Thank you! I'm in Littleton and my roof got pummeled with hail recently. My insurance adjuster was very generous with my claim. The first roofer I spoke with saw my insurance claim (ACV) before he gave me a quote and suggested it would be a stretch to complete everything on the list with no cash out of pocket from me. I was shocked and went ahead and got three more quotes without disclosing anything about my insurance claim beyond the number of squares. I asked them to just give me their best price for an impact resistant roof. One guy flat out refused to give me a quote without seeing my insurance claim. He even had his sales manager call me to explain why they needed to see the claim. "We can get you more money!" I refused. The guy I went with was happy to give me a quote with detailed information of the materials and the work. He also swears by Certainteed! I've never been through this process before. Your videos have been very helpful!
The whole point of a roofer is to get you the best job/most money out of the insurance. He cant do that unless you have rcv which mean total replacement cost value(meaning insurance will cover the whole thing, you only pay your deductible). Insurance give roofers an estimate so they can do the work but it usually does not include everything that should be replaced, which saves the insurance company money. A roofer asking to see your insurance is like a car salesman asking to see your credit
I had an office in the same building as Homestead and found them to be super nice people. I agree with most of this information, however the insurance isn't usually over paying and working off the insurance scope sheet isn't in any way scandalous if the contractor does everything outlined with the only expense to homeowners being the deductible and explaining the numbers and line items.
I have to say this… You are describing only the bad contractors that give the roofing insurance restoration industry a bad wrap. If a contractor knows what he is doing with the insurance estimate, everything is done ethically … and the insurance’s estimate should already include every line item that is justified for the roof replacement. If a line item estimate does not include some items, but is required to be done for a full roof replacement, the contractor should inform the insurance adjuster and provide proof with photos and explanation why it must be added to the line item estimate (supplementing the claim). Every line item must be justified for the insurance to add it. There are some policies where Code Upgrades are not owned to the homeowner, in that case, the reputable and good storm restoration contractor would notify the homeowner that the insurance did not pay code upgrades. Such as drip edge, ice/water shield, etc. Then the homeowner would have to be responsible for those payments. As well as the deductible. For the 10k claim example, the good roofer would minus the RCV amount of each item or trade that their company will not be performing, to arrive at the true cost of the roof. (if the contractor knows how to read a scope of work, he would know where to find the exact roof cost on the report and not even have to do any math) Also another reason why is it a great idea for homeowners to show their insurance paper work to their contractor of choice. Homeowners just need to make sure the contractor knows what they are doing when it comes to insurance claims. I can go on and on about what the good insurance restoration roofing company would do. There are a lot of scum bag roofers that take advantage of homeowners in the insurance process. But don’t just highlight those that give the insurance roofing restoration industry a bad wrap.
Thank you for engaging with our video. I don't believe I highlighted any particular contractors or types of contractors. I simply laid out what types of questions a homeowner may encounter that he/she should be wary of. If you saw many of my other videos you would see that I do advocate for a homeowner to show the IC paperwork to a roofer, but only after the roofer has already created his own scope of work and associated quote.
@@prodchrisdontmiss12 That’s correct roof claims are always shorted by around 40-50 percent so it doesn’t matter because a good recommended roofer is going to do a great job and going to supplement for the shortage that is there 100 percent of the time ,, it’s not hard to hire a roof contractor for the job , but yet is almost impossible to find a professional roofer , the real pros are always busy and booked up but are willing to take a client in , ultimately the owner has to figure out who they going to trust , if you have a great reputation as a roofer then these questions are standard
This is reassuring because a couple years ago we had tons of roofers knocking on the door and calling me after a hail storm. I told them all to leave me alone. I think we do need a new one in the next few years, but the storm chasing behavior creeped me out.
I used to be a "home remodeling" canvasser is San Diego CA back in 2000's. I had shore duty while on active duty in the Navy and got another job for the downtime as a canvassing manger for a company out there. Went door to door with a crew through neighborhoods to book appointments for the sales team. My teams only job was to get your information. I had some novice experience in manual labor aspect of roofing as a teenager but that's it. Lol my team had zero experience whatsoever, just enough to small talk you into getting your contact information for someone else to close you. Use that information as you wish. If someone knocks on my door now I politely ask them to keep moving.
Getting the work done for less than what insurance pays (pocketing insurance money) is considered insurance fraud. Not paying your deductible in the state of Texas is considered illegal. Invoicing the insurance company for less than what the insurance company pays out (without committing insurance fraud) will only save the insurance company money. Don't shop price - your deductible should be the same no matter who you use. Shop reputation and your contractors track record.
My insurance company paid me for my roof, minus depreciation, minus my deductible. So I got to get a roof for what they gave me. And I have to pay out of pocket 2000. My deductible is 8000. Why would I hire a roofer that charges more, so I can pay more money? Makes zero sense.
My insurance said pocketing the money is fine with them. If my entire house collapses, I can choose not to rebuild and still collect the money. After all, we pay in for a pay out. It is up to us what I do with the money.
As a roofing salesman, I NEVER tell someone I'm working in their neighborhood or working with their neighbors unless I actually am. I also try to get a company sign put up in all of my client's yards so when they see my card, they know exactly which neighbors I'm talking about.
@@thurstonpowell8687 People are usually OK with letting me put a sign in their yard when I tell them roofers will stop knocking on their door when I see it. I'm not sure why their neighbors would sue them for having a sign. I see plenty of political signs around.
Didn't really have any issues til I was told to trust my Insurance agent. Maybe it's just me. Go with a roofing company with a solid track record that's been around for a long time. If you need a second opinion talk to a separate contractor. That's my two since. Preciate the video.
I love this guy! I have spent hours listening to his advice! Many many thanks for all of the info! Wish you were down in the Dallas area! Don't you need a working vacation down this way?
I always educate my H.Os about the process and have them call their insurance to make sure they have a policy with covers full replacement along with Builder codes before we move on to the elder step. I’ve seen H.O’s have to pay thousands not knowing what policy they hold or what it covers. Always be truthful to the Home owner.
Second comment of my roofing education. When the first salesperson pulled that technique (will you sign now?), I immediately remembered a sales pitch by a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman. I used the 3-day cancellation right to get out of the signing.
Seems there are many variables you’re not including. Reasons for showing contractor ins estimate : 1) recoverable depreciation must be invoiced correctly 2) scope of work is already provided by ins. If they are missing anything the contractor can supplement 3) ins is paying for specific work to be completed and expects it to be done in order for them to maintain coverage. Too many variable missing in this video
I realize that different states have different insurance laws, but for the most part, the contractor works for the homeowner, not the insurance company. The contractor sets the scope of work, not the insurance company.
"What if your neighbors an idiot" This, right there, I've never agreed more. I won't say an idiot in general but about the subject of roofing. No one knows much anything about roofing even half your roofers. And about 95% of Architects and engineers for that matter.
As someone who used to be a door to door roofer, I have to agree with some things, but call you out on some very inaccurate statements..first off, most people don't know they have a problem, until it's pointed out by an expert. Many insurance policies have steep depreciation, often non-recoverable, so a home owner who continues to wait till there's a crisis, is shooting themselves in the foot. Roofs should be maintained and inspected every time there's a major hail storm or strong winds. So long as the roofer has strong references, and can provide detail invoices of everything done, you should be good, and proceed with the claim.
I agree with some of what you say being a past salesman and a current owner of a roofing company. However, a contractor consulting with the adjuster about the scope of work and what the adjuster has approved is crucial. The adjuster could be in a whole other state adjusting the claim and miss crucial building codes. The most common one I see them try to avoid paying for (despite having code coverage) is gutter apron, drip edge, and ice and water shield or they urge you to violate matching laws because a 23/25 life shingle with RCV is “repairable.” NO the adjuster is the slime ball here. As a contractor, you are obligated to make all code updates regardless of coverage and to adhere to all uniformity laws! So yes, I will see the scope at some point or I simply will not work for you. This video is great but you’re hurting other people’s livelihoods to an extent by putting unnecessary fear in homeowners whenever a contractor asks for an insurance scope.
Thanks for the comment, but I'll push back on your accusation that I'm hurting other people's livelihoods. Give me one real example of anyone who's livelihood has been hurt by any of my videos.
COMPLETELY AGREE!! We survived Hurricane Ian, got roofing company fairly local. Worst mistake ive ever made. These ppl STILL dont have the roof right!!!
Yeah, it's really sad that there are still roofing contractors that are over charging homeowners and lying to get their business. Being a sales mgr. and previously an insurance adjuster for Pilot Adjusting. I have all our salesmen go through the addict and inspect under the roof to see if there's any leaks and give a full estimate at our Retail Prices & if the homeowner is interested in accepting us as there roofing contractor. And we find out its a " insurance Claim " then we compare prices with the homeowner and explain why the insurance scope of loss is under our bid or over, but we don't hold any information with the homeowner. We want the homeowner to know all about what was approved through the insurance.
We are building a network of roofers who we can refer to homeowners around the country since we get so many calls and Emails from homeowners asking for help and roofers in their area. If this is something you'd like to be a part of, let me know by sending Email to info@homesteadroofingcolorado.com.
Just had drive by roofers stop at my house last week. We filed a claim with my home ins. Company, they approved it but recommended I not show the roofing contractors the claim amount, as they will simply do the roof for that amount, even if they should be doing it for less. I told the roofer this morning that I won’t send the ins. claim info, they can give me a bid or don’t do the work, I’m fine, either way as I see no need to get a new roof.
In that situation, all your doing is saving the insurance company money. If anything, maybe consider giving a copy of the scope of work (line items) without any dollar amount. That way, if the insurance missed out on including any items, the contractor SHOULD have it on their estimate and they'll explain why it should be replaced and then present said item to insurance
If the insurance approved your claim, you are required to replace your roof. Otherwise, your roof is no longer insured. If there is depreciation that needs to be recovered, you’ll need the contractor to obviously use correctly which means they must know they price and scope insurance has provided. No insurance company is going to “overpay” you for your roof. lol.
So in my area the majority of roofers, the electricians and the plumbers are not interested in doing quality work but instead do as little as possible while maximizing their profit at the expense of the customers. EVERY neighbor (and there's a lot of communication going on around here about this issue) who's had any type of work done has been ripped off the last two years. I'm sure there's some good ethical contractors out there but WHERE? I even got scammed by a landscaping company that was on a major paid listing service with lots of good reviews! And by an AC company that instead of replacing the compressor unit with the one they promised, used some off brand that quickly failed and had a shitty warenty that ended up not covering it. And their response was "Sorry about that, not our problem and we don't guarantee our work after 30 days" So even if you try to find a goid contractor and do your research it doesn't seem to matter...and good luck getting the state regulatory agencies to do jack shit or local city government either. It's "Buyer beware" everywhere
@@JustMe-mn4gr NE Texas / Tyler And I just had an electrician who came recommended by the local electrical supply store do a terrible job on a metered service rack. He set the unistrut posts at an angle to the property line & building, they aren't even plumb vertical and the boxes are just thrown on, not squared up. Worst is the 2" gray PVC electric line in is angled out of the ground and enters the bottom of the meter box all cocked at the threaded adapter. When I lightly commented it wasn't square to the building he said "It's good enough, this is how we always do them." Note that this is not a temporary jobsite drop, it's the permanent one that's going to be on the edge of the parking lot beside the building forever (and he knew that from the beginning)
Tip one is be sceptical of anything a roofer says, check. From a roofer for life at 30 years experience we use signs and should be too busy to canvass door to door. Tip 2 if you are going through insurance don’t even tell the roofer that I told they give you an estimate, check. Any leg hit company will give you a quote and if you are going through insurance they don’t need the info until the contract is signed.
I think some of your points are good but some are just going to confuse the process , as far as the paper goes, it’s all based off a software which the insurance uses to price the scope of work called Xactimate, which we have also.
Roofers are not required to use XM8 and homeowners don't have to choose a roofer who does use it. It's just a tool - one of many. We choose not to use it and have been much more successful without it.
Licensed insurance agent here. There is ZERO reason for a contractor to "see" your insurance info. At best you hand the estimate over to a claims adjuster who does the smell test- and may beat them up over price- and you may need to fight it out between the two. A lot of good contractors refuse to work with insurance companies because of what they won't pay for. Sucks that you are in the middle of all this.
