What We Do
When your property is damaged, your insurance company sends an adjuster to decide what you're owed. That adjuster works for them.
We're licensed public adjusters, and we do the same job on your side of the table — inspect the damage, document the loss, build the estimate, and negotiate the settlement. For 35 years, across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
My name's on this business. After 45 years I still take these calls myself. Ring (864) 497-2151 and we'll tell you straight whether you need us.
How It Works
First conversation — free. We talk through what happened, what your policy says, and where the claim stands. If we don't think we can improve your position, we'll say so.
We inspect it ourselves. Not a review of the carrier's report — our own inspection, looking for what an initial estimate typically misses: damage inside wall cavities, contamination in ductwork, moisture in subfloors, code-driven costs.
We build the claim. A full scope and estimate, a contents inventory where relevant, business interruption calculations for commercial losses, and the documentation to support all of it.
We deal with the carrier. The correspondence, the inspections, the deadlines, the arguments. You'll sign certain documents and may give a statement, but the running of the claim comes off your hands.
We get paid when you do. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery. Nothing upfront, no hourly billing, and no fee if there's no settlement.
Residential Claims
A damaged home means somewhere to sleep, contractors who won't call back, and a claim form asking questions you have no way to answer — all while the estimate that arrives is lower than the first quote you got.
We handle the whole claim so you can handle everything else.
- Hurricane and storm damage — wind, surge, wind-driven rain, and the arguments about which policy pays
- Fire and smoke damage — including the smoke and contamination that reach rooms the fire never touched
- Water damage — burst pipes, appliance failures, and the sudden-versus-gradual dispute
- Smoke damage — protein, synthetic and fuel oil residues, and what genuinely cannot be cleaned
- Flood damage — NFIP rules, the 60-day proof of loss deadline, and basement coverage limits
- Hail, wind and roof damage — including functional versus cosmetic disputes
- Theft and vandalism
Commercial Claims
For a business, the building is only part of it. There's the stock you can't sell, the equipment that won't run, the orders you can't fill, and every day the doors stay shut costing money that doesn't come back.
Commercial claims are larger and more heavily scrutinised, and they involve coverages most owners have never had cause to read.
- Business interruption — lost income, extra expense, and the restoration period carriers routinely cut short
- Equipment breakdown — mechanical and electrical failure, and the causation argument that decides these claims
- Inventory and stock losses — reconstruction and valuation where records are incomplete
- Vandalism and theft — including the sub-limits most policies apply
- Commercial fire and smoke
- Commercial water damage
- By sector — restaurants, retail, offices, warehousing, manufacturing, medical, multi-family, hospitality and schools
Denied and Disputed Claims
A denial is the carrier's opening position, not a verdict. What matters is which argument they're actually making, because the three kinds need completely different answers.
A coverage dispute — they say this type of loss isn't covered. The argument is about policy language.
A causation dispute — they accept the damage is covered but say the event didn't cause it. The argument is about evidence.
An amount dispute — they accept the claim and disagree about what it costs to fix. The argument is about scope and estimates.
Most policies also contain an appraisal clause. Where the dispute is purely about amount, either side can invoke it: each appoints an appraiser, the two select an umpire, and that panel determines value. It's binding, generally faster than litigation, and considerably cheaper. It doesn't resolve coverage questions.
Where a claim has moved past what a public adjuster can do — bad faith conduct, an approaching legal deadline, a contract dispute — we'll tell you that a lawyer is the right call.
Why Us
- Licensed in all three states — North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, and regulated in each.
- 35 years in business. Our founder, Jeffrey A. Raines, has more than 45 years in property claims.
- We're not a franchise. The person you speak to is the person handling your claim.
- No upfront cost. Our fee is a percentage of what you recover, and there's no fee if there's no recovery.
- We'll tell you when you don't need us. On a small, uncomplicated loss you may do just as well on your own, and there's no benefit to either of us in pretending otherwise.
- We work alongside attorneys where a claim needs one.
Talk to Us
If your property has been damaged and you're not sure the offer is right — or you haven't had one yet — call. The first conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation.
More questions? Our frequently asked questions page covers cost, timing, denials and what to expect.
No hourly billing. No upfront cost.
Our fee is a percentage of what you recover.
We work for you, not for the insurance company.
Serving property owners throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
