Amazing product just takes some time

Xactware offers training at a cost which I’m sure would help tremendously...I’m just too cheap so I took the longer slower route. The program was truly a Godsend for me.

Pros

The program is very detailed down to the number of screws a particular job will require. It gives the amount of time you will need and gives you the flexibility to change prices inside the program to customize you particular market if those prices differ from the program but I’ve found it to be spot on with my market.

Cons

The program is so detailed and full of options that it can be overwhelming...it’s definitely learnable it just takes time and commitment.

Good program, Simple yet sophisticated.

Xactimate is great for producing cost estimates contractors. I used it as a project manager under two GC's. As this was my first job doing this sort of work it was the first time using the program, but I found it was fairly easy to pick up. The search tool and descriptions helped me to find line items I otherwise might have forgotten to charge for. The sketching tool is great to help with dimensions and calculations (I did always have trouble w. stair cases for some reason though). Prices updated regularly and the print out is easy to read and understand for customers as well. Very straight forward and not confusing. Overall I'd recommend this product to any mitigation and restoration team and to contractors.

Pros

Ease of use, learning curve. Sketches are extremely helpful in calculating linear footages and areas (des take a little more to get good at) Prices update every month Simple, easy to understand print out summary of line items. A number of insurance companies use Xactimate so it was easy to discuss/ negotiate items in the estimates.

Cons

Did have some trouble getting sketches "just right", maybe some ease of use tools would be helpful for those of us not familiar w. CAD

It's Necessary

Xactimate is necessary software for property adjusters. We have little choice but to pay the price they charge. It could be better. Finding proper line items is more difficult than need be. A tree menu would be helpful. Also, a little more flexibility in the amount of overhead and profit to be applied to specific line items (if the amount varies depending on the trade) would be nice.

Pros

Widely accepted by contractors and insurance companies for creating accurate repair estimates.

Cons

A little clunky at times. Hard to find needed line items unless you know exactly what you're looking for.

Xactimate

I love Xactimate because it is the tool most used to make my living.

Pros

I like that it is widely accepted by insurance carriers. It is fairly simple to navigate.

Cons

There are a few categories that are not in line with market value. If you aren't aware of the deficiencies you could find yourself short on an estimate. Drywall is severely lacking compared to market value.

State of the Art Estimating Software

A must for anyone doing insurance restoration or remodeling

Pros

Recognized by most insurance companies, it is kept current and pricing can be modified by zip code. Excellent sketching tools

Cons

Steep learning curve, some glitches in import of pictures into the new version of Xactimate. Does not have some higher quality items and is probably a little low for commercial use.

Very accurate

I will continue using the software and getting the new updates.

Pros

Easy to learn, use and to export information. The program allows you to embed photos and attach information, another good feature is the 3D sketch.

Cons

Tricky to sketch multiple roof slopes, specially when there are different highs too. There is no waste factor when replacing flooring.

Problem softwARE

probably shouldn't

Pros

Unfortunately, it is the standard in the storm damage remediation business.

Cons

It crashes daily, loosing valuable work and valuable time. very frustrating from a user standpoint. Many of the functions are not consistent with computer standard user functions...

Xactimate 2.8 must. A must-have for the insurance restoration contractor

Pros

It is a must-have software if you're in the insurance restoration business. It has all the features to prepare quality estimates for insurance presentations

Cons

It would be nice to be able to create custom column headings and Custom layout for special reports currently it is quite limited to templates

Insurance Recognized

Generally good value overall

Pros

Sketch is accurate and estimates almost universally recognized in insurance industry. The pricing per area is a plus

Cons

Does not tie into third party management programs or quickbooks. Does not have a tie in with google maps or other easily importable measurement software

Excellent Tool for any Contractor

Pros

Having the current fair market rates for almost any work that needs to be done on a home is priceless. We work with insurance companies so it has allowed us to generate over in supplements last year.

Cons

You need to attend training to be able to use the program properly and to its fullest potential. The training is time consuming and expensive but it is well worth it.

Online version is very glitchy.

I would recommend updating price lists per area with actual data.

Pros

This software has basic CAD features. The overall product is simple to learn. The communication with other programs is easy.

Cons

The web version is glitchy and doesn't have full actions that the desktop version has. The pricing guides are not accurate.

20 + years, product has gotten better, still some glitches and shuts down

Pros

Sketch, generally friendly and very customizable (still needs work on some of its flexibility however)

Cons

You give me notices that calculations are not correct - but YOU as the program give me the calculations

Xactimate allows me to achieve profitable insurance and non-insurance revenue

Pros

I appreciate that it is recognized by so many in the construction world and updates its pricing & labor efficiency.

Cons

The mobile platform still needs work. It is functional, however, difficult to accurately utilize daily.

Difficult to Learn but once you do, the possibilities are near endless.

Pros

You can customize reports to show only the line items or summary and anything in between. Once you learn the basics, you can still do a lot without having to go to the advanced class.

Cons

Finding the correct line item can sometimes be difficult if you aren't sure what the program calls it. When you adjust the quantity (or qualifier) of a line item and select "ok," the program will kick you to the bottom of your item list and you will have to scroll back up to the item you were working on to view the amount it has populated.

Good estimating software

Use it for work. Does what it should, overall has become industry standard.

Pros

Easy to use once you learn it.

Cons

Some finicky issues with sketch function and sketch variables in estimating.

Xactimate for Roofing Business

Good product!

Pros

Exact estimates based on material, sq. Footage, etc. The software allows for each house to be converted to a project and saved.

Cons

I am tech savvy and it took me awhile to learn to efficiently use this product. However, once I mastered it, it is an essential part of my daily business.