One of the Oldest tricks in the book ,is to pump up your estimate and tell the customer you will pay their deductible . Like a kick back you can even give them a little more money grease the palm .
If the HO handles the insurance themselves, then absolutely shop it around. Just make sure, as the HO, the insurance has covered all required costs for your roof project. Do most HOs know all the details about all the requirements? Has the ins shorted any materials? Does the HO understand how to supplement for shortages, code requirements etc, etc? Sometimes it is best to involve the contractor regarding a claim, once the HO is comfortable with said contractor. Just my 2 cents. There are soooo many variables in this process, its very hard to cover everything.
We have been in continuous roofing operation for 100 yrs. Great thing is no advertising and all business is referred. We never pressure ppl and generally I’ll drop estimates in ppls doors when requested and let them mull it over. Pressure tactics in this day and age don’t work. Ppl are educated these days right down to how much a piece of drip edge costs to what others in their area paid for similar roof replacements. We make a good living but use the same price formula for every roof unless it’s completely cut up. You don’t want to charge 15k for one house in a neighborhood and 17k for a similar house same neighborhood. It’s a score but scores don’t lead to long term business. For every satisfied customer u gain 8 more for every dissatisfied customer u lose 13. Stats r painful. To all my fellow roofers who r on the peaks God bless!
Would you be willing to be in a video to talk about your business? 100 years is an amazing accomplishment in any industry, but for roofing it's exceptional and it would be great to highlight your business. If you're willing, and depending on where you are, I would be willing to come to your town.
@ My grandfather came to this country and being handy he figured ppl will always need roofs. My dad continued onward and real estate as well. I started when I was 12 with the usual ground mechanic as we called it lugging cleaning. I just made the business bigger when it was my turn. I traveled installing commercial roofing on factories in Mexico and overseas. Made a lot of money doing that. Eventually it became dangerous and my kids were getting older and I wanted to coach them so I gave up traveling. It was a great run but now I’m 65 and have ppl run the business. I’d be willing to answer any questions on what makes or breaks roofers. If you are successful in this business you can make more $$ than u ever dreamed of making. As far as a vid I think I’ll pass but willing to answer any and all questions on how to build and maintain a thriving roofing business. All the best to all of you. God bless
Informative video. My home has been damaged by hail. The insurance adjuster approved a new roof, siding, and gutters. A roofing mediation company is involved in the process. However, the first check was for $14K, less my $3K deductible and depreciation of $800. The roofer wants to start on the roof and file a 'Change Order' to include siding for more money since my resistant siding is obsolete, per Intel Report. I'm open to how to handle the process. And if most insurance companies will allocate more money? I'm open to anyone's advice.
Thanks for your help. Is a public adjuster someone I look up to hire? I'm doing my due diligence and researching the topic. Thanks for the advice.🙏👍 @@homesteadroofing
@@Anabee399 Yes, you, as the homeowner, would hire the PA. I'm not sure where you're located, but if you can't find someone locally, you may want to try calling Bellator Claims at (720) 707-3577. They are licensed in several states - maybe yours is one of them. If not, perhaps they could connect you with someone.
This sounds almost exactly like an experience I went through 3 weeks ago. I signed a form I thought was only an ok for the roofing company to prepare an estimate. Then after talking to my agent, I determined this guy sounds like a scammer. The roofing company showed no signs of ever doing any work online. So I told him I’m not working with that company any longer. He tried to force it through by saying things like I signed a contract, blah blah blah. I sent them a cancelation letter even though it was 9 days later. Haven’t heard from them since.
Great info. But I have to say. From my understanding if homeowners dont take care of hail damage within a year or two the insurance wont cover it because of neglect. And then the homeowner has to pay out of pocket for a full replacement or repair. Also insurance companies use preferred contractors which will more likely get your claim denied because insurance companies prefer to not pay out. Just personal experience
We put Grace brand "Ice & Water shield" on the entire roof & 50 yr shingles from Malarkey. & Here's why. Nothing is more expensive than a bad roof. Our first roof was originally $10k. But the roofer left us with a roof which needed $4,500 in repairs. Then the roofer took us to court stating we were trying to steal from him. HA! it didn't work. Then I discovered the roofer had not allowed my fiancé to pay a deposit. So the claim through the Calif State Licensing Board was denied on a technicality. Because there was no financial loss. No Deposit = No Loss ... Even though he was billing us $10k. Then the roofer took it to Supreme Court instead of small claims when we demanded he fix the roof to make it correct. Then litigated this for 2 years. In the end we were forced to settle out of court for fear of having to pay $50k in court fees to defend ourselves. We had an attorney step in upon the 2nd year. She advised us to settle for $7,500 & then pay her $6,000 so we didn't end up with $50k in Supreme Court case fees. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. That roofer filed a second claim asking for $31,000 in attorney fees. It was denied. That was our only moment of justice. THE GOOD NEWS IS ........... ............................................... RESEARCH PAID OFF BY NOTICING OTHER ............................................... ISSUES WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS: - We discovered there was not enough air flow in our attic. .........We resolved this........we had to add 20 Soffit Vents & 2 Attic Vent Fans. - Electrical inspection revealed faulty wiring in our attic & we fixed it. - Discovered more dry-rot in our attic roof + chimney closet. We fixed it. - Discovered we needed to increase insulation from R5 to R50. + We added a cat walk to our attic for easy access Only $200. + We added lighting in our attic $75. + We added a 2nd Attic fan. + We replaced 2 new bathroom fans. More powerful "whisper quiet" motors. + We added 2 house vent fans (to get rid of hot air in summer & odors). + We added $400 in structural Hurricane Ties to the rafters of our roof which helps protect us in an earthquake. + We added 4 sun tunnels in rooms where there is no sun light. WHEN IT CAME FOR THE NEW 2nd ROOF. - We stripped off the inferior roofing to expose all dry rot. - We repaired all dry rot. - We replaced all the plywood "in the eves" with 1 inch Ply. - We added a 1/2 plywood to the rest of the roof. Entire roof is now level. - All new wood in the Eaves & Fascia and Trim received 2 coats of prime & 2 coats of paint prior to installing (all 6 sides). - Added a layer of Grace Brand "Ice and Water shield" gutter to gutter. ............This made our roof water tight UNDER the Roofing Shingles. ............This also gave each shingle nail a water tight gasket. ............This also increased the tinsel strength in lateral roof movement. - We Upgraded to roofing shingles by Malarkey Brand [Legacy shingles]. ....This 50 Year Shingle will protect the water barrier created BY "Grace" Brand. - Ice and water shield" 50-100 yrs. LASTLY we upgraded by blowing in additional R45 insulation in the attic. ----- Our old roof was a total loss. $7,500 settlement + $6,000 attorney fee. ----- The New roof is far superior in every aspect & lengthened the life expectancy by more than double. See the "+" above + Sun tunnels in 4 rooms gave us sunlight in rooms which were previously dark. + Insulation cut our power bill in half. The modifications and new roof cost around $27,000 .... & worth every penny of it. HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT YOU? [a] - Have a "Termite inspector" review your entire structure before you start. WHY?... You can then present it to your roofing contractor and window contractor before they start. If they miss anything? they pay for it =Not you. [b] - Replace all the plywood "in the eves" with 1 inch Ply. - Add a 1/2 plywood to the rest of the roof (Makes eves and roof level) - All new wood in the Eaves & Fascia and Trim received 2 coats of prime & 2 coats of paint prior to installing (all 6 sides). Any cuts @installation need to be primed. [c] Added a layer of Grace Brand "Ice and Water shield" gutter to gutter. ............This makes your roof water tight UNDER the Roofing Shingles. ............This also gives each shingle nail a water tight gasket. ............This also increased the tinsel strength in lateral roof movement. & Look again at all the "+" above .... They benefit us every day. ...BONUS... it preps your home for solar in the future. Leaking will almost be impossible. AND, we welcome any one to contact us to take a tour so they can also have a roof that will last 50-100 years. & FYI .... The 2nd roof was installed by Straight-Up roofing from Antioch, CA. Derrick is Fantastic. .
An "Agreement" to use that specific roofer is actually a "contract" in some States. Check your local county laws also. Tried to get my father out of an "Agreement" that he was going to use "only that roofer" and had to pay 20% of cost of job ($4,000) or go to court over roofers lost profit.
@@homesteadroofing My father signed an Agreement that if the job was approved by the insurance company that the roofing company would be awarded the job. In my state an Agreement is a contract. I told my father not to sign ANYTHING, but he is elderly. Roofing company said if don't use them, which I didn't want to at that point because I was pissed, that they would take us to court. Didn't want the hassle and time off work, so paid the $4,000 and hopefully Dad learned a lesson. I never answer my front door, but unfortunately he does. What can you do?
@@hannahreese1629 Old post but isn't it possible that they were bluffing with taking you to court? As homesteadroofing asked, what could the roofer cite as his losses/damages? No damages, no lawsuit, as I understand it. Anyway, what you can do is have your father grant you power of attorney.
Hanson got me, they got me to sign or else I’d lose this discount. Although it was not good, it was signing that the prices are subject to change and I agree to pay over $4000 more dollars if need be. And nope, definitely get a fixed contract if any.
Ok I’ve been with the CCB for 27 years and I can think of 2 times anything like this is has happened and this is my career.. when it has it was homeless guys in there 73 Vw beetle who ran out of gas in front of a home and said I’ll fix your roof for gas .. honestly .. my 8yr old niece knows better … I feel this is kinda dialogue in scaring people to take the jab or you’ll die.. is so similar….I HOPE this won’t instill paranoia within in-need people that they’ll now chase good contractors off.. I can’t tell you how many times that has happened. When contractors have all they can handle like there is nowadays and can cherry pick..will avoid a customer that feels like they’re going to get taken on a ride .. as a CCB officer, I can promise you the power is not with the contractor I saw someone state “you should never say /do” is watch this kind of video so someone can increase his UA-cam performance $$ while instilling fear These are so instinctively rudimentary .. does one need to be told to look both ways when crossing the road? Maybe I guess .. I feel people aren’t this ignorant In 99% of these situations. But it doesn’t hurt to warn the 1% …so with that well done !
Remember most people want you to do the entire job for the ins deposit only then wait on depreciation with them (which takes to long sometimes) Now When the customer has an insurance approval but is going to go ahead and pay for the work out of his own pocket and reimburse himself with the insurance dollars as he gets them then yes give him a great estimate, otherwise it’s best to get the extra dollars the insurance make it since you’re gonna have to wait for the depreciation, create completion of contract documents and supplementals if needed
I think some of the advice you are giving muddies the waters for homeowners and makes the process harder. The insurance pays according to two different softwares, Xactimate and Symbility. You should find a contractor that uses those softwares and have them provide you an estimate. Likely theirs will be higher than your insurance payout because things are commonly missed by untrained adjusters thrown into the field after a storm. So code issues such as valley underlayment, correct measurements for hip and ridge, paying for starter etc can all be missed. I would rather work with a contractor that would help me make sure all items are accounted for and paid properly by my carrier who is definitely not on my side so that i may get the best material one that uses the same software so if there were differences he could fix them. I have zero problem showing paperwork to any contractor so they know what they are getting into. I would rather sign a contract with all the details of the roof and the price the insurance is paying now plus any supplements won by my contractor such as the starter, that way if my carrier turns down my contractors supplements im still getting starter and only paying my deductible. Also i would never want an estimate lower than my carrier because those companies normally cut corners to bring down the price and if i find someone lower than my insurance amount i dont get to keep the difference. Because of recoverable depreciation that savings gets to stay with the carrier as the carrier is responsible for the cost you paid minus your deductible. Unless you hire a guy that will lie on your behalf to the carrier (which i also do NOT recommend) In saying all of that, i would take the door to door guy up on a free inspection but only if he gives estimates and a presentation so i know that he knows his stuff. The last thing you want is a cash price in an insurance situation with a roofer that doesn't tell you about his shingle he prefers and why and the benefit of his offer with references and accolades to back it up. What you are telling homeowners that have no clue how the process works is to be secretive to the person they will have a personal relationship with who holds warranties and will be replacing their home and trust the mega corp that wants to delay deny and defend rather than pay out the homeowner according to their policy and the white papers of Xactimate. Your advice will ensure homeowners get terrible products like the one your hat describes that cant withstand anything all while leaving them in the dark on the insurance process. Also agents have very little to do with the claims process and have little to no sway over adjusters and normally will send out a roofer that gives them kick backs when you ask them to file a claim and then either persuade you to not file a claim or go with "their guy". My best advice coming from seeing it all is do your due diligence, know your deductible and pay it and select a local company with good reviews, great products like malarkey or atlas and someone who has dealt with carrier and will hold your hand through the process. Also remember, when roofers compete homeowners win. In this scenario you would want to pick the contractor who is offering the best and the most for the price of your deductible when it comes to storm claims.
