This is kinda on topic. Ah this history of adjusters and contractors agreeing on a set of unit prices that would be a real benifit to policyholders who could get their dwelling repaired for the estimate by the adjuster who moved on days, weeks or months ago. The estimates are not useless as they do outline the scope of damage, and this is a very big point to get to the bottom line figure.

This is a general statement, but I would say 90% of all contractors who do restoration work will agree with the adjusters estimate. In the auto crash estimating field 99% of the repair shops will agree with the insurance auto appraiser; however, supplements are very common, but do not require a reinspect as a help desk is available in the call center for these justified supplements.

The repair people require a profit to do very good work and are entitled to make more than the handy man. The dwelling repair business has to police themselves or this will spiral out of control like health care cost in a hospital. Both sides need each other to survive. "Can,t we all just get along"

We just got the 1st quarter data base from Integraclaim.  We have worked a number of claims and the problem is, it keeps saying, no zip code recognized for that area. Damn, Little Rock, AR and they cannot recoginize a zip code. Something bad wrong somewhere. I have no idea what database they are using for a specific area. I just hope they are right.

I called tech support about that twice when I started using that software a few months ago (I am fairly new to MSB) and they just said "don't worry about it - disregard the message". But if the pricing is off, it doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling that the message doesn't mean anything just cuz someone on the phone told you so.

I have been on the phone with them frequently and some of the tech support people would also say their database doesn't have labor by various trades (extra time to "tie in" to existing) but then you get off the phone and find it hiding in another part of the database. So if their own people don't know that... can you trust them on the zip code thing... People get religious about their estimating software, and I know some adjusters throw rocks at Xactimate. But I know right now I have 3 price lists downloaded for my specific area, and if I go south a bit to Santa Barbara, CA it is just a matter of using that database when I set up the estimate, and it is done.

When I get an estimate from another contractor in my area, the first page of an Xactimate estimate has a code that tells you the state, what county or city, what year, and what quarter. On the other hand, with MSB, I will face East and have divine faith that it is recognizing the address I input, and the sausage coming out the other end better taste good to the people receiving it. Maybe they haven't eaten in a while and are hungry...

Larry, is that dealership one of those combo/franchise things?  Last we heard you were bouncing at the massage parlor.  Around here we have the combo TacoBell/KFC's...so are you at an Earl Shibe/Mindy's Massage type of place?  Would seem to be a natural, and something worth looking into.