Marshall Services: “IAUA CPAU-certified insurance appraisals, ADR umpire & expert witness services in Texas”.
“Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a faster, more cost-effective way to resolve insurance claim disputes without going to court. The insurance appraisal process is a form of ADR where both parties select independent appraisers to determine the fair value of your claim.”
“If your insurance company denied your claim or offered a settlement lower than the damage warrants, you have options beyond hiring an expensive attorney. First, document everything with photos and contractor estimates.”
“Insurance appraisal is significantly more cost-effective than hiring an attorney and going to court. Appraisal typically costs $1,000-$5,000 (you pay your appraiser, split the umpire fee), while hiring an attorney for litigation can cost $20,000-$50,000+ in legal fees.”
“Appraisal is often better than a public adjuster when coverage has already been opened up by your insurance company - meaning they've agreed to pay the claim but you disagree on the amount. Public adjusters typically charge 10-20% of your settlement and work best during initial claim negotiation.”
“Appraisal is a fair, binding way to resolve disagreements with your insurance company about how much your covered loss is worth (not whether the damage is covered). It's built into most Texas homeowners policies as an alternative to lawsuits.”
“• You pay for your appraiser (that's us). • Your insurance company pays for theirs. • If an umpire is needed, the cost is split 50/50 between you and the insurance company. No attorney fees are required — appraisal is designed to be simpler and less expensive than going to court.”
“Typically 90–120 days from start to finish, but it can vary based on schedules, complexity, and how quickly everyone responds. Our goal is always to keep things moving efficiently with our proprietary technology.”
“Sign the sample demand letter we provide, attach your contractor's estimate, and send it to your insurance company (via certified mail or email — keep proof). This officially invokes appraisal. By Texas rules, they usually have 20 days to name their appraiser after receiving it.”
“Yes. A reputable appraiser expects questions before any engagement and should walk you through cost structure, timeline, and the boundary between amount and coverage without charge.”
“No. Appraisal is a dispute-resolution mechanism both parties already agreed to when the policy was written, not an attack on anyone.”
“An appraisal award settling the amount of loss is generally binding on that figure, so the room to "disagree" afterward is narrow and usually limited to specific legal grounds a court would consider. This is why the work happens before the award — through inspection, documentation, and the appraisers narrowing the dispute.”
“Not simultaneously in every case, but each appraiser typically inspects the property to form an independent opinion of the damage. The appraisers coordinate access, and inspections may happen together or separately depending on the file.”
“Not automatically — it depends on whether your policy contains an appraisal clause and what that clause says. Many property policies include one, but the specific terms, deadlines, and how costs are allocated vary.”
“Marshall Smith does the work himself. He holds the IAUA CPAU designation.”
“CPAU stands for Certified Property Appraiser and Umpire, and it is issued by the IAUA, a trade association, rather than by a state. The designation requires certification coursework, an examination, adherence to the association's code of ethics, and periodic recertification.”
“Yes, and you should. A designation can be checked against the certifying association's own public record, and an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate can be checked against the FAA's airman registry. Ask whoever you are considering for the numbers behind the credentials they claim, then look them up at the issuer rather than taking the claim from the website.”
“Yes, because the disputed figure is a construction cost. The estimate that settles an appraisal prices real materials, real labour and real access conditions, so an appraiser who cannot read a roof assembly or a framing detail is guessing at the number he is arguing about.”
“IAUA CPAU-certified insurance appraisals, ADR umpire & expert witness services in Texas”
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