You Will Need These 5 Elements for a Thorough Inspection of the Property

A thorough property inspection is the first step to a successful claim process for public adjusters.

Write down the information in this blog post and take it to the next property inspection.

This week's blog is brought to you by?Black Diamond Housing Services.

Here is what a thorough property inspection will help you with:

?? You will have all the information you need to make an accurate estimate, even if you return to the project a few days later.

?? If you ask a third party to conduct the estimate, they will have all the necessary information.

?? Finally, you will have everything the insurance company needs to make a decision.??

Essentially, you will be one step ahead in your claim process if you can use what Jeromy Leavelle shared in this week’s YouTube video.

Public Adjusters Should First Talk to the Homeowner

The first step in the inspection process is to interview the homeowner. The owner is probably the only person who saw what happened first-hand.?

Getting their side of the story is crucial to writing an accurate estimate.

Also, homeowners will often feel like no one is listening. Maybe they already tried to express their story to the insurance company and found they were not overly interested.

You can earn bonus points and a valuable referral if you simply show you care. Listen to their story without taking notes or pictures.

Second, Take Useful Photos

Ok, after the homeowner shares their troubles, it is time to document everything.

Take a notebook to write the most important things the client shared, and then continue taking pictures.

Now, as a beginner public adjuster, you might be tempted to take too many unnecessary photos.?

And then later, when you return to the office, you will have to go through all of them again to determine which photos you should use.

This process is a significant waste of time.

Instead, you should take photos starting at the origin of the loss and documenting where the damage spread.

Next, take photos of the whole room, all four corners, the windows, and your meters, like the moisture meter or the thermal camera. Additionally, take pictures of the content and material markings or labels.

Finally, ask the homeowner if they took any photos. Homeowners’ photos can be especially useful, even more so if they show their mitigation efforts.

Next, Sketch the Damaged Rooms, Adjacent Rooms, and the Exterior

Accurate sketches help public adjusters determine the scope of the damage. A sketch can help you calculate the price of materials used for the repair.

When sketching, you want to include anything that involves the loss and account for all the openings.?

Also, you might have a room that was not damaged but has continuous flooring or paint from the damaged room.?

Then you should sketch that room as well because it is likely the continuous material will be completely replaced.

Finally, if you are working on exterior damage and find it difficult to sketch that, you can ask roofing companies for an eagle view of the property.?

That way, you will have very accurate measurements for your estimate.

A Detailed Scope Helps You With Damage Estimation

Estimation is a significant part of the job you have to deal with as a public adjuster. You might want to consider one of our video courses if you think your estimation skills are somewhat lacking.

But essentially, accurate estimation comes down to understanding the policy and knowing the costs and scope of the repair.

Therefore, you must prepare a detailed scope so you can make an accurate estimate. The same applies if you leave the estimation to a third-party contractor or company.

To write a detailed scope, you should include every line item during your first property inspection. Be careful you do not leave anything out.?

Because if you forget about an item at the property, it is unlikely you will remember it later while estimating.

Finally, Collect Samples and Ask Experts for Identification

Finally, before you can write an accurate estimate, you should know how to identify the cost of the damages. Naturally, that includes the repair costs that contractors might charge.

But it also includes using the same materials the client had before, which may or may not be expensive.?

For example, you should be able to tell whether they used more or less expensive materials for their kitchen cabinets that suffered water damage.

The way to identify the cost of materials is to collect samples at your first inspection and send them to iTell or another identification service.

What you can also do is ask local experts in the area, like roofers or other contractors, who might tell you more about the sample.

Don’t hesitate to ask them for help with that, you would be surprised how much contractors are willing to help public adjusters!