Submitting estimates over and above xactimate

I’ve been successfull at supplementing for O&P and other items left out of a scope. But xactimate is paying lower than ever. It’s hard to get deductible and upgrade money when this dumba$$ is going around covering deductibles and giving free upgrades. I’ve heard of guys on this forum coming up with their own estimate and sending it to the insurance company. THe answer I get is “we only pay xactimate prices or we have contractors that will do it for this amount.” Please fill me in on your tricks. I’d like to start making the money on every job like I did 3 yrs ago.

So you’re trying to get more out of the insurance company in order to pay deductibles and upgrades? How do you accomplish that without committing insurance fraud?

There’s no rule you have to use Xactimate or Xactimate pricing. That’s BS. You just need the HO to support you.

We don’t cover deductibles but others are.

I apologize, I misunderstood your original post.

If the estimate is done correct, along with using code docs to support them you can make plenty. Average approved supplements nationally are $3k per file. Last year in Colorado mine was $7k. Often times all the extra trades will help you, o&p is the icing on the cake!!

Negotiator, are you in the supplementing business? I’m pretty effective at supplementing myself but don’t currently have the time. Sending a few jobs to one company, sent an email to a member on this site who contacted me in the past. I’m opened to people who can effectively get me a solid profit margin. From what I’ve learned in this industry is there is no rhyme or reason to this industry?!? I’ve done the numbers/volume game, everybody gets paid but me. I’m gonna make what I made the first 2 years in this industry this year. If I can’t then I’m going to do something else. I had a homeowner the other day who chose to go with a different contractor because " I was taking too long". Come to find out he was $3k less than me. Two days later the adjuster calls to let me know he was going to approve my supplement. I told him don’t worry even cutting the depreciation check because the HO found someone for really cheap. After the supplement the difference between me and the guy who stole the job was his bid $9,800 and my supplemented amount of $15,100. How do you sell that to the HO? Should I tell that contractor he is shooting himself in the foot or would he just use that against me?

It’s not just insurance work. I bid on a non insurance job last week at the normal fair rate only to have the h/o tell me upon presentation of the scope of work and estimate, that I was $2,000 over the other bid she had gotten. The friggin roof was only 18 sq. so that would be over 100 per sq. difference. lol My pricing is in the mid range. I am not high or low. Either these goof balls made a mathematical error or else they like to work just to have something to do. They could make more money sub contracting.

Yep, I met with adjuster on a job and got everything paid for. Once the HO gets the estimate back I can tell they’ve found someone to do the work cheaper just by the way they were acting. “Telling me I’ve been hard to get in touch with and wanting an estimate.” At this point I had already submitted a supplement for O&P. The wife began to say how I didn’t present the contract as a binding agreement and she was “tricked” into signing it. They did let me know they had an estimate that was $2,000 less than the total scope. I agreed to void the contract because past experience proves that if the HO is difficult before you do any work that it typically doesn’t get any easier throughout the process. The adjuster calls me a couple days later to let me know he’s approving the O&P supplement. I told him there is no need because the homeowner is going with someone else and they are likely going to pocket around $2,000. He was thankful I let him know and he agreed they were a “little off the rocker”. So basically this guy is doing the work for $5,000 less than what he could be? And killing the market as whole. I’ve entertained the idea of teaching these “chuck in a truck” guys of how to make good money on claims. I’ve seen it over and over of a guy who thinks if he can do a 50sq job a day and make $10-$20 per sq he’s making good money. But once he pays his overhead and minor mess ups he hasn’t made a damn thing! The only thing he has accomplished is making it more difficult to make good money in the roofing industry

Wow,the homeowner signs a contract and does not understand its a binding agreement ? Hopefully she isn’t married,feel sorry for her husband maybe that contract isn’t a binding agreement either.

You should have said,no its not a binding agreement,I only do this for fun because I noticed that’s a very nice signature you have.Just when you think you have heard it all.Geeeeezzz, and to find another “Contractor” when they are already under contract is pretty lame too.

I really hope those types of tarded homeowners get what they got coming,hopefully they get a crash course in "Cheap " labor.

I hope the crew gets caught in a freak thunderstorm and little Miss Muffet has to use an umbrella in her house trying to run for pots and pans to catch all the drips,then once the roof is done later down the road a windstorm blows the roof off due to improper high nailing.Then hopefully its during the night and she gets soaked in her bed.