HOUSTON—As thousands of property owners struggle to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, they may find insurance claim filing to be an arduous process. In some cases, an insurance company may provide a low-ball offer to a property owner. This can set off extensive negotiations that can take months to settle and require adjusters to make multiple trips to a property.
This can prove to be an issue for commercial owners who usually have to complete repairs as quickly as possible, before the insurance claim is sorted out. Once the damage has been fixed, it becomes that much harder to prove the extent of the damage the storm caused.
If the damage could be frozen in time, renovations could get started without forfeiting any bargaining power with insurance companies. Photography and videos are both tools that can be used, but those tools don't provide much nuance.
This is why property owners have turned to a proprietary and trademarked 2D- and 3D-camera system from Matterport to record spaces in the original damaged condition. This type of precise damage documentation can make a real impact, saving potentially millions of dollars in inaccurate estimating.
“An estimator may omit certain details but this 3D camera tool doesn't omit anything and it provides better images than the naked eye,” Writeloss' CEO, David Herring tells GlobeSt.com. “This is how we've changed the game. With the imaging, everyone has the same data, which translates into more complete estimates. And, it allows the process to move forward without waiting on an estimate.”
The camera runs for seven hours on battery, Herring says. The process includes setting up a tripod to scan damage, overlapping images to ensure a complete picture and a true 3D image. It is possible to scan a 1,500-square-foot property in about one hour.
“To walk through on a panoramic basis, you can take measurements through the camera and it creates shareable links,” Herring tells GlobeSt.com. “It also provides a 'dollhouse' view, which pivots a property on its side.”
WriteLoss has performed about 700 to 800 scans in the past year, including commercial properties. The maximum scanning ability is 100,00 square feet per session.
Moreover, WriteLoss produces more than $600 million in estimates annually. It writes Xactimate reports for contractors, adjusters and attorneys, and also provides various claims for supplements, recoverable depreciation, notice of loss and other claims management support. These reports are often used in negotiating loss value and most are produced in 48 hours on average.
Fire, water, wind, freeze and other Xactimate reports are detailed with every possible line item that should be paid on a contractor or insurance claim. Other reports include content pack-out/ cleaning/replacement Xactimate reports, as well as supplemental claims reports.
WriteLoss also provides on-site assessment of large loss projects to public adjusters. These services usually provide much higher levels of detail and validation.
It is important to note that Xactimate Inc. is not a claims adjusting firm and does not adjust claims.
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
