Not what the brochure says. What actually happens when you get a claim assignment and drive to someone’s house.
The Short Version
Inspect, Estimate, Communicate, Close
You inspect damage. You figure out what the insurance policy covers. You write an estimate for how much it costs to fix. You communicate with the homeowner, the carrier, and your management. You close the claim. That’s the structure. Here’s what it looks like in practice.
A Real Day on a Storm
Four Inspections Before Dinner
You wake up in a hotel room in a town you didn’t know existed three days ago. You have four inspections scheduled between 9am and 4pm. Each homeowner has been waiting — some patiently, some not.
First stop: hail damage. You climb the roof, mark off test squares, count impacts per square, check the soft metals — gutters, downspouts, vents. If you see enough damage, you’re recommending a replacement. If not, a repair. Either way, you explain what you found, set an expectation for timing, and move to the next property.
Second stop: water damage in a basement. Now you’re figuring out where the water came from. Groundwater coming up through the floor? That’s flood — different policy. Burst pipe from inside the house? That’s homeowner’s coverage. Sewer backup? Its own category. The answer determines what’s covered.
Between inspections, you’re writing estimates in Xactimate, uploading photos, logging notes, and communicating with your field manager about anything unusual.
Your goal: close every claim you inspect that same day. New adjusters start with one a day and work up. Experienced adjusters on straightforward hail claims might handle five to seven.
How Adjusters Get Paid
Three Paths, Different Risk
Staff Adjusters
Salary from a single carrier. Predictable income, benefits, less travel. $45K–$75K+ depending on experience.
Independent Adjusters
Paid per claim by IA firms. Income tied to how many claims you close and how large they are. Higher earning during active seasons, lower during quiet periods.
Cat Adjusters
Independents who deploy to major storms. Highest earning potential, but seasonal and unpredictable. Sometimes three months straight, sometimes a slow year.
The more claims you can efficiently close, the more you earn. That’s why Xactimate proficiency and claims process knowledge matter more than just having the license.
Types of Claims
Not All Claims Look Alike
Property
The most common for independents. Roofs, siding, fences, interiors, water damage. Hailstorms and hurricanes generate the bulk of this work.
Auto
Vehicle damage assessment. Some adjusters specialize here. Different skill set than property.
Casualty / Liability
Injury claims, slip-and-fall, personal injury. More legal complexity. Usually handled by experienced adjusters or attorneys.
Commercial
Larger properties, more complex policies, bigger dollar amounts. Higher pay grade, higher expertise required.
Flood
FEMA policies. Specific rules and documentation requirements. Covered in the ethics recordings.
Most new adjusters start with residential property claims — hail, wind, water. Build experience, then branch out.
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