Insurance Appraisal Services
Party-appointed appraisal, executed with discipline.
When a covered property claim turns into a fight over the amount of loss, the policy's appraisal clause offers a binding alternative to litigation. StrongRock Solutions serves as a competent, impartial appraiser for any party to that dispute, residential or commercial.
Field Inspection & Documentation
Every appraisal starts on site, not in a spreadsheet. Verified measurements, slope-by-slope and room-by-room photography, moisture readings where relevant, and a complete factual record of the damaged property as it actually exists.
Line-Item Scope & Valuation
The amount of loss is built line by line in Xactimate and comparable platforms: repair scope, quantities, current local pricing, code-required upgrades, and properly applied overhead and profit. No lump sums, no rounded guesses.
Panel Participation
Professional, good-faith engagement with the opposing appraiser and the umpire. Positions are supported with documentation and pricing data, and disagreements are narrowed to specific line items instead of posturing.
Award Support
Exhibits and reasoning that let the panel, and any court reviewing the award later, see exactly how each figure was established. Awards built this way get confirmed, not vacated.
What Actually Gets Disputed
The four arguments behind almost every appraisal
Scope disputes
The carrier estimate repairs three roof slopes; the evidence supports replacing the roof system. Scope is the most common appraisal battleground and the one most dependent on inspection quality.
Pricing disputes
Quantities match but unit pricing does not reflect the current local market, trade availability after a storm event, or the true cost of a licensed, insured contractor performing the work.
Matching disputes
Discontinued siding, shingles, or flooring raise line-of-sight and reasonable-match questions, and in many states matching statutes or regulations directly affect the amount of loss.
Depreciation and ACV disputes
How much depreciation is reasonable, what is actually subject to depreciation, and how actual cash value is calculated against replacement cost value.
Appraisal, Answered
Frequently asked questions
+ What is an insurance appraisal?
Appraisal is an alternative dispute resolution process found in most property insurance policies. When the policyholder and the insurer agree the loss is covered but disagree on the amount of loss, either party may demand appraisal in writing. Each side appoints a competent, impartial appraiser, the appraisers select a neutral umpire, and agreement by any two of the three sets the amount of loss, typically as a binding award.
+ Who can appoint StrongRock Solutions as an appraiser?
Any party to the dispute: homeowners, commercial property owners, attorneys, public adjusters, insurance carriers, and independent adjusting firms. Our inspection methodology, estimating standards, and conclusions are identical regardless of who retains us. That is what competent and impartial means.
+ Does appraisal decide coverage questions?
No. Appraisal resolves the amount of loss: scope, quantity, and price. Coverage determinations, policy interpretation, and legal questions stay with the parties and, where necessary, with counsel and the courts. We stay strictly inside the panel's authority, which is also what keeps awards enforceable.
+ How long does the appraisal process take?
Most residential appraisals conclude in thirty to ninety days from panel formation, depending on loss complexity, inspection scheduling, and umpire availability. Compare that to first-party property litigation, which routinely runs eighteen months or longer.
+ What does an appraiser cost?
Each party pays its own appraiser and the parties typically split the umpire's fee and panel expenses equally. Our fees depend on the size and complexity of the loss, and we quote them in writing before appointment. We do not work on contingency, which protects both our independence and the award.
+ Can appraisal be invoked after a lawsuit is filed?
Often, yes. Courts in many jurisdictions will stay litigation pending appraisal because the policy makes appraisal the agreed mechanism for valuation disputes. Whether invocation is timely and strategic on a given file is a question for counsel, and we regularly serve as the appointed appraiser in exactly that posture.
Need an appraiser appointed?
Send the appraisal demand timeline and a summary of the dispute. We respond with availability, disclosures, and a written fee quote.
Request Appointment