The short answer: nearly every property policy carries an appraisal clause: a binding, non-judicial process to break a deadlock and force a fair settlement when the carrier admits the loss but disputes its value. Each side names an appraiser, a neutral umpire breaks deadlocks, and two signatures bind the award. Joshua Friedman serves as the policyholder’s appraiser, and denied or underpaid claims are our specialty. No recovery, no fee. Call 770-230-2616 or text the partners.
Call us before you call your carrier. The first phone call shapes the whole claim. Already filed, or an adjuster already assigned? We're still your next call.
McGowan v. Progressive
Four moves. That's the whole process.
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When you hire the firm, you get the partners: Joshua and Hannah Friedman, with Callie Macho on client success. Not a call center. And when a claim goes to appraisal, the appraiser in your corner is the adjuster on this page.
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When to pull the lever, and when to leave it alone
Appraisal earns its keep when three things line up. Real money separates the two estimates. Negotiation has gone as far as it will go. And the dispute is scope and price, not whether the loss is covered. That gap over the amount is exactly what the clause was written to resolve.
It is generally not worthwhile for minor disagreements. The process carries real costs, and a small gap is a phone call, not a panel. The appraiser you name must be competent and impartial, and the goal is agreement with the carrier's appraiser before the umpire ever has to vote.
Not every claim qualifies. Three taps to find out if yours does.
The law and the clock
Courts have held this line for decades. Georgia's Supreme Court confined appraisal to a disputed issue of value: the panel prices the loss, and liability stays with the courts. South Carolina enforced the clause from the other direction in Harwell v. Home Mutual (1956), where a homeowner who refused a demanded appraisal lost a verdict she had already won. The clause is mutual, and once the written demand is made, ignoring it carries real risk on either side of the table.
One clock outranks everything: your policy's own "Suit Against Us" clause. Many policies shorten the deadline by contract. Read yours the day a claim goes sideways — negotiation does not pause it.
Questions about appraisal
Should I call you before I call my insurance company?
Yes. What gets said in the first call shapes the whole claim, so talk to us first. Already filed, already offered a low number, or already in appraisal? Call us anyway. We step in at any stage.
Does appraisal reopen a coverage denial?
No. Appraisal decides valuation only: the amount of the loss, never whether the loss is covered. A denial is a coverage fight, and that runs through negotiation, the regulator, or the courts instead.
Who pays for the umpire?
The cost is shared. Under the standard clause, each side pays its own appraiser, and the umpire and panel expenses are split equally. Your policy’s exact wording controls, so we read it before anything is invoked.
Can the carrier refuse to participate?
The standard clause is mutual: either side may make the written demand. Policies vary in their wording, so what a refusal costs the refusing side depends on the clause in yours.
Is the appraisal award final?
Under the standard clause, an award signed by any two of the three panel members becomes the binding amount of the loss, and courts disturb awards only on narrow grounds.
Do I need a lawyer for appraisal?
Appraisal is not a lawsuit. Preparing the valuation and serving as your appraiser is the licensed work of a public adjuster. Coverage and bad-faith fights are litigation, and we refer those to independent policyholder counsel.
The two estimates are only a few hundred dollars apart. Should I invoke?
Usually not. Appraisal carries real costs on your side of the table, and it is generally not worthwhile for minor disagreements. It earns its keep when real money separates the numbers.
Our contractor says the number is way off. Can they run the appraisal?
Your contractor’s estimate is valuable evidence, and we work well beside good contractors. Appraisal itself needs a competent, impartial appraiser, and keeping those roles clean protects you and your builder both.
Prefer a quieter first step? Ask us anything, free: a real answer from a licensed adjuster, no strings.
Friedman & Associates are licensed public adjusters in Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina, not attorneys. Our work is the licensed practice of public adjusting (O.C.G.A. § 33-23-43; S.C. Code ch. 38-48): reading the policy, documenting and valuing the loss, negotiating with the carrier, and serving as the policyholder's appraiser when the clause is invoked. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and litigation, including bad-faith suits, is referred to independent policyholder counsel.
A disputed number is not the end of the claim. A free, confidential review by licensed public adjusters in Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. If we take the case, the fee comes from the recovery, never from you.
See if my case qualifies 770-230-2616