Completely disagree about it being necessary to find a roofer that uses Xactimate or Symbility. Unless there are regulations in the state you live in, the insurance company has to pay the cost the contractor is charging as long as it's reasonable and within fair market value. Whether or not the estimate is written using XM8 or Symbility. We stopped using XM8 almost 6 years ago and it was one of the best decisions I've made for my company.
Hmm, just started doing door to door, as far as I know why we work with the insurance estimate is too cover unknown damages such as rotted plywood/ studs trusses. All is documented and sent to the insurance company, we also take care of the siding and gutters ofc we show receipts. But I get bros point lots of bad apples.
Giving a bid on a potential insurance job is a confusing concept for me, likely since I’ve only been in the industry for about two months. I was under the impression that the roofer has to go by the work outlined by the insurance scope. So why do you want to draw up a bid if they already have a scope?
So, as long as you trust the roofer to give you an inspection. And he actually brings down decent discovery pics. More times then not, the roofer will totally offer to call insurance for you, but they need to do it WITH you. if they tell you that they can call for you while they’re there & that all you need to do is handle your own deductible- there’s nothing wrong with that.
The sales tactic that really pisses me off is when they say my wife must be present when the estimator comes for a visit. That tells me they will try to divide my thinking from hers.
The estimator is really a sales guy and they need you both of you to close the sale, especially in financing situation. Most aren't trying to play you against the mrs... that sounds more like a "your relationship" thing. Not a sales tactic l.
@@chrism2sychNo…that’s just absurd. I’ve never even heard of that ever being a thing. If any salesman told me that he needed to speak with my wife prior to making a deal, then I’d tell him to forget any possibility of any deal whatsoever.
As career estimator and salesperson, I disagree The purpose of that is to take way the response “let me talk to my spouse about that and I’ll get back to you” which means, no deal today This technique is used by roofers who are charging way above market value who know that if you get competitive bids their price will never be accepted so they use high pressure tactics to get a commitment now to stop you from shopping around I have a few competitors who often quote 2 or even 3 times my bid and they all insist on having all decision makers present before they will come to inspect and estimate If someone insists on that, and you let them in, be ready for the high pressure pitch, sometimes for hours
I live in the Sierra's. Last winter caused a LOT of damage in my neighborhood. I had one valley leak. The roofers around here show up in Ferrari's with the quotes they give. NO ONE will do a repair, it's "New Roof of F you!". One roofer had the nerve to tell me that he can fix the valley in an hour, BUT he won't do it unless I sign a contract for next summer. I told him I don't take well to extortion. I fixed it myself. Wasn't hard. I have a tile roof, I'll replace the underlayment myself next summer.
@@homesteadroofing The OWNER doesn't drive the trucks! 😁 You know what I mean. After the last winter they WERE taking brutal advantage of retired people, though. Update: Roof is fine! 👍
As someone who gives estimates I would be curious and appreciative to know what you feel would have been a reasonable charge for a simple job such as that, would you mind sharing your opinion on that? Thanks in advance
How is the roofer supposed to know the scope of work prescribed by the carrier without seeing the Xactamate? Not to mention the endless amount of line items carriers forget to add, or maybe their only providing partial coverage. Instructing the HO not to share the insurance estimate is not in the best interest of anyone, besides maybe the carrier. You have a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate much of what you say, but disagree on that one.
That question makes no sense. How is the roofer supposed to know the scope of work? He's supposed to know how to replace a roof and develop his own scope of work. An insurance adjuster doesn't know how to replace a roof. That's up to the roofer to be the expert.
All good stuff but one thing I dont fully agree with is asking for references for a roofer or any other contractor from neighbors, family, friends etc. Its good to get those references but definitely dont only rely on that. I always fall back on the saying "you dont know what you dont know". Your friend, family or neighbor may have had a good experience with thier referred roofer but I cant tell you how many times I hear how awesome the company was that just did work on someone's house and years later had major issues due to installation errors. There are many things that can be done incorrectly that wont cause a noticeable issue for months or even years after the work was performed. Referrals that come from someone that had recent work performed can sometimes be deceiving as its usually based on how nice they were, if they were on time, the work appeared to look good etc. Although all good things, it may not give any insight as to if the work performed was done correctly or at an expected quality level.
As a CAT adjuster, I prefer the roofers available especially when my reports are showing insignificant hail to the address in the past 3 years and less than 50mph sustained winds. I want them there to explain to me how hail hit the roof and not the mailbox, downspouts, cars, garage doors, solar lights, outdoor furniture, window screens, siding, utility boxes that are usually heavily oxidized etc but managed to ruin the roof. I also want their estimate, if I have their estimate and a verbal agreement I can skip the RCB's and and close the claim on the spot, forever, if it's legitimate. They ain't getting out of the work with me, jumped thousands of roofs all over the country, seen it and heard it all.
I'm so confused because actually all the tactics he mentioned were used but because I'm very slow to move and to take action-- I like to sleep on it --I postponed further contact until after the tornado hit following the hail storm. I asked this roofer to come out again and see if I'd lost any shingles from the tornado and he did. I said we would do a three-way conversation eithmy insurer later but in the end I just decided I needed to call my insurance company and remind them about me and give my policy number at which point the agent said-- after I'd said I want to file a claim-- NO problem, I'll send you the claim number by text and that is what she did. I told her my roofer would get together with the adjuster once the adjuster called me to arrange a time and that was that. I texted this roofer this info -- who I am sort of impressed with although I do think not everything is truthful that he's saying, but what can you do? The roofers are going up and down my street because of the tornado and most of the houses are tarped which I learned later was done by their insurance company. This is why I asked the potential roofer to do a second walkover of the roof to see if I needed a tarp and he said the damage was minimal but he still contends I have hail damage. So I texted him and said that I will call him once the adjuster gives a date and time and so he can show up & be on board with what the adjuster says or to counter what the adjuster says as to damage. I believe the amount of money will not be established until the adjuster gets back to the insurance company and gives his report at which point the insurance company will indicate how much money they're willing to spend. THE roofer with whom I have not yet signed a paper will probably have asked me to sign a contract on the day that he goes head-to-head with the adjuster regarding damage. Hence, following the insurance company saying the figure they are eilling to pay, they will duke it out. One question the roofer did NOT not answer and he actually took offense that I'd asked, was if his company had a license and a certification and he refused to answer. HE said we have been doing roofs for over a decade . He was offended by my question. I went online and I saw a lot of reviews about this roofer who I believe operates mostly in Colorado and Texas and nothing indicated he was licensed but his written brochure indicates he's insured up to 10 million dollars for any damage done while he is working on my roof. I really don't know what more I can do because if he's not licensed then I gather a lot of roofers r not licensed and I'm not quite sure why they would not be because plumbers are & electricians are etcetera. So I'm REALLY in a quandary regarding his refusal to answer the question and his taking offense. But as it stands, I have no choice but to go with him. I will Google other roofers to see if they say they are licensed before the adjuster and he meet up.
😂 Totally agree with that "Lemme See Your Scope" jazz 😂 They tried that on me, I saved his number as *DO NOT ANSWER* with notes as to why. I was like *_Cmon Son._* I sniffed the play out WITHIN TEN SECONDS. I told him he could drone my roof, but don't go up on my roof. I wasn't taking any chances on the magical "I got hurt on your property" jazz, either. 💯
It is a kind of BS. The agent is not interested at all in helping his clients to file claims as, in this case, he loses his "claim-free bonus". Besides, nowadays, it is a rare case when a customer gets his claim approved by the insurance company (especially if you are a State Farm policyholder). It takes us, as public adjusters, sometimes a year to get a claim approved. Ordinary roofers will just drop the client after the first try with the unsuccessful claim and move on to another poor fellow...
Hi, If your roof work is completed and you have signed the completion of work and after that you get to know that your roofer fooled you and claimed extra money from insurance. What to do in this situation.
Completely disagree! Having a roofer present to help you file the claim correctly is super beneficial especially because insurance carriers will try to find ways to not pay out if the claim is not filed correctly
For real? He didn't say to not get help, he said the best help is from the agent, not the roofer and not the insurance company. I really hope you don't ask a roofer to help you with your insurance claim. This is reason why insurance in Florida is out of control.
It's a tough situation the roofers are out to get as much money as they can and the insurance company is trying to not give out money as much as they can 🤑
I have a question I hope you will answer for me... A roofing contractor came to do an inspection and the first thing he asked for was a copy of my homeowners declaration page. Why would he want to see that immediately? I asked him but I don't remember his answer. It wasn't very clear... How is that useful for them? Thank you for your reply... 🤗
He wants to know what your deductible is and what type of coverage you have. NEVER give that document to a contractor unless he is also a Public Adjuster with whom you have signed a contract.
@@homesteadroofing Thank you for your reply. I did tell him what our deductible is. Should I not have given them that information either? All of this is new to me as I've never worked with the homeowners insurance process... Thank you so much... 🤗
@@homesteadroofing I have one more question. I was just notified that an adjuster will be here to do the roof inspection on Tuesday. Is it a good idea to have more than one contractor here at the same time with the adjuster. I've talked with three different roofing companies and I'm not totally sure which one to go with yet. I don't know who else to ask since I haven't spoken with my adjuster yet. I hope you can answer this question tonight or tomorrow. Thank you. 🤗
@@gloriasilence Definitely don't try to have more than one roofer at the house when the adjuster arrives. You'd be asking for trouble. All the roofers would be pissed.
Love your channel. I have a question. I want to replace my shingle roof that is 21 years old and the first roofing company that came out said I had old style gutters that used the long aluminum nails that were nailed through the drip edge and they had to be torn off. Sounds fishy to me.
@@homesteadroofing Because insurance companies set the price, not the owner or contractor. If you send estimates to the insurance company, obviously they will choose the lowest and never will pay over their budget. Now, if you ask for estimates and you choose one with lower price than the insurance estimate, you have to send the invoice for that lower price. Then, the insurance will pay you less. But, if you ask the contractor to invoice the higher price than you paid, trying to keep some money, this is a felony. Conclusion: It’s not important to ask for estimates, it’s important to choose the best option for the total price set by the insurance company and the contractor that can help you to upgrade your property with the money from insurance legally, which includes all items by Code required by law.
I agree, Insurance company sets the price, here in Maryland I do retail work and I can create an estimate but we learned a long time ago that isn’t always the best thing to do. We went ahead and purchased Xactimate so, if we’re in a position on an insurance job with a customer has asked for an estimate I’ll make an estimate almost exactly of what I know the insurance company will have made it for. Sometimes insurance companies convince Homeowners to get three estimates and to send them in, lol the problem with that is, the contractors realize that they are bidding and so a desperate contractor will put a super low price to win the job and of course the insurance company will accept that as the winning number and then everyone looses. It’s definitely Best to allow the insurance company to create the approval price and scope of work.
Audience, Question? This is my first time having any claims on my home. I need your expertise. I'm in the process of needing a new roof replacement, but have interior repairs as well. The insurance adjuster wrote the kitchen area and ceiling with two coats of paint, underneath patio stain blocker with puddy and two coats of paint. My third garage ceiling with stain blocker and two coats of paint. He even added applying a tarp on my roof (small area) for $350; which I replaced. I did all the interior painting too. I have been approved by my insurance company and have been issued a dollar amount of 10K on the front end. I was advised by the adjuster after ALL work has been completed they will pay the RCV. My question is with the total cost on my estimate is 20K minus my 1K deductible = 19K. Now my home isn't up to code and that's an add on of $1,400 once completed by contractor. How much is really covered in my roof repairs? My interior repairs adds up to around $3,500. Remember, I have completed all the interior work myself and actually used shingles instead of using a tarp. This was to prevent any further roof/interior damage until I can find a contractor to replace my entire roof. I'll be awaiting your response. Thanks and Excellent Informative video.
