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50% of the population of the United States makes less than $32,000 a year. Don't expect that you are going to do alot better than that at Cat Adjusting. One of these days you may learn enough to move from residential losses to something that pays more, but that will be years away for a noobie.

A decade ago we had an Art gallery and custom frame shop in Carrollton, Texas. A woman-- a former customer-- came in looked me square in the eye and told me after many years of being a housewife she had decided to re-enter the workforce. She had spent some time researching her abilities, her education, and her desires.

Again, looking me square in the eye, she said, "I've decided I'm going to work here. I want to work in this gallery!"

I told her we really didn't need any extra help. She said she had made up her mind. "You don't have to pay me anything! I just need to go back to work, get some experience, and I've decided I want to start here."

I hired her part time at a decent starting wage. Soon she was full time; I couldn't afford not to use an asset like her. She was the best employee I've ever had.

Expecting to be sent out to estimate a large catostrophic loss without extensive training is CRAZY. However, for a determined and creative person there are niches of opportunity. For instance, Ike did extensive damage in Harris County. I had a large number of steep and high claims with complicated interior designs with angled rooms with open floors going one way and open ceilings going another.

Texas law forbids putting home design details online, but they have a records room where most home floor plans have been submitted, approved, and recorded. One can access these records by showing up in person, paying a small fee, then printing off a floor plan for each claim.

I wanted to do this, but didn't have the time. Had a resolute person showed up, like the lady I mentioned at the beginning of this article, willing to do this footwork for me, I might have been willing to give her a shot. Every bit of experience leads to the next experience.


One can't force their way into this business, but they can find ways to contribute if they are creative.

I've done a lot of difficult work in my life. I've changed out working lead pumps where my shirt caught on fire three times before I could get it changed. I've pulled cable under buildings where there was three inches of mud slosh for two hundred feet, but it had to be done. I've stood at the top of a rickety 14 ft. step ladder on plywood over church pews, reaching as high as I could reach to have a little recess light grill fall. I could only watch as it came down to hit me between the eyes. To move my head would have been to fall. Adjusting claims is the hardest job I've ever done. It is NOT the most lucrative job I've ever had. While you are working cat claims, there is no time for life other than work. You don't have to be super human to do it, but you do have to be super committed.

A lot of people will invest a time and money in this business, only to find out they don't really want to pay the personal price required. It is INTENSE! Don't turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the warnings people give you about the difficulty of it. Days into our first storm, at one o'clock in the morning, my wife started to cry in frustration. On top of everything, they'd just given us more claims. They changed the guidelines. My measurements didn't add up; I was putting pressure on her; they were putting pressure on me. Nothing was going right at all. "That's it! We can't do this! We'll turn the claims back tomorrow and just go home.

I woke up at 4:30 and my wife was at the keyboard, eyes dry.

"This sucker is DONE!" she said.

If the thrill of that kind of personal victory is worth the pain it takes to achieve, then adjusting might be right for you. If it is only the lure of easy money, there is no easy money here.

Randy Cox

Posted By Craig Limbach on 17 Nov 2008 09:59 PM

 Hopefully Meg won't drop the hammer on me!!! ...

Respectfully, Craig Limbach

Gosh Craig, with manners like that I'd never dream  of "dropping the hammer' on you!  I wish you well in your possible new career, and I'm sure  your winning personality will get you far!

Craig, nobody lest Meg, wants to drop a hammer on you...but how about a really soft rubber mallet?  I hope that guy didn't also sell you a few acres of swamp land along the way.  Could it be the infamous Applebees parking lot guy has struck again?? Be sure to check your wallet & credit report.

I have a buddy that has a home inspection business in a town of 60,000. He is making as much as any I/A I know and his job is sooooo much easier. I would stick with what you know and excel at it.

I agree with Tim. If you enjoy what you are doing, continue. Some adjusters just don't really tell the truth about income. Consider that you work 16 hours per day and make $100,000.00 in a year. Divide that by 2, because your working twice the number of hours a normal worker works. Remove 30% or that for taxes. You just make about $35,000.00 to live on. If your not totally dedicated to this line of work, your in trouble. I have been an adjuster for a little over 47 years and the most I have ever made in one event was Andrew. I won't say how much I made, but it was considerable. That was a one time deal, it will never happen again. Money does not buy happiness and sometimes the drive to make money will stress you to the point of a heart attack. Do what you love doing.

Posted By Craig Limbach on 17 Nov 2008 09:59 PM

 I guess at $375 an average claim if you did 9 or 10 a day you could hit those kind of numbers but in the real world I can't see that happening.

Many adjusters who have been around cat. work for years have said IKE is not like any other. I will say them same and just can not point out why.  really think more losses were worked from the inside than the outside.

Meg,

Is that a Meg Watts original painting you are using as your icon? (Shameless plug)

I'd like to add one thing to Bob's post above. When I have done clean up work the number one complaint - by far - was that the adjuster didn't listen to them. Most insureds cannot read an estimate, so they don't know if you included everything or not, but they will surely call up and complain if they think you didn't pay attention to what they were telling you. So they send the clean up person out after you and goodbye holdback. Most people resent being treated like a cog in the machine after they have been through a catastrophe. I, for one, resent those who have been making our profession look like a haven for snake oil salesfolk.

Posted By Sam Ray on 01 Jan 2009  

Now,to me, this type of adjusting goes way beyond incompetence and training. Will it ever stop? Not likely or not as long as there are good, dependable adjusters willing to clean up the carriers and IA firms mess. 

I got to chime in here because maybe what I saw was rare. Having said that, here is what I witnessed and Ill let the old timers set the record straight.

I worked at Citizens on the Information Technology staff. Every floor was full of inhouse adjusters. 1 out of every 10 adjusters had zero experience and were brought in by family, friends, ect... I worked in a room with a 19 year old girl that made 9600 dollars every 2 weeks. I even saw independant firms hire inexperienced outside adjusters of the family members and front them the money to go on the road. On average, everyone worked from 4 to 18 months and made at least 40 to 120 thousand.......... This doesn't sound too bad to me even if a person has to go 2 years without work after that. I heard that newbies get chances like this everytime there is a big strom.  Tp top it off, they furnished adjusters with computers and exactimate if they did not have it..

All due respect intended..........

Posted By Kyle Roberts on 12 Jan 2009 10:46 PM 
... On average, everyone worked from 4 to 18 months and made at least 40 to 120 thousand...