When a Malaysian buy a car, chances are very highly that the person purchased a motor vehicle assist plan such as AAM in case of breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

However, when we buy a house, do we ever bother to purchase a home warranty plan? The answer is more likely NO. Why? Because we are MacGyver. We know how to do a break-fix. If our home pipe burst, we would rush to the nearest hardware store, purchase a new pipe and install it ourselves. If our light bulb is blown, we run to the nearest Giant hypermarket to buy a new bulb and replace it ourselves. When our gas cooker stops burning, we also know how to fix it. If our roof leaks, we rush again to the nearest hardware store to buy a sealant to seal the leaking roof.

If we are no MacGyver, don’t worry. We call the nearest and normally the cheapest handyman. Malaysian home postboxes are ever filled with handyman’s calling card so we need not worry about who to call. Every two to five days, you’ll see repairman ads in your mailbox.

Why did we do this? Because we want to save money. Fix what we can fix on our own. If we cannot fix, we call the cheapest handyman to solve the problem for us. But this is a short term fix. Have we ever thought of a long-term coverage plan? What would happen to our home in 15 to 20 years time? Entire wiring system needs an overhaul. The air-conditioner system requires servicing. The roof structure demands inspection. These are long term maintenance plan that would require the qualified professional service such as American Home Shield. Can we find one in Malaysia?

In my last holiday trip to Cherating, Pahang I stayed at Cherating Bayview Resort. The 2-star budget resort offers chalet type accommodation with basic facilities. The chalet that I stayed was comfortable as it was a newly constructed block. Unfortunately the surrounding was not well maintained. The resort areas were left untidy. There were thick bushes everywhere. These invites dangerous animals such as snakes and scorpions to hide in these bushes.

In front of the chalet blocks, there were a field and a volleyball court. However, the grass was not well kept and nurtured. There are more weeds growing on the field compared to grass. There are also bold spots everywhere, signs of uneven growth of the grass. It looks like the resort owner does not bother to keep the surroundings beautiful. No wonder not many tourists stayed in the resort because the atmosphere is not inviting or appealing enough to welcome visitors. The resort owner certainly must do a quick fix by consulting a landscape company such as TruGreen to repair the damage if they want to keep tourists coming to their resort.