1. The total roof cost itself would be the RCV total number underneath the “Dwelling” coverage section on your insurance paperwork. On the bottom of the roofing scope of work, where each line item component is showed. Don’t be looking at the total summary of the claim. 2. To bring your roof up to code, contact your insurance adjuster and ask them if Code Upgrades such drip edge and ice/water shield (the two main roof code items) is covered under your policy. If it is, they should be paying for that as well and should add it to the estimate. if they do have it on your report, it should be on the “Code upgrade - paid when incurred” page on your insurance scope of work. If not covered in your policy, you will have to pay for the code upgrade cost. Please make sure your contractor understands insurances scope of work and the entire process.
What’s your opinion of a roofer who uses google earth to measure a roof, sends me a pdf saying the cost, what will be included, NOT the type of shingles, nor did he ask, never came out to my property to have a look, he also included my detached garage, which should not have been included, damaged to house roof and siding when neighbors tree fell 2 weeks ago today. His paperwork stated this was a legally binding contract. I replied no roof needed on garage, but I needed gutters replaced and siding (he doesn’t do that), was recommended highly. His estimate for new roof & tear off/ removal sounded reasonable, but his reply to me was: if so. WHAT!?? Out of 5 contractors only 1 has shown up. I have a right to meet in person who’s going to be working on my house. Everyone says shop locally, next week I’ll be contacting roofers from another town 30 miles away.
I completely agree. You should meet with the contractors so you can interview them. If a homeowner is OK with receiving an estimate that's done from aerial imagery, that's fine. But, if the homeowner wants to meet with the contractor (and they should want to...) then the contractor should always oblige the homeowner. Good point!
I asked every customer that called after the 2020 election who they voted for and if it was Biden I told them I wasn’t interested or it would run $250 extra..they were usually a bit stunned but I still got the majority of jobs..their lack of knowledge of liberal policies was shocking and they were the ones shocked once educated…
The reasons that roofers ask for insurance paperwork is to make sure everything is included that the insurance is bidding for because they leave things out a lot of times. This old man has no experience and insurance restoration or door-to-door sales, trying to make himself look like a saint this video was probably propaganda that the insurance company pay this guy for while they make billions and cut off the homeowners
Blake, why so angry? You've left 4 comments on the same video, and they all say pretty much the same thing. If you've worked as a professional in the insurance restoration industry, you know you don't need the insurance paperwork before creating your own scope of loss for the job. That's nonsense. The real reason contractors want the insurance paperwork up-front is so they can know whether or not they can afford to tell the homeowner "we'll do it for the insurance claim amount." Basically, they're lazy and don't want to spend the time to do a correct scope of loss.
@@homesteadroofing I disagree brother! I use the insurance software because I don’t want the homeowner to pay anything more than the deductible. Also, I use xactimate for all my jobs anyway which is what insurance uses
Both the door 2 door roofer and insurance co. are trying to profit.. Do you care if the insurance company gets fucked by the greedy roofers who pay their laborers in dirt? Roofer definitely trying to maximize profit with AOB and insurance wants to deny or low ball the claim. BOTTOMLINE: EVERYBODY SUCKS HERE
Completely disagree. You can ask your neighbors and they might have just hired the worst people ever and didn’t even know it. Check everyone on your circuit court access. Look for judgments against them.
My point wasn't that you should necessarily hire the person your neighbor hired, but that it's a starting place if you don't already have names of roofers to contact. Everyone must still do his own due-diligence.
No the agent is not going to help you , they are trying not to cover you , it is good to have a licensed roofer to make sure they cover your damage properly , you have never dealt with State Farm AAA or Allstate smh
most homeowners have a policy that covers a percentage of the roof. depending on the policy if you do your homework. roofers ask this to get you a better deal out of pocket. that way if and when the deductible is met depending on the coverage the homeowners are not out of pocket 25-30k for the expense. unless you don't have insurance, I wouldn't take any of this advice. good questions to ask but no red flags needed if you don't understand your insurance policy. that's why it is also important to get a pre approval by the insurance if you have it in order to cover the expense. today I'm pretty sure no general blue Calor family has the liquid assets to even cover the deductible and that's where they can screw you too. but there are ways around that in the legal aspect make sure you have a qualified adjuster and roofer to explain the ins and outs. not this guy!!!!
Roofers are qualified to roof, not interpret or explain insurance policies and coverage. Your statement that a roofer is able to get a homeowner a better deal is a red flag.
"What if your neighbor is an idiot" "Your best way to find a roofer is to ask your neighbor" Way to go. Another brilliant piece of double talk. But, hey the woodsy background setting gives me that "warm fuzzy" that you said I should, oh wait you said I shouldn't trust that. Oops.
Thank you for the engagement. I appreciate you watching and helping UA-cam spread our message to more people. That's a big help to our channel and homeowners around the country.
Some of this advice is...flawed. Two of the companies I have worked for stick to the insurance estimate. An experienced roofer will know what insurance left off the estimate. Getting measurements is fine but mismeasures of a roof can be supplemented...to insurance. Asking someone about insurance is not a red flag. If a roofer has in fact roofed multiple homes in an area they can give accurate storm dates and help the homeowner file a valid claim. A sketchy roofer will say "I can file the claim for you." That's a bazillion red flags. The advice about roofing with a neighbor can be sketchy unless you have put up roofs next door. Why is asking people at church any better than trusting your neighbor? Your friends at church are probably just as ignorant as the neighbor about roofing. The whole premise of the argument is to trust "friends," not neighbors. But you can actually see your neighbor's roof. Just a weird line of reasoning altogether. And if you have an insurance estimate... there should be no reason for roofers who work with insurance to create numerous estimates - that is an insurance agent's strategy to get roofers to save insurance money. The homeowner who looks for the cheapest estimate on an insurance job is saving the insurance company money, which is no more valid than saving the roofer money creating measurements and estimates. The insurance company will not pay out more to homeowners for getting a roof cheaper than insurance. Just strange to hear that advice. Some of this makes sense...but some of this is truly subjective and not valid after thorough consideration.
Never trust a contractor that repeatedly mentions religion. It’s widely agreed across the roofing community that no one rips people off more often than those hiding behind the deceptive cloak of religious purity.
Super negative for the most part, scary mean roofing contractors trying to scam you. This is super rare. Earliest one you could remember was 2018, do better. If they don’t need help why are you making this video? If they research the company while he was inspecting the roof and everything checks out. Then what?
I know it happens, You're scaring people though. If someone comes to your door, do your due diligence and check them. You paint door knockers to all be bad, Do better!@@homesteadroofing
Following this guys advice as a homeowner is virtually the worst thing you can do. He is incorrect on almost every aspect of what he’s saying. He is literally making the entire industry look bad with horrible advice. He is describing horrible contractors and he isn’t a salesman. Obviously he doesn’t work in Texas either. If you don’t match the insurance estimate you can’t recover depreciation. I could hit every item on his list and tell you everything wrong with what he’s saying, but I don’t have the time. And yes I am a roofer, salesman, project manager the whole 9 yards from inspection, adjuster meetings, writing estimates, presenting proposals, running the actual project, collecting the funds, supplements to insurance, deductibles- what is legal not legal. I do 80 roofs a year and specialize in storm restorations this dude is a bafoon. Listen to his advice and you will probably get screwed on your roofing project.
You said you don't have time to explain all the things that are wrong in this video... If you'd like the time to explain to our audience what's wrong, let's do an interview video. Let me know if you're willing to come on.
I understand that you're trying to protect homeowners from unscrupulous companies, but I think your videos lean too far toward scaremongering. I was infuriated when I discovered that if I didn't file a claim for my roof within a year, my insurance wouldn't cover the damage. I didn't know what hail damage looked like or that I even had it. I wasn't looking for contractors because I didn't know I had an issue. One showed up at my door two months before I would have been SOL. My point is that those people who are going door to door aren't all bad people and if one can show that they're licensed to work in your home state, have warranties on their work and can produce referrals, they may be saving your butt. Advising people to slam the door in these peoples' faces could have unintended harm.
I've never said all door-to-door guys are dishonest. In fact, I've stressed in several videos the point, "Not every roofer that goes door-to-door will rip you off... BUT... every roofer that will rip you off will go door-to-door."
Souinds like you don't know the law and don't understand your insurance agreement. All insurance companies set the prices roofers charge. Customer only pays deductable and they signed paperwork with ins company to pay that but never want to. You need to go to Texas Dept of Insurance and do some research before you advise home owners. what needs to be regulated is who can post videos on internet.
You are not correct. It may be that way in the state you live in, but it's not that way everywhere. Insurance companies DON'T get to tell roofers what to charge. Regulating who can post info on the internet? Are you from China or Pakistan?
Thank you for engaging with our video. That helps UA-cam know that people are interested in the topic and promotes our videos to more people. We appreciate it!
Thank you for your input. Each comment on our videos helps tell UA-cam that people appreciate our content and that UA-cam should recommend it to other viewers. We appreciate your help.
I've been roofing a long time. Way too damn long. I've seen some shady shit roofers have done. These fly by nite roofers screw people over. Especially these damn storm chasers. I've seen what this guy is talking about. I'm the actual guy on the roof. I always kept the homeowners in the loop. I always showed them pictures of damage, the repair. Before and after pics. Homeowners, please use local contractors and make sure you ask for written references and numbers. Don't ever use these storm chasers. They will do a shyt job and you will never see them again. Home owners, make sure you communicate with the roofers, the roofers who are actually on the roof.
Thank you! I'm in Littleton and my roof got pummeled with hail recently. My insurance adjuster was very generous with my claim. The first roofer I spoke with saw my insurance claim (ACV) before he gave me a quote and suggested it would be a stretch to complete everything on the list with no cash out of pocket from me. I was shocked and went ahead and got three more quotes without disclosing anything about my insurance claim beyond the number of squares. I asked them to just give me their best price for an impact resistant roof. One guy flat out refused to give me a quote without seeing my insurance claim. He even had his sales manager call me to explain why they needed to see the claim. "We can get you more money!" I refused. The guy I went with was happy to give me a quote with detailed information of the materials and the work. He also swears by Certainteed!
I've never been through this process before. Your videos have been very helpful!
That's great information and I'm shocked to hear about your experience with the one roofer who refused to give you a bid. Weird way to run a business.
The whole point of a roofer is to get you the best job/most money out of the insurance. He cant do that unless you have rcv which mean total replacement cost value(meaning insurance will cover the whole thing, you only pay your deductible). Insurance give roofers an estimate so they can do the work but it usually does not include everything that should be replaced, which saves the insurance company money. A roofer asking to see your insurance is like a car salesman asking to see your credit
I had an office in the same building as Homestead and found them to be super nice people. I agree with most of this information, however the insurance isn't usually over paying and working off the insurance scope sheet isn't in any way scandalous if the contractor does everything outlined with the only expense to homeowners being the deductible and explaining the numbers and line items.
I have to say this…
You are describing only the bad contractors that give the roofing insurance restoration industry a bad wrap.
If a contractor knows what he is doing with the insurance estimate, everything is done ethically … and the insurance’s estimate should already include every line item that is justified for the roof replacement.
If a line item estimate does not include some items, but is required to be done for a full roof replacement, the contractor should inform the insurance adjuster and provide proof with photos and explanation why it must be added to the line item estimate (supplementing the claim). Every line item must be justified for the insurance to add it.
There are some policies where Code Upgrades are not owned to the homeowner, in that case, the reputable and good storm restoration contractor would notify the homeowner that the insurance did not pay code upgrades. Such as drip edge, ice/water shield, etc. Then the homeowner would have to be responsible for those payments. As well as the deductible.
For the 10k claim example, the good roofer would minus the RCV amount of each item or trade that their company will
not be performing, to arrive at the true cost of the roof. (if the contractor knows how to read a scope of work, he would know where to find the exact roof cost on the report and not even have to do any math) Also another reason why is it a great idea for homeowners to show their insurance paper work to their contractor of choice. Homeowners just need to make sure the contractor knows what they are doing when it comes to insurance claims.
I can go on and on about what the good insurance restoration roofing company would do. There are a lot of scum bag roofers that take advantage of homeowners in the insurance process.
But don’t just highlight those that give the insurance roofing restoration industry a bad wrap.
