The insurance claims process can be slow, but the contractor actually has more control over the the speed and timing than you might realize. Time is money, especially if you are a roofing contractor/insurance restoration general contractor. This episode covers 5 tips to improve the speed of the insurance claims process. Please let me know what your…

Why don't insurance adjusters approve most contractor estimates? Here I discuss what I believe to be the five top reasons for insurance companies not agreeing with roofing contractors and insurance restoration contractors when they submit their Xactimate estimate for approval. Please let me know what your thoughts are below. Keep winning, my friend…

If you're a roofing contractor, winning the game with insurance adjusters in the roofing business and insurance restoration general contracting involves playing THEIR game better than they do... using their rules against them... even though you're a roofer, it doesn't mean you can't beat them at their own game. Less friction, less resistance, more …

If the insurance claim pays out to the property owner and the mortgage company as the payees, how can you get the insurance check released from the mortgage company? Roofing contractors and insurance restoration contractors usually struggle with delays caused by this problem when working through the roofing claim process. This episode will help you…

Insurance claim supplement advice SPECIFICALLY for State Farm Insurance. Roof damage, water damage, fire damage, hurricane damage, wind damage, hail damage claims with State Farm is a majority of what you will see because State Farm has the majority of the market share for residential property damage claims. State Farm needs to be handled entirely …

If you do this on roofing claims - or water damage claims, hurricane claims, hail damage claims, wind damage claims, fire damage, etc. - you will lose and fail. It is so imperative that you first research the basic fundamentals of the insurance policy, starting with the declarations page (or "dec page"). You need to understand the maximum available…

A roofing contractor - who is enrolled in my IES Certified training course - called me for advice because an insurance adjuster on one of his roofing and general contracting jobs is trying to burn him after he sent him his Xactimate estimate. I think he has the solution to overcome the situation. Please let me know what your thoughts are below. Kee…

Don't fall for this insurance claims roofing TRAP that insurance adjusters set. As a matter of fact, in this episode I talk about SEVERAL traps that insurance companies tend to set that roofing contractors need to beware of. This covers Xactimate estimates, insurance engineers, roofing approvals/denials, water damage claims, insurance adjuster inte…

Setting up a supplement system for roofing insurance claims and insurance restoration general contracting claims needs to be one of your top priorities right now. My advice is to set up a supplementing system made up of three separate departments: the inspection department, the Xactimate estimate writing department and the insurance claim supplemen…

Getting the insurance adjuster to approve your Xactimate estimate can be a complicated and difficult process. However, following a methodical strategy from start to finish can give you the advantage over the insurance adjuster when trying to reconcile your roofing or restoration Xactimate estimate. Let's discuss how to get the highest possible amou…

In this example, the insurance company sent another insurance adjuster to inspect the hurricane damaged property a second time and review my Xactimate estimate. Check out the strategy I used to get the adjuster to approve more than triple the original estimate amount. Roofing contractors and general contractors pay attention! Please let me know wha…

In this training session we discuss the insurance adjuster, the property owner, the roofer and the insurance restoration contractor. The roofing claim process starts with the property owner. The roofing contractor needs to first educate the customer on how the roofing process works, the Xactimate estimate process, the insurance supplementing proces…

Meeting with the insurance adjuster for a roofing job or other type of insurance restoration project is a required and very important aspect of being an insurance restoration contractor. How you play that game is what is most crucial. Should you give them your Xactimate estimate first or should you make them show you their cards first? And where do…

When interacting with insurance adjusters, there is no need for arguments. Let the game come to you. When handling insurance restoration jobs and roofing jobs, let the insurance adjuster make the first move. Then you react. You are hired to perform all repairs that are prescribed by the insurance claim. Go from there. Please let me know what your t…

It's true that insurance adjusters and insurance companies are approving and paying for Pandemic "Compliance" Xactimate Line Items. Let's discuss setting up testing and PPE protocols on your insurance restoration and roofing job sites. Please let me know what your thoughts are below. Keep winning, my friends... Much love and God bless! Chad Michael…

In this private company training video we cover a wide range of insurance restoration claim topics and approval strategies for overcoming insurance adjusters in an extensive questions and answers session. We talk roofing and other insurance restoration projects with these roofing contractors / general contractors, Xactimate and Xactimate training, …

