Roofing is a demanding and complex job that requires attention to detail and expertise. As a roofer, your goal is not only to provide quality work but also to maximize your profits. In this blog post, we'll discuss the five things a roofer should do to make money, including staying up to date with roofing building codes, using technology to your advantage, listening to industry experts, understanding estimates, and working with adjusters.
1. Stay up to date with roofing building codes
Staying up to date with roofing building codes is essential to ensure that your work meets the latest safety standards and requirements. But, to you as a roofer working on an insurance claim - from a hail storm, wind storm, or other causes - building codes mean money. How, you ask? Well, Building codes are a driver of an estimate. Once a city or county adopts a building code book and chose to enforce that code, they are saying that those code line items (like ice and water shield) are required by law to be used in roofing repairs or replacements. In today's world, we hear very often that roofers know the codes in their area. Yet, when we dig a bit deeper, we find that most roofers are using a spreadsheet, or their supplementers have a list of codes somewhere. That system can work if you wrote it right in the first place, or until the code changes, or until you find out that you have the jurisdiction all wrong. Using a tool like OneClick Code is the best way to stay accurate every time and save you hours on every roofing claim. OneClick Code is a roofing code app that helps you easily navigate the complexities of building codes. This tool can help you avoid mistakes, streamline your process, and ultimately make more money. Keep reading to learn more about OneClick Code and how to get started.
2. Use technology to your advantage (It's 2023, for goodness' sake!)
Technology is a game-changer for the roofing industry. By using tools like CompanyCam, Sumo Quote, and JobNimbus, you can streamline your process, save time, and increase your profits. CompanyCam is a tool that allows you to take photos, annotate them, and share them with your team and clients. Sumo Quote can help you create professional-looking estimates quickly (and you can upload a OneClick Code report to your quote!), while JobNimbus is a project management tool that can help you keep track of your projects and tasks. Roofing has been in the dark ages when it comes to technology and it is time to start using the tools that were built for you. If you find the right tech stack for your business, you will save time and make more money.
3. Listen to industry experts
It's important to keep up with what other people in the roofing industry are doing. By subscribing to channels with incredible information like John Senac and Becca Switzer, you can learn valuable information that can help you make more money. These experts can offer tips, advice, and insights that can help you improve your processes and make your business more profitable.
4. Understand estimates and write them well
Getting knowledgeable about what you can ask for on an estimate and what you can't is essential to making money as a roofer. When you are writing an estimate for an insurance claim, it is important to write them with integrity. It is common in this industry to hear of people adding items to an estimate just to make it more profitable. That is fine and dandy until the adjuster realizes that you are being deceitful, and you will have immediately lost your argument, and you will have lost trust from that adjuster.
Creating an accurate estimate from the beginning and providing documentation to back up your research can help you avoid disputes with adjusters and carriers. It's also important to understand what's covered by the insurance policy and what's not so that you can make accurate estimates and avoid surprises down the line.
So, how do you write accurate estimates?
Step 1: The first step in writing an estimate is to figure out the jurisdiction for the property. Using a U.S. Postal address will make sure that you are WRONG 40-50% of the time! If you get this piece wrong, your whole estimate will be wrong. Using a tool like OneClick Code will ensure that you have the correct jurisdiction for the property.
Step 2: From there, the second step is to figure out how to use the estimating platforms. Alena Wilson from Estimate Mastery is the guru when it comes to using Xactimate and writing estimates.
Step 3: The third step is to document, document, document! OneClick Code provides Code Detail Reports that you can send in with every claim to show the adjuster that you have the right jurisdiction, sales tax, building codes, and more. Using a photo app like CompanyCam can help you document the photos to back up your estimate. Documenting your work makes sure that it is not just your word against theirs and gives you the ammunition to get paid faster on claims.
5. Work with adjusters
Working with adjusters and carriers is crucial to getting claims closed faster and getting paid. By streamlining your process with tools that help you be more accurate, you can help ensure that everyone has the same information. This means that you're not battling over who is right, and you can avoid delays and disputes. Ultimately, this can help you get claims closed faster, which means that the money can get to your pocket a little faster too.
In conclusion, if you're a roofer, there are five things you should do to make money. Stay up to date with roofing building codes, use technology to your advantage, listen to industry experts, understand estimates, and work with adjusters. By following these tips, you can improve your processes, increase your profits, and grow your business.
About OneClick Code
OneClick Code is a trusted data partner, dedicated to streamlining the code-sourcing process for all parties in the roofing industry while also increasing efficiency and transparency for all stakeholders in construction and restoration. They have the only platform to have blazed the trail for data automation of jurisdictional authority for building codes, permit fees, taxes, and manufacturer specifications required for any address nationwide. OneClick Code has been serving customers in the contracting, insurance, and claim adjusting fields by providing instant access to trusted roofing codes, in the click of a button. Offering unique reports that can be easily shared between all stakeholders in the roofing claims industry, OneClick is adding value to all parties and empowering customers to save time and money on every claim. Welcome to restoration intelligence, automated. To learn more, visit our website www.oneclickcode.com.
