Appraisal and umpire experience (2022 to present)
463 appraisals closed and settled in 2025. Loss types handled: fire, hail, wind, tornado, hurricane, water damage, sewage backup, pipe burst, explosion, flood and large mitigation losses. Engagements have been balanced between policyholder-appointed and carrier-appointed appraiser roles, which supports impartial umpire selection and award drafting that both sides can accept.
Issues regularly evaluated: scope of damage, repair methodology, replacement cost and actual cash value, overhead and profit, depreciation, code and ordinance application, matching, and the scope of coverage under the appraisal clause.
Carriers appraised for or against include Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Mercury, Farmers, Texas Farm Bureau, State Farm, Germania, TWIA, TFPA, RVOS and MSI.
Sworn testimony
- Expert witness deposition
- Fact witness depositions in seven cases for Cypress, Kin and FPI/EDI, primarily tile roof losses and large mitigation claims
Carrier-side independent adjusting (2018 to 2025)
Commercial: Church Mutual, Hallmark, Tower Hill, Millennial Specialty Insurance (TRVCA), Travelers Farm & Ranch, Pharmacy Mutual and TML (Texas Municipalities), 2022 to 2025.
E&O and liability: National Interstate, HCC Casualty and Golden State Claims Adjusters, 2022 to 2025.
Residential: MSI, SageSure, FPI, EDI, Kin, Cypress, Slide, Blair, Allied, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Countryway, Progressive, Travelers, Conifer, Trident, Global Indemnity Group Services, American Reliable, K2 Insurance, American Risk, Catalytic Claim Services, Home First, Wellington, American Modern and Hastings, 2018 to 2025.
Loss types: wind, hail, sewage backups, pipe bursts, fire, tornado, hurricane, explosions, mitigation and complex multi-trade losses. Eight years of writing carrier estimates is why the carrier's appraiser cannot surprise us with a line item.
Policyholder-side public adjusting
Public adjusting on the policyholder side since 2025, including two commercial fire losses, commercial wind and hail claims and a commercial flood claim, with Rise Public Adjusting LLC. Policyholder Appraiser is kept separate from that work: we do not serve as appraiser on any claim where Rise Public Adjusting acted as public adjuster.
Construction and trades background
Construction foreman at Legend Landscape & Construction, 2013 to 2018: two years full-time as foreman and six years of hands-on exposure. Trades performed include foundation repair, deck construction, drywall, painting, carpentry, roofing and roof repair, pump and fountain systems, drainage, hardscape and rock features, mulching and landscape design. That background provides direct working knowledge of repair methods, sequencing and trade pricing used in appraisal scope review.
Licenses and certifications
- Texas Public Adjuster License #3341461 (active)
- Texas Independent Adjuster License #2341686 (active)
- P.L.A.N. Umpire / Appraiser Certification
- Certified Appraiser
- Rise Public Adjusting LLC, Texas public adjuster license #3356839
- Ongoing continuing education in insurance claims and appraisal
Umpire-relevant skills
- Neutral evaluation of competing appraiser scopes, estimates and supporting documentation
- Xactimate proficiency and pricing analysis: RCV, ACV, overhead and profit, depreciation, supplements
- Causation analysis across fire, wind, hail, hurricane, water and explosion losses
- Differential scope review and line-item adjudication
- Policy interpretation, coverage application and reading of endorsements and exclusions
- Building code, matching, and ordinance-or-law analysis
- Award drafting with itemized breakdowns and clean supporting documentation
- Texas appraisal clause procedure and the 2027 TDI appraisal rules
- Field inspection protocols, evidence preservation and photo documentation standards
- Direct, professional communication with party-appointed appraisers and counsel
Writing
- What Is IRC Construction?
- Author and publisher at txinsuranceappraiser.com
Where Joseph works
Statewide Texas, including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, El Paso, Arlington, Corpus Christi, Plano, Lubbock, Irving, Laredo, Garland, Frisco, McKinney, Amarillo, Grand Prairie, Brownsville, Killeen, Denton, McAllen, Georgetown, and the surrounding counties of each. Travel is included in the quoted fee.