Now that everyone has installed new roofs.... (West, Howe: insurance, mortgage)

[austin_mommy]

.....any recommendations for good contractors?

Also, a survey- how much was your total repair estimate and how much was your deductible?

I have had two contractors look at our roof and they want to deal with the insurance company directly. But we would like to do that ourselves. Anyone who had a good experience doing this? We would like to get the job done in less so we don't have to pay the hefty 4k deductible!

[FalconheadWest]

For the most part, hail damage is usually just cosmetic. When my last house was involved in a hail storm, my insurance adjuster suggested I wait a year to replace my roof so I could get a better price. He was right. My estimates came in, on average, $2k less than right after the storm, so I was out of pocket nothing as insurance paid me off the original estimates the previous year.

The roofers love it when home owners replace their roofs immediately because they're all going to charge more, and many laugh when they find out it's just cosmetic damage.

Now, if you have actual damage, like leaking roof and such, get it replaced right away, don't wait for something like that to get worse... but in all actuality, it's usually the hail knocking the granuals off the composition roofs which is cosmetic for a couple of years before wear and tear happens.

[marylee54]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

For the most part, hail damage is usually just cosmetic. When my last house was involved in a hail storm, my insurance adjuster suggested I wait a year to replace my roof so I could get a better price. He was right. My estimates came in, on average, $2k less than right after the storm, so I was out of pocket nothing as insurance paid me off the original estimates the previous year.

The roofers love it when home owners replace their roofs immediately because they're all going to charge more, and many laugh when they find out it's just cosmetic damage.

Now, if you have actual damage, like leaking roof and such, get it replaced right away, don't wait for something like that to get worse... but in all actuality, it's usually the hail knocking the granuals off the composition roofs which is cosmetic for a couple of years before wear and tear happens.

We got a new roof yesterday!

[tourbound129]

Another recommendation is to wait until we are out of the typical hail season and contractors are looking for work. They will probably be willing to charge less in labor to get the job. About half, or more, of the cost of the estimate is labor. You could potentially save thousands.

Our house is almost 2 years old with 25 year shingles. We got decent size hail here in RR but not enough to do alot of damage. I was actually surprised when my insurance company said they would pay on the roof. He actually told me that I didn't have anything to worry about and I probably just lost a couple years of life on my shingles.

So I'm not going to be in any hurry to shell out my $2300 deductible to fix the roof. I know someone who was able to find a roofer to do the work for the amount the insurance company paid after deductible. No out of pocket money. This was a couple years ago but I guarantee those people are out there.

[pbnj07]

You said you're going to wait, but isn't there a certain timeframe between the hail storm and when you need to file a claim and have the work done in order for the insurance company to pay-out?

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by pbnj07

You said you're going to wait, but isn't there a certain timeframe between the hail storm and when you need to file a claim and have the work done in order for the insurance company to pay-out?

I don't know if it's the same for all insurance companies, but when we had to do it they sent an estimator out and then just cut us a check for the amount over our deductible. When, or even if, we got it fixed -- they didn't seem to care.

Last roof that I had installed was not an insurance claim, though. It was just old, leaky, and looked bad. I used Kettler roofing and had an excellent experience. They were among the lowest in price, didn't require any money up front, did the job fast and cleaned up well. When we had a hailstorm just after it was installed (about a month later), the owner of the company called and came out to see if it was damaged at all. It wasn't.

[FalconheadWest]

Originally Posted by pbnj07

You said you're going to wait, but isn't there a certain timeframe between the hail storm and when you need to file a claim and have the work done in order for the insurance company to pay-out?

Most pay you on the spot, but when you do get around to replacing your roof, you must send in proof that it was taken care of. I've had people try to sell their homes without putting the new roof on and that's insurance fraud.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by tourbound129

Another recommendation is to wait until we are out of the typical hail season and contractors are looking for work.

So I'm not going to be in any hurry to shell out my $2300 deductible to fix the roof. I know someone who was able to find a roofer to do the work for the amount the insurance company paid after deductible. No out of pocket money. This was a couple years ago but I guarantee those people are out there.

Unless you have a leak or some other major damage from the storm......... wait till after hail season to get it replaced. I also would not get it replaced in the heat of the summer either. Wait till the weather cools off in the Fall. This way you only make ONE CLAIM just in case another bad hail storm rolls thru the area. You do NOT want to make any more claims than you have to. We put off getting ours replaced from hail until November.

Originally Posted by pbnj07

You said you're going to wait, but isn't there a certain timeframe between the hail storm and when you need to file a claim and have the work done in order for the insurance company to pay-out?

No. HOWEVER, if you do NOT get it repaired/replaced and this goes for ANYTHING that the insurance pays out on....... if another storm comes thru and you get damage from it they will NOT pay on it at all again. Only if you DID repair/replace what they had already paid on for the previous claim. Say they pay you also for gutter/downspouts that may have been damaged but they still function and only tiny dings are visible when your up close and looking for it. So you don't replace those. When you get ANOTHER storm they will know if you did not get this work done and will not pay AGAIN for them.

Originally Posted by atxcio

I don't know if it's the same for all insurance companies, but when we had to do it they sent an estimator out and then just cut us a check for the amount over our deductible. When, or even if, we got it fixed -- they didn't seem to care.

They will do that and sometimes if it was a bad storm and they send in one of their "disaster teams" they will just be going door to door and may issue the check right then. HOWEVER, if you have a mortgage on your property they can and most often do also make the check out to the mortgage company. Sometimes they can make it out solely to the mortgage company. The mortgage company wants to insure that repairs are made to the property as they technically will and do "own" the property.

[pbnj07]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

I've had people try to sell their homes without putting the new roof on and that's insurance fraud.

Just curious....in these situations (not my case), if someone were to sell a house with a discalimer that the roof needs replacing and offers cash back at closing to allow for that, is that still considered insurance fraud?

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by pbnj07

Just curious....in these situations (not my case), if someone were to sell a house with a discalimer that the roof needs replacing and offers cash back at closing to allow for that, is that still considered insurance fraud?

Most likely the new mortgage company may not close on it till the work is done. Then the sellers would have to replace the roof before closing. If they get lucky and the buyer and their mortgage company let it go thru and the buyers replace the roof....... no, it would not be and 99.99% of the time no one ever gets in trouble for it. Just a hassle to sell and buy. This is actually pretty common. People will make the claim but never replace the roof (or whatever else it was that sustained damage) and pocket the money. This is why some insurance companies have gone to different programs where you pick from their list of "preferred vendors/contractors" and they will pay them directly. In this case you can still find some that will do the work for the amount the insurance co will pays so that you don't pay your deductible. If their is a mortgage on the property they will also make the check out to the mortgage company and they will want proof of repairs before they sign off on the check.