Thank you for engaging with our video. I don't believe I highlighted any particular contractors or types of contractors. I simply laid out what types of questions a homeowner may encounter that he/she should be wary of. If you saw many of my other videos you would see that I do advocate for a homeowner to show the IC paperwork to a roofer, but only after the roofer has already created his own scope of work and associated quote.
@@homesteadroofing Okay. I completely understand.
@@homesteadroofing The roofing company does not need to generate an estimate for the approved insurance claim.
@@prodchrisdontmiss12 That’s correct roof claims are always shorted by around 40-50 percent so it doesn’t matter because a good recommended roofer is going to do a great job and going to supplement for the shortage that is there 100 percent of the time ,, it’s not hard to hire a roof contractor for the job , but yet is almost impossible to find a professional roofer , the real pros are always busy and booked up but are willing to take a client in , ultimately the owner has to figure out who they going to trust , if you have a great reputation as a roofer then these questions are standard
What is the contractors estimate is higher than they have to supplement insurance company
This is reassuring because a couple years ago we had tons of roofers knocking on the door and calling me after a hail storm. I told them all to leave me alone.
I think we do need a new one in the next few years, but the storm chasing behavior creeped me out.
I used to be a "home remodeling" canvasser is San Diego CA back in 2000's. I had shore duty while on active duty in the Navy and got another job for the downtime as a canvassing manger for a company out there. Went door to door with a crew through neighborhoods to book appointments for the sales team. My teams only job was to get your information. I had some novice experience in manual labor aspect of roofing as a teenager but that's it. Lol my team had zero experience whatsoever, just enough to small talk you into getting your contact information for someone else to close you. Use that information as you wish.
If someone knocks on my door now I politely ask them to keep moving.
Getting the work done for less than what insurance pays (pocketing insurance money) is considered insurance fraud. Not paying your deductible in the state of Texas is considered illegal. Invoicing the insurance company for less than what the insurance company pays out (without committing insurance fraud) will only save the insurance company money. Don't shop price - your deductible should be the same no matter who you use. Shop reputation and your contractors track record.
THIS! 100%
My insurance company paid me for my roof, minus depreciation, minus my deductible. So I got to get a roof for what they gave me. And I have to pay out of pocket 2000. My deductible is 8000. Why would I hire a roofer that charges more, so I can pay more money? Makes zero sense.
@@bulld9646Sounds like you have a cash value home insurance policy.
My insurance said pocketing the money is fine with them. If my entire house collapses, I can choose not to rebuild and still collect the money. After all, we pay in for a pay out. It is up to us what I do with the money.
As a roofing salesman, I NEVER tell someone I'm working in their neighborhood or working with their neighbors unless I actually am. I also try to get a company sign put up in all of my client's yards so when they see my card, they know exactly which neighbors I'm talking about.
People don't want signs in their yards. That's an indication your neighbor needs your approval to sue you.
@@thurstonpowell8687 People are usually OK with letting me put a sign in their yard when I tell them roofers will stop knocking on their door when I see it. I'm not sure why their neighbors would sue them for having a sign. I see plenty of political signs around.
Thank you for another great video. The first thing the guy asked me was about insurance; thanks to you, I was ready.
Ha! That's awesome to hear! Glad we could help.
Didn't really have any issues til I was told to trust my Insurance agent. Maybe it's just me. Go with a roofing company with a solid track record that's been around for a long time. If you need a second opinion talk to a separate contractor. That's my two since. Preciate the video.
I love this guy! I have spent hours listening to his advice! Many many thanks for all of the info! Wish you were down in the Dallas area! Don't you need a working vacation down this way?
Thank you! That's really, really encouraging to hear!
I always educate my H.Os about the process and have them call their insurance to make sure they have a policy with covers full replacement along with Builder codes before we move on to the elder step. I’ve seen H.O’s have to pay thousands not knowing what policy they hold or what it covers. Always be truthful to the Home owner.
@@Joe40s I'm having my claims adjuster come for an inspection. Is it okay to have more than one contractor at that meeting? 3?
Second comment of my roofing education. When the first salesperson pulled that technique (will you sign now?), I immediately remembered a sales pitch by a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman. I used the 3-day cancellation right to get out of the signing.
Good for you!
Seems there are many variables you’re not including. Reasons for showing contractor ins estimate :
1) recoverable depreciation must be invoiced correctly
2) scope of work is already provided by ins. If they are missing anything the contractor can supplement
3) ins is paying for specific work to be completed and expects it to be done in order for them to maintain coverage.
Too many variable missing in this video
I realize that different states have different insurance laws, but for the most part, the contractor works for the homeowner, not the insurance company. The contractor sets the scope of work, not the insurance company.
Excellent video. Thanks for taking the time. You helped me with my roof process. :)
"What if your neighbors an idiot"
This, right there, I've never agreed more. I won't say an idiot in general but about the subject of roofing. No one knows much anything about roofing even half your roofers. And about 95% of Architects and engineers for that matter.
😂
Glad you enjoyed that. I almost cut that part out.
As someone who used to be a door to door roofer, I have to agree with some things, but call you out on some very inaccurate statements..first off, most people don't know they have a problem, until it's pointed out by an expert. Many insurance policies have steep depreciation, often non-recoverable, so a home owner who continues to wait till there's a crisis, is shooting themselves in the foot. Roofs should be maintained and inspected every time there's a major hail storm or strong winds. So long as the roofer has strong references, and can provide detail invoices of everything done, you should be good, and proceed with the claim.
I agree with some of what you say being a past salesman and a current owner of a roofing company.
However, a contractor consulting with the adjuster about the scope of work and what the adjuster has approved is crucial. The adjuster could be in a whole other state adjusting the claim and miss crucial building codes.
The most common one I see them try to avoid paying for (despite having code coverage) is gutter apron, drip edge, and ice and water shield or they urge you to violate matching laws because a 23/25 life shingle with RCV is “repairable.” NO the adjuster is the slime ball here. As a contractor, you are obligated to make all code updates regardless of coverage and to adhere to all uniformity laws! So yes, I will see the scope at some point or I simply will not work for you.
This video is great but you’re hurting other people’s livelihoods to an extent by putting unnecessary fear in homeowners whenever a contractor asks for an insurance scope.
Thanks for the comment, but I'll push back on your accusation that I'm hurting other people's livelihoods. Give me one real example of anyone who's livelihood has been hurt by any of my videos.
COMPLETELY AGREE!! We survived Hurricane Ian, got roofing company fairly local. Worst mistake ive ever made. These ppl STILL dont have the roof right!!!
That's a sad situation.
Yeah, it's really sad that there are still roofing contractors that are over charging homeowners and lying to get their business. Being a sales mgr. and previously an insurance adjuster for Pilot Adjusting. I have all our salesmen go through the addict and inspect under the roof to see if there's any leaks and give a full estimate at our Retail Prices & if the homeowner is interested in accepting us as there roofing contractor. And we find out its a " insurance Claim " then we compare prices with the homeowner and explain why the insurance scope of loss is under our bid or over, but we don't hold any information with the homeowner. We want the homeowner to know all about what was approved through the insurance.
We are building a network of roofers who we can refer to homeowners around the country since we get so many calls and Emails from homeowners asking for help and roofers in their area. If this is something you'd like to be a part of, let me know by sending Email to info@homesteadroofingcolorado.com.
Just had drive by roofers stop at my house last week. We filed a claim with my home ins. Company, they approved it but recommended I not show the roofing contractors the claim amount, as they will simply do the roof for that amount, even if they should be doing it for less. I told the roofer this morning that I won’t send the ins. claim info, they can give me a bid or don’t do the work, I’m fine, either way as I see no need to get a new roof.
In that situation, all your doing is saving the insurance company money.
If anything, maybe consider giving a copy of the scope of work (line items) without any dollar amount.
That way, if the insurance missed out on including any items, the contractor SHOULD have it on their estimate and they'll explain why it should be replaced and then present said item to insurance
If the insurance approved your claim, you are required to replace your roof. Otherwise, your roof is no longer insured. If there is depreciation that needs to be recovered, you’ll need the contractor to obviously use correctly which means they must know they price and scope insurance has provided.
No insurance company is going to “overpay” you for your roof. lol.
So in my area the majority of roofers, the electricians and the plumbers are not interested in doing quality work but instead do as little as possible while maximizing their profit at the expense of the customers.
EVERY neighbor (and there's a lot of communication going on around here about this issue) who's had any type of work done has been ripped off the last two years.
I'm sure there's some good ethical contractors out there but WHERE? I even got scammed by a landscaping company that was on a major paid listing service with lots of good reviews! And by an AC company that instead of replacing the compressor unit with the one they promised, used some off brand that quickly failed and had a shitty warenty that ended up not covering it. And their response was "Sorry about that, not our problem and we don't guarantee our work after 30 days"
So even if you try to find a goid contractor and do your research it doesn't seem to matter...and good luck getting the state regulatory agencies to do jack shit or local city government either. It's "Buyer beware" everywhere
What area?
@@JustMe-mn4gr NE Texas / Tyler
And I just had an electrician who came recommended by the local electrical supply store do a terrible job on a metered service rack. He set the unistrut posts at an angle to the property line & building, they aren't even plumb vertical and the boxes are just thrown on, not squared up. Worst is the 2" gray PVC electric line in is angled out of the ground and enters the bottom of the meter box all cocked at the threaded adapter.
When I lightly commented it wasn't square to the building he said "It's good enough, this is how we always do them." Note that this is not a temporary jobsite drop, it's the permanent one that's going to be on the edge of the parking lot beside the building forever (and he knew that from the beginning)
Tip one is be sceptical of anything a roofer says, check. From a roofer for life at 30 years experience we use signs and should be too busy to canvass door to door. Tip 2 if you are going through insurance don’t even tell the roofer that I told they give you an estimate, check. Any leg hit company will give you a quote and if you are going through insurance they don’t need the info until the contract is signed.
"Any legit(sp) company will give you a quote and if you are going through insurance they don’t need the info until the contract is signed."
Agreed
I think some of your points are good but some are just going to confuse the process , as far as the paper goes, it’s all based off a software which the insurance uses to price the scope of work called Xactimate, which we have also.
Roofers are not required to use XM8 and homeowners don't have to choose a roofer who does use it. It's just a tool - one of many. We choose not to use it and have been much more successful without it.
Licensed insurance agent here. There is ZERO reason for a contractor to "see" your insurance info. At best you hand the estimate over to a claims adjuster who does the smell test- and may beat them up over price- and you may need to fight it out between the two. A lot of good contractors refuse to work with insurance companies because of what they won't pay for. Sucks that you are in the middle of all this.
One of the Oldest tricks in the book ,is to pump up your estimate and tell the customer you will pay their deductible . Like a kick back you can even give them a little more money grease the palm .
If the HO handles the insurance themselves, then absolutely shop it around. Just make sure, as the HO, the insurance has covered all required costs for your roof project. Do most HOs know all the details about all the requirements? Has the ins shorted any materials? Does the HO understand how to supplement for shortages, code requirements etc, etc? Sometimes it is best to involve the contractor regarding a claim, once the HO is comfortable with said contractor.
Just my 2 cents.
There are soooo many variables in this process, its very hard to cover everything.
Agreed. The homeowner has far more leverage with the insurance company than a contractor does.
We have been in continuous roofing operation for 100 yrs. Great thing is no advertising and all business is referred. We never pressure ppl and generally I’ll drop estimates in ppls doors when requested and let them mull it over. Pressure tactics in this day and age don’t work. Ppl are educated these days right down to how much a piece of drip edge costs to what others in their area paid for similar roof replacements. We make a good living but use the same price formula for every roof unless it’s completely cut up. You don’t want to charge 15k for one house in a neighborhood and 17k for a similar house same neighborhood. It’s a score but scores don’t lead to long term business. For every satisfied customer u gain 8 more for every dissatisfied customer u lose 13. Stats r painful. To all my fellow roofers who r on the peaks God bless!
Would you be willing to be in a video to talk about your business? 100 years is an amazing accomplishment in any industry, but for roofing it's exceptional and it would be great to highlight your business. If you're willing, and depending on where you are, I would be willing to come to your town.
