Andrew Behrens, C3 Group’s VP of Operations, had the opportunity to be a guest on the Start, Build, Grow Show to talk about the importance of Xactimate training for contractors. One interesting takeaway is the waste calculation in Xactimate.
But what percentage should waste really be for a standard roof replacement and is the standard 10-15% enough? More importantly, how much money are you losing if all the components (flashing, starter, etc.) are not covered by the standard 10-15% used in Xactimate?
As Andrew describes in the interview, there are two options within Xactimate:
- Include the items separately by searching for each component within the published price list.
- Account for these items by increasing the waste factor percentage (by an amount that EXCEEDS the percentage applied for the roof singles themselves) to cover the cost of these items. (Carriers often go this route, but underestimate how much of a percentage increase this requires).
In most cases, the default setting is not enough to cover all waste costs, meaning contractors are losing money on almost every job. It’s important to know your numbers but it is just as important to be able to justify the percentage increases to a carrier adjuster. Knowing and understanding how to use Xactimate is the best way to do that.
If you are new to Xactimate, estimating insurance claims or are an industry veteran looking to improve your skills, Andrew created this free guide to help. Not only will it walk you through how to set the appropriate waste calculation fields in Xactimate but it will also help you understand how to justify the percent increase to get fairly paid. Click here to download your copy and checkout all of our free resources for contractors.
Interested in improving your Xactimate skills? Check out our online training available for roofing contractors, salesmen and supplementers.
