According to Steve Georgoules, with the increase of storms in the Midwest, he and his partner saw a definite increase in the number of storm chasing companies popping up and saw value in getting directly into the insurance restoration business as local contractors to protect their friends and neighbors from being taken advantage of. Their focus was on providing quality inspections appropriately done through an accredited, certified specialist in the industry.
Georgoules said “With all of these storms we have, we tend to get a lot of hail and strong winds in the Midwest, especially here in the Chicagoland area and that causes very minute but rather catastrophic damage to the exterior of people’s homes and their businesses. The damage can be so small, it can’t be detected by the naked eye. But what happens over time, the damage causes a breakdown in the structure of the materials which protect your home, and it can start to cause leaks and other damage inside your home.” Georgoules continues, “If the leaks aren’t dealt with properly, it could lead to mold, mildew, and other kinds of pathogens which can make the family sick. So the key is to have your home inspected annually, to check for these types of damage, and to catch it before it can become a health hazard.”
When host Markus Loving asked, “What’s the overall outcome for your clients to achieve?” Georgoules answered, “What we’d like to see is local contractors like us take the extra steps to become storm restoration companies and get the certifications and the proper training to understand this worsening type of event, the damage it causes, and for the homeowner to be properly insured. As well as help the homeowner realize the importance of getting a yearly inspection to stay ahead of it. Because what we’re finding is a lot of individuals don’t realize that this type of damage if caught timely, will be covered by their insurance company. And their insurance company wants to get ahead of it as well. For example, if there’s hail damage to a roof, they would like to replace the roof upfront when it’s recently happened, because if left over time, the shingles or the roofing materials are going to break down and the water is going to penetrate into the home and start to damage the insulation, the drywall, then the paint, and eventually the flooring and contents of the residence. It just becomes way more costly for everyone concerned. It’s much better, not only for the homeowner but for the insurance company, to catch it upfront and keep the costs down.”
During the Interview, Georgoules shared what are the advantages of insurance restoration for homeowners, explaining, “Well, you have to think about it. A roofer is trained to replace a roof. They’re going to go out and inspect the roof, and they’re going to recommend a new roof if it’s worn to a point where it warrants replacement — The same thing when you’re interested in buying new siding or new windows, or new doors – anything on the home. However, a proper insurance restoration company, who has gone through HAAG training, which trains inspectors to go out and find this type of damage, determine if the damage is severe enough to warrant further investigation or replacement, and is IICRC certified, which is the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. So when we go out to the home, you now have a specialist helping you with your home who is looking at it from a scientific standpoint. We not only determine when the damage happened, we determine the exact type of damage, the size of the damage, the directionality of the damage. We work directly with meteorologists. We have our own insurance adjusters in house, our own public adjusters and our inspectors who are trained to track the flow of water and how that water damages homes. Another advantage of using a certified insurance restoration company is we have the equipment to mitigate that water damage to a home. The insurance restoration company is the whole package. We’re not only the inspector, but we’re also the person doing the work and we’re the homeowner’s advocate to make sure they are taken care of from start to finish. We’re the all-in-one encompassing unit that the homeowner can rest assured that we’re not only going to detect a problem, but we’re also going to be sure it’s repaired properly, so the homeowner can feel safe and be healthy in their home for years to come.”
With an A rating with the Better Business Bureau and the multitude of certifications that RS Five has diligently achieved, homeowners can feel confident they are in good hands with Steve Georgoules and his team knowing they have an advocate on their side.
