Insurance Estimator: The #1 Best Software Used After a Disaster

8/10/2021 (Permalink)

Contact the insurance estimating professionals at SERVPRO today!

Insurance estimating professionals will ensure you get the most out of your insurance claim.

Suppose you have experienced a disaster in your home and are wondering what to do next. If this is the case, the first step is hiring a restoration team to mitigate the damages with trained insurance estimators. This blog post will teach you what insurance estimators do and why they are so important when dealing with insurance companies following property damage.

The best insurance estimating software

Insurance estimators are trained professionals who use Xactimate to estimate damages and losses after disasters strike. Xactimate was the first lineage of estimating software started by Xactware in 1986. Xactimate is designed to help contractors and insurance adjusters estimate repairs quickly and accurately.

Why are insurance estimators so important?

After a disaster strikes a property, an insurance estimator will arrive at the scene and begin documenting the damages done to the property through pictures and videos. You may even see the insurance estimator use a Matterport device to show a virtual tour of the damages. The awesome thing about Matterport is that it integrates well with Xactimate.

The images captured before mitigation are essential for reference purposes when the insurance estimator is creating the insurance estimate. When an insurance estimator is creating an insurance estimate, they will take into account the following factors:

• The extent of the damages
• Removal of damaged building materials
• Extraction services 
• Labor costs
• Equipment needed
• Hauling debris

After the insurance estimator has put together an extensive insurance estimate, they will send it over to the insurance adjuster handling the claim. In most cases, an insurance adjuster will approve the estimate, but sometimes they will disapprove line items on the estimate. When disapproval occurs, the insurance estimator and the insurance adjuster will go back and forth and compromise on a fair-approved estimate.

Pitfalls in not having an insurance estimator in your corner

When a customer chooses to hire a restoration company that does not specialize in insurance estimating, they will run into the issue of not getting the most out of their insurance claim.

Restoration repairs go much deeper than being able to perform the work. The right restoration company will know how to communicate with insurance adjusters and explain effectively why an insurance estimate includes certain line items.

How to tell if a restoration company specializes in insurance estimates?

The best way to know if a restoration company includes an insurance estimator on their team is to ask what level of certification they hold by Xactimate. Xactimate has three levels of certifications. These certification levels are:

Level 1 - Xactimate Fundamentals: Verifies that a user has the foundational skills to create an insurance estimate in Xactimate.

Level 2 - Xactimate Proficiency: A user has passed the level 1 certification and knows more intermediate Xactimate practices.

Level 3 - Xactimate Mastery: A user is a subject matter expert in insurance estimating and has passed the level 1 and level 2 certifications.

Contact the insurance estimators at SERVPRO.

When it comes to estimating small and large losses, the SERVPRO of North Fulton professionals has proven to deliver quality estimates for over a decade. Our insurance estimators have gone through extensive training from Xactimate and know how to get insurance estimates approved quickly.

Insurance estimators at SERVPRO of North Fulton also have access to the industry’s best corporate training to give our customers accurate estimates of their losses. Therefore, it is essential to contact us at the first sign of a water/fire/mold disaster so that we can help you quickly and accurately.

SERVPRO of North Fulton is available 24/7, 365 days a year for any size disaster!