Defeating insurance adjusters and gaining more insurance claim approvals for your roofing and insurance restoration jobs is complicated, difficult and requires diligence, dedication and hard work. For roofing contractors and insurance restoration general contractors it can be easy to get upset with insurance adjusters because they naturally resist …

Selling the job is obviously one of the most crucial factors to a roofing contractor or insurance restoration general contractor's success. Let's cover and break down how to combine your inspection and investigation with your sales pitch and sales process. This will help to ensure that the inspection literally helps the sale happen on its own. Plea…

I took a client call yesterday and thought I'd share the content, as we covered so many valuable subjects through the course of an hour, such as how to get overhead and profit approved, overcoming insurance engineer denials on commercial roofing systems, the insurance claim supplement process. Please let me know what your thoughts are below. Keep w…

Advice on how to obtain and sign commercial roofing insurance jobs and other commercial insurance restoration jobs. Tips on getting roofs approved for replacement that were previously only approved by the insurance adjuster for repair only. Strategies on using building codes effectively and advice for damage inspections. Recorded in Philadelphia, P…

Winning arguments and rebuttals for debating with insurance adjusters. In this episode I cover lots of strategies and tactics for roofing contractors and insurance restoration contractors, such as: how to get waste factors, starter, ridge caps and flashing Xactimate line items approved in your insurance claims; getting overhead and profit approved …

In this episode I cover Xactimate tips, handling insurance adjusters, building codes, when to send your Xactimate damage estimate to the insurance company, who to send it to, the order of your insurance restoration process and much more. This was recorded as a part of the 100 Towns Tour earlier this year on February 12, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minneso…

The three phases of the Insurance Restoration Industry broken down into mitigation, contents and reconstruction. This is important for all insurance restoration contractors - including roofing contractors - to know and understand. This was recorded at the end of last year - November 21, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas during the 100 Towns Tour - Insuran…

I was recently hired by a homeowner in the Los Angeles, California area to help him with the construction repair estimating process for a fire damage claim with State Farm Insurance. He is acting as his own general contractor, which adds a unique dimension to our consulting relationship. In this capacity, I am nothing more than a consultant... ther…

The Supplement Process for Insurance Restoration Contractors and Roofing Contractors. Invoicing and invoice management process for a large insurance restoration contracting and roofing contracting company.By Chad Michael

What can Insurance Restoration Contractors and Roofing Contractors do during this crisis. 5 things a contractor can do to survive and thrive. This thing is real. And we could be at just the very beginning still. Instead of 15 days, it could be many months before this over. It is crucial that we take it seriously and make a plan for how we can react…

Xactimate pricing for insurance repair jobs. Does Xactimate software pay enough money on insurance claims? My short answer is YES, but please allow me to explain. Many roofing contractors and restoration contractors get frustrated with Xactimate estimates because of the overall end price on an estimate. But the main reason why the estimate total is…

The Code Game... Using building codes to gain higher insurance approvals on roofing and other insurance repair jobs. Learn how to understand certain parts of the International Code Council (ICC) building codes: the International Building Code (IBC), the International Residential Code (IRC) and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to co…

Armando Jacox of the "Roofing It" Podcast has Chad Michael as his guest in Denver, Colorado to share his personal story. Chad also explains what it is that he does in his Insurance Restoration career. This session was recorded on August 21, 2019. High level Insurance Restoration Training and learning. Strategy. Consistency. Diligence. Dedication. A…

Understanding the ins and outs of recoverable depreciation versus non-recoverable depreciation -as well as how property insurance deductibles are applied- is absolutely critical to the success of an insurance restoration contractor and/or a roofing contractor. Actual Cash Value (ACV) versus Replacement Cost Value. How does this come into play? This…

Are you struggling with insurance adjusters not approving overhead and profit (O&P) on your insurance jobs? The standards and "unwritten rules" on overhead and profit used to be any three trades or more (the 3 trade rule) would get you overhead and profit. Now insurance adjusters will typically say that the number of trades on an insurance job does…

What should you do when the insurance adjuster denies roof damage? One broken roof tile? Discontinued? Damaged soft metals? Are they saying that the roof damage is cosmetic damage or mechanical damage? What about when the insurance company sends an engineer who also denies the damage? This is a segment from the #100TownsTour - Insurance Restoration…

