Do I actually need a public adjuster?

It's the right first question, and we'll answer it the way we'd answer a neighbor: sometimes yes, sometimes no. A public adjuster isn't for every claim, and any firm that tells you otherwise is selling, not advising.

When you probably don't need one

If your loss is small, the damage is obvious and contained, and the insurance company's offer covers the repair quotes you've gathered, handle it yourself. A broken window, a small contained leak, a minor roof repair: these claims are usually straightforward, and a contingency fee on a small recovery isn't worth it for you. We'll tell you that on the phone, at no cost, because taking a claim where we can't add real value helps no one.

When a public adjuster earns their fee many times over

Serious losses are different in kind, not just size. Three things change:

• The damage hides. Smoke behind walls, moisture under floors, structural movement you can't see from the doorway. What's visible is a fraction of the loss, and an estimate written from what's visible will miss most of it.
• The policy gets complicated. Additional living expenses, contents, business interruption, held-back depreciation. The most valuable parts of a serious claim are the parts nobody mentions unless someone goes looking.
• The stakes justify expertise. On a six-figure loss, the gap between a quick estimate and a fully documented claim can be enormous. That's when having your own licensed adjuster, working only for you and paid only from what they recover, makes plain financial sense.

A simple way to decide

Ask yourself two questions. Is this loss large or complex enough that I can't confidently verify the insurance company's number myself? And would a meaningfully better recovery change what I'm able to rebuild or replace? If the answer to both is yes, at minimum get a no-cost review before you sign anything. If the answer is no, you likely don't need us, and we'll be the first to say so.

The short version: small and simple, handle it yourself. Serious and complex, don't face the insurance company's experts alone.