Cities and Regions We Serve

Storm Seasons and How the Loss Is Usually Argued

The argument on a hail roof in North Texas is not the argument on a Gulf wind file. Season and scope change with the region.

North Texas, from the DFW counties through Sherman and Wichita Falls, takes most of its hail from March into June. Wind often comes in the same storm. On a composition roof, the positions usually split on which marks are hail and which are age, blistering, or foot traffic, and on how much of each slope is involved. That is an amount of loss question. Coverage is a separate question, for the policy and the carrier.

Amarillo, Midland, and Abilene add large hail and long runs of straight-line wind. Around Tyler and Commerce, wind drops trees, and rain can follow a failed roof into the attic. The measurable facts are where water entered and how far it went. Coverage for that water is not an appraisal question.

From Galveston through the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley, June through November is the active stretch. The panel prices the wind scope the parties submit. It does not decide coverage, including surge or flood. If the policy is a TWIA policy, read that appraisal clause first. It sets the steps.

Louisiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, and California follow the same limit. Coverage is not an appraisal question in those states, just as it is not in Texas. I am based in Wylie and travel all of these regions as a party appraiser or as an umpire. Outside a large metro, the rule does not change. The storm pattern, the building, and local repair cost do.

What Happens After the Appraisal Clause Is Invoked

An appraisal clause is the policy section for naming appraisers when the sides disagree on the amount of loss. If your policy contains one, the side it names may invoke it in writing. If you are unsure, read the policy or ask a licensed attorney. I do not give legal advice.

Each side appoints an appraiser. I take appointments from policyholders and from carriers. As a party appraiser I am independent, and I am appointed by one side. I inspect and write a position. A position is that appraiser’s figure for the amount of loss, with photos and an estimate behind it.

If the two appraisers cannot agree, they choose an umpire, unless the policy says a court appoints one. An umpire is the neutral third person. The umpire does not speak for either side. Any two of the three may sign an award. An award is the panel’s figure for the amount of loss. It is not a coverage decision, and it is not a payment. A court, not the panel, decides a coverage dispute.

On one claim I am the party appraiser or the umpire, not both.

Useful papers are the appraisal wording, both estimates, dated photos of each elevation, and storm data for the date of loss. Moisture readings matter when water is in the agreed scope. An ESX file is the electronic copy of a Xactimate estimate. Shared ESX files let the panel match line items. A contractor’s notes can be evidence. They do not replace the inspection. You may use your own contractor. The appraisers still measure the loss.

On steep or wide roofs I photograph slopes with a drone. I hold an FAA Part 107 certificate. The photos go in the shared file.

There is no set number of days. Inspection waits on access and weather. An award waits on the positions and, if needed, the umpire. I will not promise a date, an amount, or a result. Outcomes depend on the facts and the policy.

If the carrier denied the claim, the dispute may be about coverage. The panel does not decide coverage. Compare the letter with your policy, and ask a licensed attorney for a legal opinion.

What Recent North Texas Hail Files Had in Common

In a recent set of hail appraisals in the DFW counties and around Fort Worth, both sides had already seen the property. The positions differed on how much of a composition roof hail had damaged, rather than age, old repairs, or scuff marks. Several carriers were on those files, including State Farm and Allstate. The difference was the extent of the damage. That is what appraisal is for.

Dated photos of each slope, a written scope, and weather data for the named storm date let marks be matched to that storm. A second walk with no notes did less than one shared photo set.

For an inspection, bring early photos, taken before repairs, and any contractor notes. The written position comes after the visit, not during it.

Call 972-322-0752 or use the contact page to ask about a party appraiser or an umpire. Have the address, the date of loss, and the appraisal clause with you. Thank you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which states can Marshall Services take an appraisal assignment in?

Assignments are handled across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, and California. Whether a particular property can be taken depends on the assignment rather than the state line — travel, inspection access, scheduling and the size of the loss all bear on it. Send the property's location and the claim type and it can be confirmed for your file before anything is agreed.

Does it matter if there is no page for my city?

No. The city pages exist because a hail pattern in the Panhandle and a hurricane pattern on the coast raise different questions, not because coverage stops at the edge of the towns that have a page. A property in a town without one is handled the same way as a property in Dallas.

Does the appraiser travel to the property or work from photographs?

The property is inspected in person. Photographs and drone imagery document what the inspection finds; they do not replace it, because scope disputes usually turn on something that has to be walked — an elevation nobody accessed, a slope missing from the estimate, interior damage traced back to its source. Travel is one of the things a fee reflects.

Are commercial and multi-family properties handled as well as houses?

Yes, in every area listed. Residential, commercial and multi-building losses are all taken, and the practical difference is the volume of documentation rather than the process: an apartment complex or a shopping centre has more structures, more trades and more scheduling to work through than a single roof. The appraisal clause operates the same way in each.