@ My grandfather came to this country and being handy he figured ppl will always need roofs. My dad continued onward and real estate as well. I started when I was 12 with the usual ground mechanic as we called it lugging cleaning. I just made the business bigger when it was my turn. I traveled installing commercial roofing on factories in Mexico and overseas. Made a lot of money doing that. Eventually it became dangerous and my kids were getting older and I wanted to coach them so I gave up traveling. It was a great run but now I’m 65 and have ppl run the business. I’d be willing to answer any questions on what makes or breaks roofers. If you are successful in this business you can make more $$ than u ever dreamed of making. As far as a vid I think I’ll pass but willing to answer any and all questions on how to build and maintain a thriving roofing business. All the best to all of you. God bless
Informative video. My home has been damaged by hail. The insurance adjuster approved a new roof, siding, and gutters. A roofing mediation company is involved in the process. However, the first check was for $14K, less my $3K deductible and depreciation of $800. The roofer wants to start on the roof and file a 'Change Order' to include siding for more money since my resistant siding is obsolete, per Intel Report. I'm open to how to handle the process. And if most insurance companies will allocate more money? I'm open to anyone's advice.
I would strongly recommend a public adjuster to act as a (fairly) objective 3rd party for you. The PA works for you, not the insurance company.
Thanks for your help. Is a public adjuster someone I look up to hire? I'm doing my due diligence and researching the topic. Thanks for the advice.🙏👍 @@homesteadroofing
@@Anabee399 Yes, you, as the homeowner, would hire the PA. I'm not sure where you're located, but if you can't find someone locally, you may want to try calling Bellator Claims at (720) 707-3577. They are licensed in several states - maybe yours is one of them. If not, perhaps they could connect you with someone.
This sounds almost exactly like an experience I went through 3 weeks ago. I signed a form I thought was only an ok for the roofing company to prepare an estimate. Then after talking to my agent, I determined this guy sounds like a scammer. The roofing company showed no signs of ever doing any work online. So I told him I’m not working with that company any longer. He tried to force it through by saying things like I signed a contract, blah blah blah. I sent them a cancelation letter even though it was 9 days later. Haven’t heard from them since.
Good for you!! Most people cave in when confronted with something like that.
That was really helpful. Thank you.
Great info. But I have to say. From my understanding if homeowners dont take care of hail damage within a year or two the insurance wont cover it because of neglect. And then the homeowner has to pay out of pocket for a full replacement or repair. Also insurance companies use preferred contractors which will more likely get your claim denied because insurance companies prefer to not pay out. Just personal experience
We put Grace brand "Ice & Water shield" on the entire roof & 50 yr shingles from Malarkey. & Here's why. Nothing is more expensive than a bad roof. Our first roof was originally $10k. But the roofer left us with a roof which needed $4,500 in repairs. Then the roofer took us to court stating we were trying to steal from him. HA! it didn't work.
Then I discovered the roofer had not allowed my fiancé to pay a deposit. So the claim through the Calif State Licensing Board was denied on a technicality. Because there was no financial loss. No Deposit = No Loss ... Even though he was billing us $10k.
Then the roofer took it to Supreme Court instead of small claims when we demanded he fix the roof to make it correct. Then litigated this for 2 years. In the end we were forced to settle out of court for fear of having to pay $50k in court fees to defend ourselves. We had an attorney step in upon the 2nd year. She advised us to settle for $7,500 & then pay her $6,000 so we didn't end up with $50k in Supreme Court case fees. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. That roofer filed a second claim asking for $31,000 in attorney fees. It was denied. That was our only moment of justice.
THE GOOD NEWS IS ...........
............................................... RESEARCH PAID OFF BY NOTICING OTHER
............................................... ISSUES WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS:
- We discovered there was not enough air flow in our attic.
.........We resolved this........we had to add 20 Soffit Vents & 2 Attic Vent Fans.
- Electrical inspection revealed faulty wiring in our attic & we fixed it.
- Discovered more dry-rot in our attic roof + chimney closet. We fixed it.
- Discovered we needed to increase insulation from R5 to R50.
+ We added a cat walk to our attic for easy access Only $200.
+ We added lighting in our attic $75.
+ We added a 2nd Attic fan.
+ We replaced 2 new bathroom fans. More powerful "whisper quiet" motors.
+ We added 2 house vent fans (to get rid of hot air in summer & odors).
+ We added $400 in structural Hurricane Ties to the rafters of our roof which helps protect us in an earthquake.
+ We added 4 sun tunnels in rooms where there is no sun light.
WHEN IT CAME FOR THE NEW 2nd ROOF.
- We stripped off the inferior roofing to expose all dry rot.
- We repaired all dry rot.
- We replaced all the plywood "in the eves" with 1 inch Ply.
- We added a 1/2 plywood to the rest of the roof. Entire roof is now level.
- All new wood in the Eaves & Fascia and Trim received 2 coats of prime & 2 coats of paint prior to installing (all 6 sides).
- Added a layer of Grace Brand "Ice and Water shield" gutter to gutter.
............This made our roof water tight UNDER the Roofing Shingles.
............This also gave each shingle nail a water tight gasket.
............This also increased the tinsel strength in lateral roof movement.
- We Upgraded to roofing shingles by Malarkey Brand [Legacy shingles]. ....This 50 Year Shingle will protect the water barrier created BY "Grace" Brand.
- Ice and water shield" 50-100 yrs.
LASTLY we upgraded by blowing in additional R45 insulation in the attic.
----- Our old roof was a total loss. $7,500 settlement + $6,000 attorney fee.
----- The New roof is far superior in every aspect & lengthened the life expectancy by more than double. See the "+" above
+ Sun tunnels in 4 rooms gave us sunlight in rooms which were previously dark.
+ Insulation cut our power bill in half.
The modifications and new roof cost around $27,000 .... & worth every penny of it.
HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT YOU?
[a] - Have a "Termite inspector" review your entire structure before you start. WHY?... You can then present it to your roofing contractor and window contractor before they start. If they miss anything? they pay for it =Not you.
[b] - Replace all the plywood "in the eves" with 1 inch Ply. - Add a 1/2 plywood to the rest of the roof (Makes eves and roof level) - All new wood in the Eaves & Fascia and Trim received 2 coats of prime & 2 coats of paint prior to installing (all 6 sides). Any cuts @installation need to be primed.
[c] Added a layer of Grace Brand "Ice and Water shield" gutter to gutter.
............This makes your roof water tight UNDER the Roofing Shingles.
............This also gives each shingle nail a water tight gasket.
............This also increased the tinsel strength in lateral roof movement.
& Look again at all the "+" above .... They benefit us every day.
...BONUS... it preps your home for solar in the future. Leaking will almost be impossible. AND, we welcome any one to contact us to take a tour so they can also have a roof that will last 50-100 years.
& FYI .... The 2nd roof was installed by Straight-Up roofing from Antioch, CA. Derrick is Fantastic.
.
Wow! What a story!
An "Agreement" to use that specific roofer is actually a "contract" in some States. Check your local county laws also. Tried to get my father out of an "Agreement" that he was going to use "only that roofer" and had to pay 20% of cost of job ($4,000) or go to court over roofers lost profit.
If the roofer hadn't bought any shingles or paid any labor or paid for anything else, what profit did he lose?
@@homesteadroofing My father signed an Agreement that if the job was approved by the insurance company that the roofing company would be awarded the job. In my state an Agreement is a contract. I told my father not to sign ANYTHING, but he is elderly. Roofing company said if don't use them, which I didn't want to at that point because I was pissed, that they would take us to court. Didn't want the hassle and time off work, so paid the $4,000 and hopefully Dad learned a lesson.
I never answer my front door, but unfortunately he does. What can you do?
@@hannahreese1629 Old post but isn't it possible that they were bluffing with taking you to court? As homesteadroofing asked, what could the roofer cite as his losses/damages? No damages, no lawsuit, as I understand it. Anyway, what you can do is have your father grant you power of attorney.
Hanson got me, they got me to sign or else I’d lose this discount. Although it was not good, it was signing that the prices are subject to change and I agree to pay over $4000 more dollars if need be. And nope, definitely get a fixed contract if any.
Ok I’ve been with the CCB for 27 years and I can think of 2 times anything like this is has happened and this is my career.. when it has it was homeless guys in there 73 Vw beetle who ran out of gas in front of a home and said I’ll fix your roof for gas .. honestly .. my 8yr old niece knows better … I feel this is kinda dialogue in scaring people to take the jab or you’ll die.. is so similar….I HOPE this won’t instill paranoia within in-need people that they’ll now chase good contractors off.. I can’t tell you how many times that has happened. When contractors have all they can handle like there is nowadays and can cherry pick..will avoid a customer that feels like they’re going to get taken on a ride .. as a CCB officer, I can promise you the power is not with the contractor
I saw someone state “you should never say /do” is watch this kind of video so someone can increase his UA-cam performance $$ while instilling fear
These are so instinctively rudimentary .. does one need to be told to look both ways when crossing the road? Maybe I guess .. I feel people aren’t this ignorant In 99% of these situations. But it doesn’t hurt to warn the 1% …so with that well done !
Remember most people want you to do the entire job for the ins deposit only then wait on depreciation with them (which takes to long sometimes)
Now When the customer has an insurance approval but is going to go ahead and pay for the work out of his own pocket and reimburse himself with the insurance dollars as he gets them then yes give him a great estimate, otherwise it’s best to get the extra dollars the insurance make it since you’re gonna have to wait for the depreciation, create completion of contract documents and supplementals if needed
Thank you so much for this information! I wish I had seen your video earlier.
I think some of the advice you are giving muddies the waters for homeowners and makes the process harder. The insurance pays according to two different softwares, Xactimate and Symbility. You should find a contractor that uses those softwares and have them provide you an estimate. Likely theirs will be higher than your insurance payout because things are commonly missed by untrained adjusters thrown into the field after a storm. So code issues such as valley underlayment, correct measurements for hip and ridge, paying for starter etc can all be missed. I would rather work with a contractor that would help me make sure all items are accounted for and paid properly by my carrier who is definitely not on my side so that i may get the best material one that uses the same software so if there were differences he could fix them. I have zero problem showing paperwork to any contractor so they know what they are getting into. I would rather sign a contract with all the details of the roof and the price the insurance is paying now plus any supplements won by my contractor such as the starter, that way if my carrier turns down my contractors supplements im still getting starter and only paying my deductible. Also i would never want an estimate lower than my carrier because those companies normally cut corners to bring down the price and if i find someone lower than my insurance amount i dont get to keep the difference. Because of recoverable depreciation that savings gets to stay with the carrier as the carrier is responsible for the cost you paid minus your deductible. Unless you hire a guy that will lie on your behalf to the carrier (which i also do NOT recommend) In saying all of that, i would take the door to door guy up on a free inspection but only if he gives estimates and a presentation so i know that he knows his stuff. The last thing you want is a cash price in an insurance situation with a roofer that doesn't tell you about his shingle he prefers and why and the benefit of his offer with references and accolades to back it up. What you are telling homeowners that have no clue how the process works is to be secretive to the person they will have a personal relationship with who holds warranties and will be replacing their home and trust the mega corp that wants to delay deny and defend rather than pay out the homeowner according to their policy and the white papers of Xactimate. Your advice will ensure homeowners get terrible products like the one your hat describes that cant withstand anything all while leaving them in the dark on the insurance process. Also agents have very little to do with the claims process and have little to no sway over adjusters and normally will send out a roofer that gives them kick backs when you ask them to file a claim and then either persuade you to not file a claim or go with "their guy". My best advice coming from seeing it all is do your due diligence, know your deductible and pay it and select a local company with good reviews, great products like malarkey or atlas and someone who has dealt with carrier and will hold your hand through the process. Also remember, when roofers compete homeowners win. In this scenario you would want to pick the contractor who is offering the best and the most for the price of your deductible when it comes to storm claims.
Completely disagree about it being necessary to find a roofer that uses Xactimate or Symbility. Unless there are regulations in the state you live in, the insurance company has to pay the cost the contractor is charging as long as it's reasonable and within fair market value. Whether or not the estimate is written using XM8 or Symbility.
We stopped using XM8 almost 6 years ago and it was one of the best decisions I've made for my company.
Hmm, just started doing door to door, as far as I know why we work with the insurance estimate is too cover unknown damages such as rotted plywood/ studs trusses. All is documented and sent to the insurance company, we also take care of the siding and gutters ofc we show receipts. But I get bros point lots of bad apples.
