The right Xactimate estimating company gives you an insurer-ready estimate you don’t have to rebuild. Look for real experience in your trade, a turnaround they’ll commit to, flat-fee pricing that doesn’t move, and a straight answer on how they handle supplements and hidden damage. Here’s what to check before you hire one — and where United Estimating stands on each point.
Whether you run a roofing company, a restoration crew, a general contracting business, or you manage several properties, the estimate you outsource has to hold up with the carrier and the crew. Xactimate estimating services vary by shop — experience, accuracy, turnaround, pricing, and how a provider handles revisions all differ. If you work across state lines, local pricing accuracy matters too.
What Does an Xactimate Estimating Company Do?
An Xactimate estimating company builds a detailed repair or restoration estimate inside Xactimate, using whatever documentation you send over:
- Property photos
- Measurements and roof reports
- Inspection and damage reports
- Floor plans
- Project notes
- An existing estimate that needs a supplement or revision
The output is a scope of work with line items, quantities, and pricing — insurance claim estimates, roofing estimates, restoration estimates, construction estimates, supplements, and revisions, depending on what you need.
What to Look for in an Xactimate Estimating Service
Not every provider works the same way. Check these before you hire one.
Xactimate and Trade Experience
Look for a company that estimates your kind of work regularly. Roofing shops need estimators comfortable with hail, wind, and storm damage, tear-offs, and full roof systems. Restoration companies need water, fire, smoke, and demolition experience. General contractors need takeoffs and full project scopes, not single-trade line items.
Turnaround Time
Ask for a number, not a range. United Estimating delivers standard residential estimates in 24 hours and commercial estimates in 2–3 days. If a provider won’t commit to a specific turnaround, that’s worth asking about directly — especially heading into storm season, when volume spikes.
Transparent, Flat-Fee Pricing
Ask what’s included and what costs extra: rush estimates, supplements, revisions, large-loss projects. United Estimating charges one flat fee per estimate, invoiced after delivery — never a percentage of the claim. The fee doesn’t move if the claim amount does.
Supplements and Revisions
Claims change. Hidden damage — rot, mold, deck damage under shingles — turns up mid-repair more often than anyone likes. Ask how the provider handles it. United Estimating provides free revisions when hidden damage surfaces after the original estimate goes out, so you’re not paying twice for a scope that changed through no fault of yours.
File Format and Local Pricing
Confirm the provider delivers a file your workflow actually uses. United Estimating delivers an insurer-ready ESX file as standard, with Symbility or PDF available on request. Confirm pricing is localized to the job site too, not a national average — especially if you work across state lines.
Insurance Claim Experience
Your estimator should be comfortable working from photos, measurements, and inspection reports without a site visit, and should document damage in a way that holds up when the carrier reviews it.
In-House vs. Outsourced Xactimate Estimating
Keeping estimating in-house means direct control, but it also means carrying the cost of hiring, training, software, and payroll year-round — even in slow months. Outsourcing adds capacity when you need it: after a storm, during a hiring gap, or when your own estimator is buried in backlog.
Outsourcing tends to make sense for:
- Roofing companies managing storm-season volume
- Restoration companies with claim counts that swing month to month
- General contractors who need takeoffs without adding headcount
- Property managers coordinating estimates across multiple sites
United Estimating covers all of the above — see our full range of estimating services.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Xactimate Estimating Company
- How much Xactimate experience does your team have in my trade?
- What’s your standard turnaround — will you commit to it in writing?
- Do you charge a flat fee or a percentage of the claim?
- How do you handle supplements and hidden damage found mid-repair?
- What file format do you deliver — ESX, Symbility, PDF?
- Do you localize pricing to the job site?
- Can you handle a volume spike after a storm?
- Do you work nationwide, or only in certain states?
The answers tell you more about a provider than their advertised price ever will.
Red Flags to Watch For
- No price floor. Extremely low pricing usually means less review time, not a better deal.
- No trade-specific experience. A provider unfamiliar with roofing or restoration work misses line items a specialist wouldn’t.
- A vague turnaround. If a provider won’t name a number, you can’t plan around them.
- Percentage-based fees. A fee tied to the claim amount gives the estimator an incentive that has nothing to do with accuracy.
- No supplement process. If hidden damage turns up and there’s no clear path to a revision, you’re rebuilding the estimate from scratch — or paying full price again.
Why United Estimating
United Estimating writes Xactimate estimates for contractors nationwide — all 50 states, residential and commercial. Roofing is where we do the most work; fire, water, and storm restoration estimates are close behind. Standard turnaround is 24 hours, 2–3 days for commercial projects, delivered as an insurer-ready ESX file (Symbility or PDF on request). One flat fee, invoiced after delivery. If hidden damage shows up after we’ve delivered, the revision is free.
See our estimating services or start an estimate to get a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an Xactimate estimating company do?
It prepares a detailed Xactimate estimate — scope, quantities, and pricing — from your photos, measurements, and inspection notes, for insurance claims, roofing, restoration, or construction projects.
How do I choose the best Xactimate estimating company?
Check trade experience, ask for a specific turnaround time, confirm flat-fee pricing, and find out how supplements and hidden damage are handled before you hire.
What are Xactimate estimating services?
Services that use Xactimate to build a detailed repair or restoration estimate — line items, quantities, and pricing — for insurance claims, roofing, restoration, or construction work.
Can roofing companies use Xactimate estimating services?
Yes. A roofing-experienced estimator accounts for tear-off, underlayment, flashing, ridge, and other line items specific to storm and wind damage claims.
Can restoration companies outsource Xactimate estimating?
Yes. Outsourcing adds estimating capacity during high-volume periods without adding full-time staff.
How much do Xactimate estimating services cost?
It depends on the provider. United Estimating charges one flat fee per estimate, invoiced after delivery — never a percentage of the claim.
Are Xactimate estimating services available nationwide?
United Estimating works in all 50 states. Confirm any provider you’re comparing does the same before you count on them for a job outside their usual coverage area.
Choosing an Estimating Partner Comes Down to a Few Numbers
Trade experience, a turnaround they’ll commit to, a fee that doesn’t move, and a clear answer on revisions — that’s the checklist. Once you’ve decided to outsource, here’s how contractors put Xactimate to work day to day.
Ready to see it in action? Get a quote from United Estimating and have your estimate back in 24 hours.