Remote or third-party estimating companies focus only on estimating. Their specialist teams are made up of estimate writing wizards, geniuses of graphical estimating and magicians of macros. These dedicated estimators may have gravitated away from managing trades and keeping up with client communication, while leaning toward the technical aspects and nuts-and-bolts of how each trade handles tasks. Could remote estimating enhance your business?

Restorers can use the HOVER app on their mobile device to take a set of photos of a loss site and have them transformed into an interactive 3D model. The new integration allows HOVER 3D models to automatically import into Xactimate and XactAnalysis.

Tractable, a company developing artificial intelligence for visual assessment and disaster recovery, has launched AI Property, a new solution that assesses damage to buildings caused by hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters.

Annissa Coy discusses pre-communication with adjusters, before the job is complete and the invoice is sent. She also explains why she does not prioritize communication with third parties during review.

The RIA will be expanding the number of AGA advocates working on behalf of restorers and is seeking candidates for a new AGA Pricing Advocate position.

Inevitably, if you are a restoration company, sooner or later you will run into situations where the adjuster won’t pay for work you completed or only a fraction of what you have estimated the cost to be. In these situations, restorers have a few options, which depend in large part as to how far you’re willing to go, how much you’re willing to spend and if the risk is worth the reward.

In this episode of Ask Annissa, Annissa Coy answers a common question she feels passionately about: Should restorers work with insurance adjusters, or ignore them and work solely with the insured?

By being proactive and educating property owners about the risks of dishonest engineering and insurer fraud, you can help defend your clients from unethical claims professionals, Jack Hanks and Doug Quinn write. This will help ensure fair insurance markets where policyholders suffering a loss have the best chance for an honest claim and a smoother process of rebuilding their property. When this happens, the consumer, the restoration professional and the insurer win.