Insurance doesn't cover rotter wood/plywood. That would indicate that the damage happened over multiple storms
@@2004jessiehsinsurance is very precise on wording so if you supplement it with the correct wording the will pay for the decking 😂😂😂
Giving a bid on a potential insurance job is a confusing concept for me, likely since I’ve only been in the industry for about two months. I was under the impression that the roofer has to go by the work outlined by the insurance scope. So why do you want to draw up a bid if they already have a scope?
This varies state-by-state, but generally, the homeowner is your customer, not the insurance company, so you set the price.
Great advice. Thank You!
Thanks, what if the sales person says that we contact your insurance company for you, you don’t need to do anything , just pay your deductible.
So, as long as you trust the roofer to give you an inspection. And he actually brings down decent discovery pics. More times then not, the roofer will totally offer to call insurance for you, but they need to do it WITH you. if they tell you that they can call for you while they’re there & that all you need to do is handle your own deductible- there’s nothing wrong with that.
Great information for any homeowner.
The sales tactic that really pisses me off is when they say my wife must be present when the estimator comes for a visit. That tells me they will try to divide my thinking from hers.
The estimator is really a sales guy and they need you both of you to close the sale, especially in financing situation. Most aren't trying to play you against the mrs... that sounds more like a "your relationship" thing. Not a sales tactic l.
@@chrism2sychNo…that’s just absurd. I’ve never even heard of that ever being a thing. If any salesman told me that he needed to speak with my wife prior to making a deal, then I’d tell him to forget any possibility of any deal whatsoever.
As career estimator and salesperson, I disagree
The purpose of that is to take way the response “let me talk to my spouse about that and I’ll get back to you” which means, no deal today
This technique is used by roofers who are charging way above market value who know that if you get competitive bids their price will never be accepted so they use high pressure tactics to get a commitment now to stop you from shopping around
I have a few competitors who often quote 2 or even 3 times my bid and they all insist on having all decision makers present before they will come to inspect and estimate
If someone insists on that, and you let them in, be ready for the high pressure pitch, sometimes for hours
I live in the Sierra's. Last winter caused a LOT of damage in my neighborhood. I had one valley leak.
The roofers around here show up in Ferrari's with the quotes they give. NO ONE will do a repair, it's "New Roof of F you!".
One roofer had the nerve to tell me that he can fix the valley in an hour, BUT he won't do it unless I sign a contract for next summer.
I told him I don't take well to extortion.
I fixed it myself. Wasn't hard. I have a tile roof, I'll replace the underlayment myself next summer.
Roofers driving Ferraris?? Hard to put a ladder rack on one of those.
@@homesteadroofing The OWNER doesn't drive the trucks! 😁 You know what I mean. After the last winter they WERE taking brutal advantage of retired people, though. Update: Roof is fine! 👍
As someone who gives estimates I would be curious and appreciative to know what you feel would have been a reasonable charge for a simple job such as that, would you mind sharing your opinion on that? Thanks in advance
How is the roofer supposed to know the scope of work prescribed by the carrier without seeing the Xactamate? Not to mention the endless amount of line items carriers forget to add, or maybe their only providing partial coverage. Instructing the HO not to share the insurance estimate is not in the best interest of anyone, besides maybe the carrier. You have a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate much of what you say, but disagree on that one.
That question makes no sense. How is the roofer supposed to know the scope of work? He's supposed to know how to replace a roof and develop his own scope of work. An insurance adjuster doesn't know how to replace a roof. That's up to the roofer to be the expert.
All good stuff but one thing I dont fully agree with is asking for references for a roofer or any other contractor from neighbors, family, friends etc.
Its good to get those references but definitely dont only rely on that. I always fall back on the saying "you dont know what you dont know". Your friend, family or neighbor may have had a good experience with thier referred roofer but I cant tell you how many times I hear how awesome the company was that just did work on someone's house and years later had major issues due to installation errors. There are many things that can be done incorrectly that wont cause a noticeable issue for months or even years after the work was performed. Referrals that come from someone that had recent work performed can sometimes be deceiving as its usually based on how nice they were, if they were on time, the work appeared to look good etc. Although all good things, it may not give any insight as to if the work performed was done correctly or at an expected quality level.
As a CAT adjuster, I prefer the roofers available especially when my reports are showing insignificant hail to the address in the past 3 years and less than 50mph sustained winds. I want them there to explain to me how hail hit the roof and not the mailbox, downspouts, cars, garage doors, solar lights, outdoor furniture, window screens, siding, utility boxes that are usually heavily oxidized etc but managed to ruin the roof.
I also want their estimate, if I have their estimate and a verbal agreement I can skip the RCB's and and close the claim on the spot, forever, if it's legitimate.
They ain't getting out of the work with me, jumped thousands of roofs all over the country, seen it and heard it all.
I'm so confused because actually all the tactics he mentioned were used but because I'm very slow to move and to take action-- I like to sleep on it --I postponed further contact until after the tornado hit following the hail storm. I asked this roofer to come out again and see if I'd lost any shingles from the tornado and he did. I said we would do a three-way conversation eithmy insurer later but in the end I just decided I needed to call my insurance company and remind them about me and give my policy number at which point the agent said-- after I'd said I want to file a claim-- NO problem, I'll send you the claim number by text and that is what she did. I told her my roofer would get together with the adjuster once the adjuster called me to arrange a time and that was that. I texted this roofer this info -- who I am sort of impressed with although I do think not everything is truthful that he's saying, but what can you do? The roofers are going up and down my street because of the tornado and most of the houses are tarped which I learned later was done by their insurance company. This is why I asked the potential roofer to do a second walkover of the roof to see if I needed a tarp and he said the damage was minimal but he still contends I have hail damage.
So I texted him and said that I will call him once the adjuster gives a date and time and so he can show up & be on board with what the adjuster says or to counter what the adjuster says as to damage. I believe the amount of money will not be established until the adjuster gets back to the insurance company and gives his report at which point the insurance company will indicate how much money they're willing to spend. THE roofer with whom I have not yet signed a paper will probably have asked me to sign a contract on the day that he goes head-to-head with the adjuster regarding damage. Hence, following the insurance company saying the figure they are eilling to pay, they will duke it out.
One question the roofer did NOT not answer and he actually took offense that I'd asked, was if his company had a license and a certification and he refused to answer. HE said we have been doing roofs for over a decade . He was offended by my question. I went online and I saw a lot of reviews about this roofer who I believe operates mostly in Colorado and Texas and nothing indicated he was licensed but his written brochure indicates he's insured up to 10 million dollars for any damage done while he is working on my roof. I really don't know what more I can do because if he's not licensed then I gather a lot of roofers r not licensed and I'm not quite sure why they would not be because plumbers are & electricians are etcetera. So I'm REALLY in a quandary regarding his refusal to answer the question and his taking offense. But as it stands, I have no choice but to go with him. I will Google other roofers to see if they say they are licensed before the adjuster and he meet up.
I don't care if it's roofing, driveway sealing, steer clear of anyone that you did not solicit. Most reputable businesses do not operate that way.
😂 Totally agree with that "Lemme See Your Scope" jazz 😂 They tried that on me, I saved his number as *DO NOT ANSWER* with notes as to why. I was like *_Cmon Son._* I sniffed the play out WITHIN TEN SECONDS. I told him he could drone my roof, but don't go up on my roof.
I wasn't taking any chances on the magical "I got hurt on your property" jazz, either. 💯
Hey great videos you're saving made a pile of money much appreciated
Great video. Thank you
It is a kind of BS. The agent is not interested at all in helping his clients to file claims as, in this case, he loses his "claim-free bonus". Besides, nowadays, it is a rare case when a customer gets his claim approved by the insurance company (especially if you are a State Farm policyholder). It takes us, as public adjusters, sometimes a year to get a claim approved. Ordinary roofers will just drop the client after the first try with the unsuccessful claim and move on to another poor fellow...
I've had two company not give me there estimate and scope of work. Wanted payment before starting the work.
Run away!!
Hi, If your roof work is completed and you have signed the completion of work and after that you get to know that your roofer fooled you and claimed extra money from insurance. What to do in this situation.
Get a lawyer
Completely disagree! Having a roofer present to help you file the claim correctly is super beneficial especially because insurance carriers will try to find ways to not pay out if the claim is not filed correctly
Thank you for the engagement on the video and the polite way you've expressed your opinion. I appreciate the time you took to put that out there. 👍
For real? He didn't say to not get help, he said the best help is from the agent, not the roofer and not the insurance company. I really hope you don't ask a roofer to help you with your insurance claim. This is reason why insurance in Florida is out of control.
My insurance adjuster found more bad shingles than the roofer.
In the grand scheme of things those 2 extra shingles didn't get me over my deductible. And the adjuster gave me bad information on a few occasions.
It's a tough situation the roofers are out to get as much money as they can and the insurance company is trying to not give out money as much as they can 🤑
I have a question I hope you will answer for me...
A roofing contractor came to do an inspection and the first thing he asked for was a copy of my homeowners declaration page. Why would he want to see that immediately? I asked him but I don't remember his answer. It wasn't very clear... How is that useful for them? Thank you for your reply... 🤗
He wants to know what your deductible is and what type of coverage you have.
NEVER give that document to a contractor unless he is also a Public Adjuster with whom you have signed a contract.
@@homesteadroofing Thank you for your reply. I did tell him what our deductible is. Should I not have given them that information either? All of this is new to me as I've never worked with the homeowners insurance process... Thank you so much... 🤗
@@homesteadroofing I have one more question. I was just notified that an adjuster will be here to do the roof inspection on Tuesday. Is it a good idea to have more than one contractor here at the same time with the adjuster. I've talked with three different roofing companies and I'm not totally sure which one to go with yet. I don't know who else to ask since I haven't spoken with my adjuster yet. I hope you can answer this question tonight or tomorrow. Thank you. 🤗
@@gloriasilence Definitely don't try to have more than one roofer at the house when the adjuster arrives. You'd be asking for trouble. All the roofers would be pissed.
@@homesteadroofing Thank you... The adjuster came yesterday...
So a roofer should create a quote and work scope before he has inspected the roof?
Doesn't seem like the right order of operations.
No, that doesn't make sense.
Love your channel. I have a question. I want to replace my shingle roof that is 21 years old and the first roofing company that came out said I had old style gutters that used the long aluminum nails that were nailed through the drip edge and they had to be torn off. Sounds fishy to me.
That could be true. They're probably nailed through the drip edge which should be replaced as part of the re-roof.
hey. i cant find the video regarding which shingles manufacturer is good and which ones are bad????
Is this the one you mean?
ua-cam.com/video/bso7_44pCzQ/v-deo.html
@@homesteadroofing yes. looks like it. will watch it. ty
Do you work for an insurance company?
Why would you ask that question?
@@homesteadroofing
Because insurance companies set the price, not the owner or contractor.
If you send estimates to the insurance company, obviously they will choose the lowest and never will pay over their budget.
Now, if you ask for estimates and you choose one with lower price than the insurance estimate, you have to send the invoice for that lower price.
Then, the insurance will pay you less.
But, if you ask the contractor to invoice the higher price than you paid, trying to keep some money, this is a felony.
Conclusion: It’s not important to ask for estimates, it’s important to choose the best option for the total price set by the insurance company and the contractor that can help you to upgrade your property with the money from insurance legally, which includes all items by Code required by law.
@@jorgealbertoestradagaviria1531 May depend on the state. Where I live the insurance company does not set the price.
I agree, Insurance company sets the price, here in Maryland
I do retail work and I can create an estimate but we learned a long time ago that isn’t always the best thing to do.
We went ahead and purchased Xactimate so, if we’re in a position on an insurance job with a customer has asked for an estimate I’ll make an estimate almost exactly of what I know the insurance company will have made it for.
Sometimes insurance companies convince Homeowners to get three estimates and to send them in, lol the problem with that is, the contractors realize that they are bidding and so a desperate contractor will put a super low price to win the job and of course the insurance company will accept that as the winning number and then everyone looses.
It’s definitely Best to allow the insurance company to create the approval price and scope of work.
@@WeFindSimpleSolutions
Exactly!
My advice: don't trust everybody with a UA-cam video. Yes this has valid points, but some things are misleading and/or untrue
Thank you for engaging with our content. How 'bout if you share what you thought was misleading or untrue?
