Simple Inspection agreement

Does anyone have a simple agreement that both parties can sign when offering free inspections and estimates?

What I want is just a simple paper that I fill out with the homeowner that basically offers me first option on bidding insurance work if approved.

I am not looking for a binding contract that I leave price as TBD. I want something that says if I inspect your roof, find damage and negotiate the settlement, write estimates, etc......that if approved, I have first option at doing work for insurance proceeds.

Anyone have something like this they would mind sharing with me? Just been a terrible day and week!! Sick of getting played.

Thanks!

Again...ISO, Inc. (Insurance Services Office, Inc.) "advises" P&C insurance companies on how to price their premiums. Common sense business economics tells us that P&C ins has to calc their premiums based on future costs. A claim that, per the premium paid, would cost $25,000 three years from now costs $20,000 today. The Ins company has already saved $5,000 even if they pay what they should pay. Then, adjusters, using the estimating software owned by their subsidary - Xactimate - prices the repairs at market pricing based on their "surveys" - attempting to pay $15,000, thereby saving the insurance company another $5k ($10k total). Then, ill-informed "insurance claims specialists" who really aren't, hand out free estimates that, because of the competition from other free estimate contractors, are usually closer to the $15,000. The contractors following that mindset never really make what they should and then call ins work a scam.

"Does anyone have a simple agreement that both parties can sign when offering free inspections and estimates?" My inspections start at $365. and go up from there. Estimates are $25.00 and up. Even if I don't get the job, At least I cover my gas costs which does 'make them free', at least for me, other than my time doing them. It's given free insteady of charging another $65.00 an hour or so to look and sell the job.

Randy....Roofermark pretty-much summed it up....it's all about selling.... closing right then & there.....Otherwise, your spinning your wheels.

There's huge $ in the insurance game....HUGE!.....You simply have to make a conscience decision, that you want to play the game.

I hired an estimator years ago. He had made a lot of $, for the previous two years, working for a big, "stormer-type" outfit.....Had awesome referrences....I let him go after a week....He had never roofed, or had any contruction background....His job as an estimator at his previous employer was simply to acquire a signature on a contract.

If you haven't done enough selling when doing the inspection, to motivate the Customer to ask you to bid, I'd say a contract that would allow you to bid would gain you minimal if any additional business.

If you're interested in insurance work, learn the game and then employ it. Despite what I see many posters say here, if done correctly, it can be profitable.

When we do an inspection and find damage that warrants a claim, I'd estimate we leave that meeting with a signed contract 80% plus of the time that doesn't just give us the opportunity to bid but locks us into getting the business should the claim get approved. Our bid would be the insurance proceeds plus deductible plus any upgrades chosen by the Customer. Let me add, that is not a contingency agreement, we have it worded such that it is a contract from the time they sign it.

We subsequently come to the Adjuster Meeting with an estimate prepared utilizing Xactimate with all the damage pictures embedded, all the line items necessary to complete the repairs including line items that would be necessary to bring the roof up the local residential business code requirements.

We don't do free estimates. It takes a fair amount of time to create an accurate, high quality estimate. If someone wants that type of estimate, they can either agree to give us the business or pay for the estimate. We can't compete on price with the morons riding around paying deductibles and giving away free upgrades, so why bother providing a free estimate?

Randy...There's no real secrets....it's not rocket-science...It's just a matter if one's got the stomache for it.

Rocky...Did you have your 9m yr in AZ? The typical non-lic. states that provide the majority of hail storms, are a world apart.

By the way randy, you must check in on OS's post "Hey everyone, sign in here". go back to topics, you'll find it.

Randy, dont despair. I just went thru a 9 million dollar hail storm. though it was a lot of work it was very rewarding, both financial and educationally. There is a whole lot to learn and it is worth every penny if you do it write. email me and I will explain to you what tips we used to keep the work in our back yard and make lots of money and help a lot of your people in your community. The are a lot of storm chasers haters here, including me, but if you're working your own back yard you should go for it.

I don't rule-out insurance work...If a potential customer contacts us, I do what I feel applicable; I go out and provide an estimate.....give it our best pitch.

It can be frustrating, if you operate in & amongst storm-chasers, in an area suscestpable to that....One may have to "qualify" your potential customer.....If your not "right in there", with the same "energy", (let's call it), it can be a huge waste of your time.

These people already have, or soon will be, literally bombarded, with one form of marketing or another......I have several aquantenances that do the storm thing....It's a whole other world....A network of stormers, insurance adjusters, marketing experts, etc.....I put it in similar categories of bail bonds, bounty hunters,....I could go on....towing, pawn shops, some lawyers, used car salesmen, etc.....

I agree Tom. Maybe I should just do away with free estimates or else forget about high volume work. I hate pressuring people....

I feel for you Randy...However, unless your of the high-pressure/"close the deal now", type of operator, "insurance work", (as the mainstream of it goes), may not be in your bones, (so-to-speak)....herein lies the "insurance game", or portion thereof....At the risk of sounding condescending; Personally, ins. work, (as it's predominently played-out today), just doesn't fit our MO.

Unfortunately/fortunately, (however one perceives it), some of us prefer to simply operate our businesses honestly & forthright.....Ya win some - Ya lose some.....After all; You are offering "free estimates & inspections". It kinda loses it's authenticity, if strings are attached. JMHO.