The Storm Chasers Are Gone Now - But They Will Be Back!!!
The last three years have been horrifying for some, but extremely profitable for companies chasing storms. I am Jeff Tatur, President of Advanced Home Improvements, Osseo, Minnesota and I have seen a trend of bad jobs, terrified homeowners, and a clean get away.

Minnesota is the land of ten thousand lakes but, in the last few years, has been known as the land of tens of thousands of hail storm insurance jobs. It has been incredible how many homeowners wouldn't trust a contractor now as far as you could throw them. Honestly, I don't blame them one bit.

Minnesota people are hard working Midwesterners and like to assume every one else is. I am here to tell you, unfortunately, this is not the case. Storm chasing companies are nothing but glorified tycoons that prey off of naive contractors and innocent homeowners.

Being in this industry for nearly 15 years, I have seen just about everything. Making an honest dollar, looking a person in the eye and delivering on everything you said is how a true Minnesotan lives his or her life. This is how we do business. Consumers need to know what I am about to reveal.

A storm chasing company does nothing but chase storms all over the country. Having some of the most sophisticated weather equipment at their fingertips. Once a storm hits they will arrive the next day. The story I will share is my own personal one. Four years ago I was in my office and the phone rang. It is a storm chaser offering me $40,000 to use my name and telephone number. Before the end of the week four more companies called with the highest offer being $100,000. It is unbelievable that a few companies actually participated.  The storm chasers move into a local company's building and use their license to start up that day. Within two to three weeks hundreds of workers are pumping out thousands of roofs. The storm chasers pay the naive contractor a percentage on all the roofs. The agreement is simple, the local contractor must supervise the jobs. They both get rich, a year goes by and the stormers are long gone. The aftermath of the poor job performance is left to the local guy who couldn't keep up with all the work that was done. The storm chasing companies do not care how well the job is done because the liability of standing behind your work falls 100 percent on that local owner. Keep in mind, the overall volume done by these companies is so high, supervising these jobs is virtually impossible.

The biggest tragedy is the homeowner who gets victimized by having unqualified crews roofing or siding their homes. Most homes that are damaged by hail need minimal repair done immediately. There is time. These hail damaged homes will definitely need to be fixed but people need to go through the process of hiring contractors without the big scare. People get so worked up they start signing contracts with anyone. The first person out to your home should look it over for obvious potential water problems. More then likely the roof will be surface damaged and will still perform long enough for a homeowner to interview three qualified contractors.

With every year there may be a hail storm in your neighborhood. Try to remember a few things that may save you a potential headache. The first way to find out about a contractor is to ask him hard questions. See if he back peddles, mention this article or show him it. Another hint is to ask for references. Now, I know you have heard this before but take it another step and ask for one job done this year, last year, two years ago, and five years ago and call them. The best way to know for sure about the contractor you have decided on is to drop in on the office unexpectedly. Look at how they are operating and you should be able to see if it fits your needs. Of course getting a license number, and insurance certificate, and calling your city or state is always recommended.

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