Audience, Question? This is my first time having any claims on my home. I need your expertise. I'm in the process of needing a new roof replacement, but have interior repairs as well. The insurance adjuster wrote the kitchen area and ceiling with two coats of paint, underneath patio stain blocker with puddy and two coats of paint. My third garage ceiling with stain blocker and two coats of paint. He even added applying a tarp on my roof (small area) for $350; which I replaced. I did all the interior painting too. I have been approved by my insurance company and have been issued a dollar amount of 10K on the front end. I was advised by the adjuster after ALL work has been completed they will pay the RCV. My question is with the total cost on my estimate is 20K minus my 1K deductible = 19K. Now my home isn't up to code and that's an add on of $1,400 once completed by contractor. How much is really covered in my roof repairs? My interior repairs adds up to around $3,500. Remember, I have completed all the interior work myself and actually used shingles instead of using a tarp. This was to prevent any further roof/interior damage until I can find a contractor to replace my entire roof. I'll be awaiting your response. Thanks and Excellent Informative video.
1. The total roof cost itself would be the RCV total number underneath the “Dwelling” coverage section on your insurance paperwork. On the bottom of the roofing scope of work, where each line item component is showed.
Don’t be looking at the total summary of the claim.
2. To bring your roof up to code, contact your insurance adjuster and ask them if Code Upgrades such drip edge and ice/water shield (the two main roof code items) is covered under your policy.
If it is, they should be paying for that as well and should add it to the estimate. if they do have it on your report, it should be on the “Code upgrade - paid when incurred” page on your insurance scope of work.
If not covered in your policy, you will have to pay for the code upgrade cost.
Please make sure your contractor understands insurances scope of work and the entire process.
For the portion you are repairing yourself, keep the material receipts, so you can present them to claim recoverable depreciation for that portion.
There are a lot of details in this. Probably too much for a quick reply in this comments section. Feel free to reach out to us at our office.
What’s your opinion of a roofer who uses google earth to measure a roof, sends me a pdf saying the cost, what will be included, NOT the type of shingles, nor did he ask, never came out to my property to have a look, he also included my detached garage, which should not have been included, damaged to house roof and siding when neighbors tree fell 2 weeks ago today. His paperwork stated this was a legally binding contract. I replied no roof needed on garage, but I needed gutters replaced and siding (he doesn’t do that), was recommended highly. His estimate for new roof & tear off/ removal sounded reasonable, but his reply to me was: if so. WHAT!?? Out of 5 contractors only 1 has shown up. I have a right to meet in person who’s going to be working on my house. Everyone says shop locally, next week I’ll be contacting roofers from another town 30 miles away.
I completely agree. You should meet with the contractors so you can interview them. If a homeowner is OK with receiving an estimate that's done from aerial imagery, that's fine. But, if the homeowner wants to meet with the contractor (and they should want to...) then the contractor should always oblige the homeowner. Good point!
What if the "Manager" told the sales employee off and fired them for such a ludicrous proposal??? 😂
What are you referring to?
@@homesteadroofing 😂 The "magical" time when the Manager forgets the script and fires the salesman for such a "good deal" 😂
I asked every customer that called after the 2020 election who they voted for and if it was Biden I told them I wasn’t interested or it would run $250 extra..they were usually a bit stunned but I still got the majority of jobs..their lack of knowledge of liberal policies was shocking and they were the ones shocked once educated…
Excellent! I love that! ❤
Until you get sued for discrimination
Pressure technique.
Meaning... ?
The reasons that roofers ask for insurance paperwork is to make sure everything is included that the insurance is bidding for because they leave things out a lot of times. This old man has no experience and insurance restoration or door-to-door sales, trying to make himself look like a saint this video was probably propaganda that the insurance company pay this guy for while they make billions and cut off the homeowners
Blake, why so angry? You've left 4 comments on the same video, and they all say pretty much the same thing.
If you've worked as a professional in the insurance restoration industry, you know you don't need the insurance paperwork before creating your own scope of loss for the job. That's nonsense. The real reason contractors want the insurance paperwork up-front is so they can know whether or not they can afford to tell the homeowner "we'll do it for the insurance claim amount." Basically, they're lazy and don't want to spend the time to do a correct scope of loss.
@@homesteadroofing I disagree brother! I use the insurance software because I don’t want the homeowner to pay anything more than the deductible. Also, I use xactimate for all my jobs anyway which is what insurance uses
Both the door 2 door roofer and insurance co. are trying to profit.. Do you care if the insurance company gets fucked by the greedy roofers who pay their laborers in dirt? Roofer definitely trying to maximize profit with AOB and insurance wants to deny or low ball the claim. BOTTOMLINE: EVERYBODY SUCKS HERE
Completely disagree. You can ask your neighbors and they might have just hired the worst people ever and didn’t even know it. Check everyone on your circuit court access.
Look for judgments against them.
My point wasn't that you should necessarily hire the person your neighbor hired, but that it's a starting place if you don't already have names of roofers to contact. Everyone must still do his own due-diligence.
@@homesteadroofing I’m sorry but your profession is so rife with scammers and frauds I’m disgusted. I met 4 of them in the past month.
What is 10 &10 on an estimate of 1200.00
What are you asking? Are you asking about the O&P percentages? 10% of $1200?
Can I cancel a contract?
That depends on the laws in your state.
INsurance.
INsurance
What about OUTsurance?
No the agent is not going to help you , they are trying not to cover you , it is good to have a licensed roofer to make sure they cover your damage properly , you have never dealt with State Farm AAA or Allstate smh
SF is one of the largest carriers in our market. We deal with them all the time.
most homeowners have a policy that covers a percentage of the roof. depending on the policy if you do your homework. roofers ask this to get you a better deal out of pocket. that way if and when the deductible is met depending on the coverage the homeowners are not out of pocket 25-30k for the expense. unless you don't have insurance, I wouldn't take any of this advice. good questions to ask but no red flags needed if you don't understand your insurance policy. that's why it is also important to get a pre approval by the insurance if you have it in order to cover the expense. today I'm pretty sure no general blue Calor family has the liquid assets to even cover the deductible and that's where they can screw you too. but there are ways around that in the legal aspect make sure you have a qualified adjuster and roofer to explain the ins and outs. not this guy!!!!
Roofers are qualified to roof, not interpret or explain insurance policies and coverage. Your statement that a roofer is able to get a homeowner a better deal is a red flag.
a licensed adjuster can explain those for the home owner if they are not adjusting but selling roofs @@homesteadroofing
😂 Spoiler Alert: 😂
They already texted the manager the deal, and just going thru the motions 😂 P.S. The "Manager" _Never_ Says NO! 😂
How is your agent a help!? How are you in business? The agent is the worst person to talk to!! They don’t want you to file claims!
You've left several comments on several videos on our channel. And you ask me how I am in business? Seems like you have a lot of time on your hands.
"What if your neighbor is an idiot"
"Your best way to find a roofer is to ask your neighbor"
Way to go. Another brilliant piece of double talk.
But, hey the woodsy background setting gives me that "warm fuzzy" that you said I should, oh wait you said I shouldn't trust that. Oops.
Thank you for the engagement. I appreciate you watching and helping UA-cam spread our message to more people. That's a big help to our channel and homeowners around the country.
Some of this advice is...flawed.
Two of the companies I have worked for stick to the insurance estimate. An experienced roofer will know what insurance left off the estimate.
Getting measurements is fine but mismeasures of a roof can be supplemented...to insurance.
Asking someone about insurance is not a red flag. If a roofer has in fact roofed multiple homes in an area they can give accurate storm dates and help the homeowner file a valid claim.
A sketchy roofer will say "I can file the claim for you." That's a bazillion red flags.
The advice about roofing with a neighbor can be sketchy unless you have put up roofs next door. Why is asking people at church any better than trusting your neighbor? Your friends at church are probably just as ignorant as the neighbor about roofing. The whole premise of the argument is to trust "friends," not neighbors. But you can actually see your neighbor's roof. Just a weird line of reasoning altogether.
And if you have an insurance estimate... there should be no reason for roofers who work with insurance to create numerous estimates - that is an insurance agent's strategy to get roofers to save insurance money. The homeowner who looks for the cheapest estimate on an insurance job is saving the insurance company money, which is no more valid than saving the roofer money creating measurements and estimates. The insurance company will not pay out more to homeowners for getting a roof cheaper than insurance. Just strange to hear that advice.
Some of this makes sense...but some of this is truly subjective and not valid after thorough consideration.
Depends on the situation
Never trust a contractor that repeatedly mentions religion. It’s widely agreed across the roofing community that no one rips people off more often than those hiding behind the deceptive cloak of religious purity.
Interesting opinion, supported by no facts. But of course, there are *no facts* to support that - just opinion.
Super negative for the most part, scary mean roofing contractors trying to scam you. This is super rare. Earliest one you could remember was 2018, do better. If they don’t need help why are you making this video?
If they research the company while he was inspecting the roof and everything checks out. Then what?
Unethical roofing contractors trying scam homeowners is "Super rare" ?? 😂😂
It's a regular occurrence in storm states.
I know it happens, You're scaring people though. If someone comes to your door, do your due diligence and check them. You paint door knockers to all be bad, Do better!@@homesteadroofing
This guy is wrong. Find a contractor you trust then let the contractor do his job.
Which is essentially what we're trying to educate homeowners to do.
Following this guys advice as a homeowner is virtually the worst thing you can do. He is incorrect on almost every aspect of what he’s saying. He is literally making the entire industry look bad with horrible advice. He is describing horrible contractors and he isn’t a salesman. Obviously he doesn’t work in Texas either. If you don’t match the insurance estimate you can’t recover depreciation. I could hit every item on his list and tell you everything wrong with what he’s saying, but I don’t have the time. And yes I am a roofer, salesman, project manager the whole 9 yards from inspection, adjuster meetings, writing estimates, presenting proposals, running the actual project, collecting the funds, supplements to insurance, deductibles- what is legal not legal. I do 80 roofs a year and specialize in storm restorations this dude is a bafoon. Listen to his advice and you will probably get screwed on your roofing project.
You said you don't have time to explain all the things that are wrong in this video... If you'd like the time to explain to our audience what's wrong, let's do an interview video. Let me know if you're willing to come on.
I understand that you're trying to protect homeowners from unscrupulous companies, but I think your videos lean too far toward scaremongering. I was infuriated when I discovered that if I didn't file a claim for my roof within a year, my insurance wouldn't cover the damage. I didn't know what hail damage looked like or that I even had it. I wasn't looking for contractors because I didn't know I had an issue. One showed up at my door two months before I would have been SOL. My point is that those people who are going door to door aren't all bad people and if one can show that they're licensed to work in your home state, have warranties on their work and can produce referrals, they may be saving your butt. Advising people to slam the door in these peoples' faces could have unintended harm.
I've never said all door-to-door guys are dishonest. In fact, I've stressed in several videos the point, "Not every roofer that goes door-to-door will rip you off... BUT... every roofer that will rip you off will go door-to-door."
Souinds like you don't know the law and don't understand your insurance agreement. All insurance companies set the prices roofers charge. Customer only pays deductable and they signed paperwork with ins company to pay that but never want to. You need to go to Texas Dept of Insurance and do some research before you advise home owners. what needs to be regulated is who can post videos on internet.
You are not correct. It may be that way in the state you live in, but it's not that way everywhere. Insurance companies DON'T get to tell roofers what to charge.
Regulating who can post info on the internet? Are you from China or Pakistan?
That’s a variety of terrible advice..
Thank you for engaging with our video. That helps UA-cam know that people are interested in the topic and promotes our videos to more people. We appreciate it!
Don’t listen to this guy he has a certainteed hat on that should say enough
Thank you for your input. Each comment on our videos helps tell UA-cam that people appreciate our content and that UA-cam should recommend it to other viewers. We appreciate your help.
This is such a load of horseshit lol
What if you were to elaborate on that comment?
This is spot on
I've been roofing a long time. Way too damn long. I've seen some shady shit roofers have done. These fly by nite roofers screw people over. Especially these damn storm chasers. I've seen what this guy is talking about. I'm the actual guy on the roof. I always kept the homeowners in the loop. I always showed them pictures of damage, the repair. Before and after pics. Homeowners, please use local contractors and make sure you ask for written references and numbers. Don't ever use these storm chasers. They will do a shyt job and you will never see them again. Home owners, make sure you communicate with the roofers, the roofers who are actually on the roof.