The construction company owners are visiting many houses around your neighborhood. Just two months after one of the most major hail storms the area has ever seen, the roofers, the siding installers, and the window replacement companies are sending representatives out in force. Trying to act as a mediator between the home owner and the insurance company, the contractors are willing to come out an provide free inspections. Inspections that are looking for damages to roofs, gutters, windows, garage doors, and even solar tubes and solar panels. And while it is tempting to jump at the first claim that your solar tubes, roofing materials, and decks have been damaged, most home owners take their time and make sure that they know all of the necessary information about any contractor they are considering working with.
Has Your Home Recently Been Damaged in a Severe Hail or Wind Storm?
If your home has fallen victim to a recent hail or wind storm, you are likely fielding visits from many eager contractors. It is important, however, to make sure that the contractors who you are talking to are local representatives who will be around to stand by their completed work. When large storms hit a significant amount of homes in a neighborhood, many out of town contractors come into town to grab as much business that they can get. After the work is done, however, these out of town contractors may no longer by around to provide additional assistance. Consider some of the many needs that home owners have, whether their home has fallen victim to a storm of just long life:

• Homeowners spend an average of 1% to 4% of a home?s value every year on maintenance and repairs, which typically increase as the house ages. This can mean at least $2,000 in annual repairs on a a $200,000 home.
• Seamless gutter installation, siding installation, and roof repair and replacement depends on the quality of the materials that are used as well as the talent of the contractor. Even when a home owner is receiving an insurance settlement, it is important to make sure that your claims check is well spent.
• Most new siding installation materials are rated for winds as high as 110 miles an hour. If wind does rip siding off, most contractors are quick to point out that vinyl siding is easier to reinstall than other types of siding.
• Solar tubes, decks, and other exterior items may not always be covered on a home owners policy, so it is important to make sure that you get a policy that covers all of the assets that you have.
• A roof should be inspected once or twice a year even if your home has not been involved in a major storm.
• Storm season can bring many new contractors to an area. It is important to make sure that you are working with a reputable contractor who will be around to stand behind the work that they complete.