There’s nothing quite as exciting – and sometimes overwhelming – as having the keys to your new home placed in your hands. Faced with a seemingly endless list of things to do, a new re-key service offered by American Home Shield unlocks a quick and convenient solution to one of homebuyers’ top priorities: protecting their investment and keeping their family more secure.

The nation’s largest home warranty company is now offering re-key service to new real estate home warranty customers in 18 states across the country, as well as the District of Columbia, and plans to extend the service nationwide in the coming months. The company began piloting the service in six states earlier this year. Company officials say the accelerated expansion timeline is due in large part to the extremely positive feedback from customers who have used the service.

The program is currently available to customers who purchase or receive a home warranty from American Home Shield as part of a real estate transaction in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C.. In addition, real estate customers who purchased a home warranty in these states within the past two years are also eligible for the service.

“Re-keying is one of the first and most important things new homeowners need to do as soon as they take possession of their home, and we’re pleased to offer them a convenient and cost-effective way to do it,” said Tim Haynes, president of American Home Shield, a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings (NYSE: SERV). “Our business is built on solving the homeowner’s dilemma, whether it’s repairing covered breakdowns of home systems and appliances, or helping secure a new home. Adding professional locksmith services at the time of a home purchase broadens our portfolio of home services and reinforces our commitment to help make home ownership a great experience.”

Here’s how the service works: Customers simply call or go online and place their service request, then an American Home Shield service contractor will contact them to schedule an appointment. The contractor will re-key locks on up to six doors with outside access and provide four new keys to fit these existing locks.

While homeowners could pay up to $140 or more without the home warranty coverage, depending on the market, American Home Shield customers will pay just a $75 trade service fee, Haynes said.

The service is an enhancement to the company’s real estate home warranty product, which already provides repairs and replacements for items such as major appliances and components of HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.

“This new re-key program is another example of how AHS and ServiceMaster are adding value to our customers by protecting and maintaining their homes and businesses,” said ServiceMaster Chief Executive Officer Nik Varty. “We’re committed to continuously developing products and services that bring more convenience, while delivering significant value to our customers and service providers.”

To find out more about home warranty plans designed for persons buying or selling a home, go to ahs.com/realestate.

American Home Shield founded the home warranty industry in 1971 and remains the industry leader. Together with all of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, American Home Shield services approximately 1.6 million customers in all 50 states. The companies operate five customer service centers, employ approximately 1,700 employees and have a national contractor network made up nearly 14,000 independent home service contractors and more than 45,000 service technicians. American Home Shield Memphis-based is a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV), one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks. The ServiceMaster network of companies includes AmeriSpec, American Home Shield, Furniture Medic, Merry Maids, ServiceMaster Clean, ServiceMaster Restore and Terminix. American Home Shield is the Official Home Warranty Provider of Minor League Baseball™.

ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV) is a leading provider of essential residential and commercial services, operating through an extensive service network of more than 8,000 company-owned locations and franchise and license agreements. The company’s portfolio of well-recognized brands includes American Home Shield (home warranties), AmeriSpec (home inspections), Furniture Medic (furniture repair), Merry Maids (residential cleaning), ServiceMaster Clean (janitorial), ServiceMaster Restore (disaster restoration) and Terminix (termite and pest control). We serve residential and commercial customers through an employee base of approximately 13,000 company employees and a franchise network that independently employs an estimated 33,000 additional people. The company is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. Go to www.servicemaster.com for more information about ServiceMaster or follow the company at twitter.com/ServiceMaster or facebook.com/ServiceMaster. ServiceMaster is the Official Home Services Provider of Minor League Baseball™.