Tips, strategies and advice for how to conduct meetings in the field with insurance adjusters. The roofing contractor or insurance restoration has a contractual obligation to perform all repairs that are prescribed by the insurance claim? So, what should you do when the insurance adjuster asks you if you "agree" to their lower estimate, just so the…

Many restoration contractors and roofing contractors leave money on the table, when it comes to contents packing, storing and cleaning. Also, knowing the fundamentals of water mitigation, fire mitigation and insurance restoration can go a long way for an insurance restoration contractor. This is a segment from the #100TownsTour - Insurance Restorat…

Roofing contractors often refer to the price of their services in "per square" terms. Everyone seems to be focused on how much per square a roof should cost. Property owners, insurance restoration contractors, roofers and insurance adjusters talk about roofs in terms of "per square". This cannot be accurate under almost any circumstances. This is a…

Is it possible to legally "COVER" the insurance deductible? Actually, yes, it is! But it absolute depends on how it is done. There are many methods not so advisable that a great deal of roofing contractors and restoration contractors use to "waive" the insurance deductible. This is absolutely reckless and not necessary at all. Especially since ther…

Strategies for insurance repair contractors to respond to insurance adjusters for better approvals on property insurance claims. Tips and advice for roofing contractors, mitigation contractors and insurance restoration general contractors. What do you do when the insurance adjuster says they don't want to pay for items on your Xactimate repair esti…

Too many insurance restoration contractors fail to investigate the available data for insurance repair jobs, before rushing out to the damaged property to conduct an inspection and complete an Xactimate estimate. A great deal of focus and attention can and should be spent beforehand to qualify the job and the client first.…

Featuring a questions and answers session with roofing contractors and Chad Michael, The Practitioner, on insurance adjuster rebuttals in getting overhead and profit (O&P) and Xactimate estimates approved on insurance restoration roofing claims. Multiple topics covered including tips for State Farm and Nationwide claims, supplementing procedures, b…

How to handle the insurance adjuster appointment and take control of the situation. When meeting with a field insurance adjuster and compiling your Xactimate estimate, how you formulate your strategy can mean all the difference for winning roofing contractors. You already have the disadvantage of not being able to discuss policy and coverage. This …

It is perplexing to me how many roofing contractors, general contractors, restoration contractors, public adjusters, insurance adjusters and property owners aren't FIRST focusing on protecting properties after a catastrophe. Roof tarps are insurance company APPROVED! Drywall, insulation, carpet, wood, etc... these products cannot withstand rain. Th…

Insurance Adjuster Rebuttals | Ridge, Starter, Waste, O&P and More What do you do when the insurance adjuster says they don't want to pay for items on your Xactimate repair estimate? Ridge caps, starter, waste factor, overhead & profit (O&P) and more. Let's solve these problems for the many Insurance Restoration Contractors, roofing contractors, ge…

Is your customer on your team? Are you on the same page? Signing a new customer to a roofing sales (or insurance restoration sales) contract is a serious commitment, and one that should be taken seriously. Properly preparing and educating your customer about the insurance restoration process, about Xactimate and helping them anticipate what to expe…

Property owners have the obligation of immediately mitigating damages. Tarping a roof 100% can be a great profit generator for roofing contractors, and can help win more roofing jobs. Xactimate pays quite a bit when estimating and installing correctly. In this episode, we will cover it all. Let's get it! -Chad Michael #ThePractitioner…

Welcome to another episode of The Practitioner Podcast! Xactimate pays significantly less and is not correct in many of its default trade settings in estimates for: RFG vs DMO, INS vs DMO, DRY vs DMO and much more. Xactimate trade differences pay less. Knowing how to manually correct these line items in Xactimate after consuming Xactimate Sketch tr…

In this episode we address questions from the community with our guest, Brian Macdonald. Questions include: "When should I send the Xactimate estimate to the insurance company?" "What do I do when the insurance adjuster says that the roof isn't covered because of 'blistering'?" and more! Brian Macdonald is an independent expert damage consultant an…

Mitigation, Contents and Reconstruction. This episode takes a deep dive into the three phases of the insurance restoration industry. There are many professionals in the industry who specialize in these various categories.By Chad Michael