Independent claim appraisal · 55 counties
Covered, inspected, and still underpaid? As your West Virginia Insurance Appraiser, we build an independent, line-by-line valuation of the damage and take it through the appraisal process written into your policy.
Covered is not the same as paid
Most disputed claims in this state aren’t denials. The adjuster agrees the storm, the frozen pipe or the fire happened — then writes an estimate that leaves out a slope of the roof, prices slate as asphalt, skips the second-story labor or forgets the code upgrade. A West Virginia Insurance Appraiser works in that gap between “covered” and “fully paid.”
We don’t edit the carrier’s estimate. A West Virginia Insurance Appraiser starts over: our own inspection, our own measurements and pricing for your county, so every number we put in front of a panel can be defended.
How the firm worksTwelve services
From a single estimate review to full panel representation and neutral umpire work. Each service has its own page with the West Virginia details that matter.
Storm history
Every big event changes how the next claim is written. A West Virginia Insurance Appraiser prices damage knowing what the last storm did to the same roofs, hollows and river towns.
Record January crests swamped river towns from Wheeling to Huntington and led to the floodwalls many cities still rely on.
On June 23 a tornado tore through Shinnston in Harrison County — still the deadliest tornado in state history.
Early November rains sent the Cheat and South Branch rivers through Parsons, Rowlesburg and the Potomac Highlands.
In September the leftovers of Hurricane Ivan pushed the Ohio River into Wheeling and other Northern Panhandle towns.
A fast line of storms crossed the state on June 29, toppling trees and leaving much of West Virginia without power for days.
In late October Superstorm Sandy buried Tucker, Randolph and nearby counties in heavy wet snow; roofs and porches gave way.
Torrential rain struck Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties, devastating White Sulphur Springs, Rainelle, Richwood and Clendenin.
In February a thick glaze brought down trees and lines across Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln and Putnam counties.
Photos are illustrative and do not show the events described.
How it moves
The appraisal clause turns an open-ended argument into a defined process. Here is how a West Virginia Insurance Appraiser carries a file from the first call to the award.
We read the policy, both estimates and your photos and tell you whether a West Virginia Insurance Appraiser can move the number.
Our own inspection, measurements and a line-item estimate priced for your part of the state.
Appraisal is invoked in writing and your appraiser is named inside the policy’s window.
Line-by-line negotiation with the insurer’s appraiser narrows the disagreement.
Anything still open goes to a neutral umpire; two signatures set the amount of loss.
Try it now
Type in the insurer’s total and your contractor’s total. A large gap is worth a conversation with a West Virginia Insurance Appraiser; a small one may close faster with a documented supplement.
The full claim gap & fee estimator adds appraiser and umpire fees and shows cautious, likely and strong outcomes.
Free & private
Seven tools that run entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
Estimator
Calculator
Estimator
Checker
Planner
ScorecardCalculatorSeven regions
The same policy reads differently on a Wheeling rowhouse, a Martinsburg subdivision and a cabin above Canaan Valley. A West Virginia Insurance Appraiser has to know how each region’s weather and housing show up in an estimate.
Wheeling · Weirton · Moundsville
Claims here often involve brick rowhouses, shared walls and historic masonry that standard estimates price poorly. River and creek flooding is a constant backdrop, so separating covered storm water from excluded flood is a frequent fight.
Martinsburg · Charles Town · Shepherdstown
Fast-growing subdivisions bring siding and shingle matching disputes that older parts of the state see less often. At the same time, 1700s and 1800s stone and brick buildings need specialty repairs that generic line items miss.
Morgantown · Fairmont · Clarksburg
Old mine workings under many neighborhoods make foundation claims a regular question of subsidence versus settlement versus landslide. Steep lots and dense rental housing near the universities add access and loss-of-rent issues.
Parkersburg · Vienna · Williamstown
Victorian homes and river-town construction mean many losses involve historic materials and craftsmanship. Water claims often turn on whether damage came from river flooding or from a storm opening in the roof.
Charleston · Huntington · South Charleston
Homes split between creek bottoms and steep hillsides, so a single storm can bring wind, runoff and slope damage that carriers try to separate. Older housing in the East End and around Ritter Park raises plaster, slate and code-upgrade disputes.
Beckley · Bluefield · Logan
Coal-camp houses, manufactured homes and older frame construction make scope and pricing disputes common. Mine subsidence questions and narrow, steep access roads also raise costs that estimates frequently overlook.
Elkins · Lewisburg · Petersburg
Snow-load collapses, vacant cabin pipe bursts and remote access costs drive many claims in the mountains. Karst terrain and the memory of the 1985 and 2016 floods make coverage questions about ground movement and water especially sharp.
Cities we visit most
We inspect in person statewide. These twelve local pages cover the places a West Virginia Insurance Appraiser is called most often, with neighborhoods, housing and storm history for each.
See every service areaKnow the limits
A good West Virginia Insurance Appraiser tells you early when a different kind of help fits better.
Questions
Common questions property owners ask a West Virginia Insurance Appraiser about cost, timing and when appraisal is the wrong move.
Your adjuster works for the insurer and writes the company’s estimate. A West Virginia Insurance Appraiser is appointed by you under the policy’s appraisal clause to build an independent valuation, work through the differences with the insurer’s appraiser and, if needed, present the open items to an umpire.
No. Appraisal is a process written into most property policies to settle disagreements over the amount of loss. It does not decide coverage or bad-faith questions, which are matters for a West Virginia attorney.
When the insurer has accepted coverage, you have its itemized estimate, and the difference from your contractor’s estimate is meaningful — often more than about 10% or several thousand dollars.
On the amount of loss, generally yes, once two of the three panel members sign. That is why the scope should be complete before appraisal is demanded.
Each side usually pays its own appraiser and half of the umpire. We put our fee in writing before any work starts, and the first conversation is free.
If the insurer agrees a subsidence loss is covered but disputes the cost, appraisal can value it within the endorsement’s limit. If the dispute is whether the ground movement is covered at all, that is a coverage question rather than an appraisal question.
Claim library
Practical reading from a West Virginia Insurance Appraiser on policy language, documentation and pricing in rural West Virginia.
Before you cash the last check
A short review now can keep you from accepting a settlement that won’t cover the repair.
Start here
Tell us what happened and what the insurer offered. We’ll look it over and give you a straight answer about whether appraisal is worth pursuing.