, servicing 1.3 million customers across
49 states. The Memphis-based company operates three customer service centers,
employs over 1,800 employees and over 11,000 approved, independently insured
contractors nationwide. AHS customers have total accessibility to request
service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and AHS will arrange for the
contractor to call you during normal business hours to schedule an
appointment. American Home Shield is part of the ServiceMaster family of
brands, one of the world's largest and most versatile service networks. The
company's brands include TruGreen, TruGreen LandCare, Terminix, American Home
Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic, and AmeriSpec.

About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster currently serves residential and commercial customers through a
network of more than 5,500 company-owned locations and franchised licenses.
The company's brands include TruGreen, TruGreen LandCare, Terminix, American
Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic, and AmeriSpec.
The core services of the company include lawn care and landscape maintenance,
termite and pest control, home warranties, cleaning and disaster restoration,
house cleaning, furniture repair and home inspection.

SOURCE American Home Shield

Heather Wilson, +1-901-597-7710, heather.wilson@servicemaster.com