It's being a relieve to use this software in my work

Pros

It's easy to use. and very complex I really like how you can work with this program, and be available for my employees to have access.

Cons

I don't like that xactimate online because it can only have access through internet explorer . I would recommend trying to use it in chrome.

Property Restoration

Great up to date software that most insurance companies also work with. Easy to learn and allows you to use onsite and email within minutes.

Very helpfull

Good software for estimating.

Pros

Yo can find almost all activities you need to estimate, accurate pricing, wide selection of activities by category. Is easy to use.

Cons

Have found some activities the material pricing is not according to industries pricing, some are cheaper than they really are.

A must have if you deal with insurance companies

Its very useful. Worth its price.

Pros

Very easy to use, easy to access from anywhere: tablet, desktop, phone or online. Customer service is great and can help you out any time

Cons

not all line items easy to find. The software costs a lot. Can't say it doesn't worth it. The rest is okay

Why me?

Why did you send this to me? I haven't uses xactimate for years.

Pros

The fact that Task pricing is in the program, and yet they can be adjusted. So the prices are a good place to start.

Cons

The cost is too much for the amount of times that I would use it. When I was doing insurance repair it was ok. But now I don't use it enough.

Very easy to use

Pros

easy to use - contains lots of choices for line items. Prices for the most part are fair market value for the zip codes used.

Cons

search mode - if you do not know words used in Xactimate description it could be difficult to find your line item. Some pricing seems very low and does not meet market standards.

Xactimate Review

I have worked with Xactimate for 11 Years now doing water & fire restoration estimates and now roofing.

Pros

For the most part, pricing is Fare in the state of NM. It's easy to work with. When there is an issue, the online support team is very helpful. It has many different trades to write an estimate on. Can be used for simple ad complex projects. It's compatible with QuickBooks.

Cons

It doesn't allow you to snap lines for Metal roofing take off. The areal sketch is more expensive than Eagle view.

Easy setup and flexibility of use

Excellent and fresh package to use for our newest projects, and so far is making the initial stages much more efficient!

Pros

Ability to use it across different platforms all Whilst having cloud syncing offers good options for our staff to be able to coordinate project estimates easily and effectively. With the safer of knowing information is updated and can be synced later even if not online.

Cons

So far none, and no issues with setting up. And also mobile field work done has not been hampered by any connectivity issues, as sync is always available once devices are connected again.

Overall worth the time & money

Pros

Consistently updating prices bases on zip-code & since we work with insurance companies so much, having the same tool that adjusters use is super helpful. You can generate reports that correspond to what they have.

Cons

You have to go to training course to learn, it's very time consuming and expensive. Finding the right line item in the report is difficult, if your construction knowledge isn't vast.

Senior estimator

Pros

complexity of the system and what it can estimate is very impressive.

Cons

Sometimes errors that unexpectedly happens in the middle of the estimate.

Worst company ever

Worst paid application I have ever used. I will inform everyone to use their competitors instead of this piece of garbage.

Pros

Probably won't kill you, makes you feel like you are burning your hard earned money, crashes all the time!

Cons

Everything and anything about this application is a con, they make you pay for the application and then make you pay more for it with every job you get. Application is unusable and has more bugs than a hotel.

SDJR's review of Xm

Pros

The software provides ease of scoping and pricing. The data bases are well suited to complete just about any scope of work.

Cons

While the data bases are sufficient for most any claim scoping, it does not cover all bases.

Great software for estimating

Pros

User friendly program that allows companies to estimate for repair work.

Cons

cost of the software is a little expensive for small businesses that don't use the program on a regular basis.

A helpful software at the time to create an estimate.

The price of this software is low considering all the things you can perform with it.

Pros

Xactimate have a complete prices list that includes all trades required for the restoration industry and described in the CSI's 16 divisions in construction.

Cons

Xactimate needs to improve their takeoff tools in order to make the software more easy to use at the time of calculating quantities.

All in all just using it because it levels playing field with the insurance adjusters.

Pros

The multiple line items are great. They could 3xpand slightly in some areas but overall it's pretty comprehensive.

Cons

A major drawback would be the so called market rate. They go by contractor bids in an area. Some contractors have no clue how to bid a job so they in turn drive the rates down.

Its A great tool, and we can continue our business competitively

Pros

It's Great and accurate. It's updated every month, and very efficient. A lot of the adjuster's we work with use the same program,, so i definitely feel like we are on the same page.

Cons

I wouldn't say the price is a " con" even though it's pretty expensive. It's worth the investment. One difficulty we experience is, when adding to line items.. it will place what i'm typing to the bottom of the page no matter where I would like it to be placed on the page.

Online version horrible, desktop version can’t even install

Build your own time and material.

Pros

There are no pros if you are a contractor. Insurance carrier runs the whole gamut. Pricing is horrible.

Cons

Everything stinks extremely bad, no longer user-friendly, for Adjuster is that like to write poor estimates.

Training and usage

Pros

Works well with someone with construction background. Very mouse driven and it has hot keyed entries when you are entering data

Cons

You need a background in building a property to work with it. It doesn’t have defaults corrections to keep you from building walls, etc that don’t make sense, cost too much

Xactimate has help me close more deals

I think the program is a total

Pros

The support online is incredible. The support staff is extremely knowledgeable and willing to help. This program has helped me become a better estimator

Cons

Its a big program with lots of different things to learn. Without lots of hours working with the program you can feel overwhelmed.

Great System

Great Product!

Pros

We use this daily for our roofing estimating. It really helps that it syncs with our local supply company and prices constantly update.

Cons

Price point was had to adjust at first. but if you really think about the time it saves you having do it all by hand. It is worth it.

Tough but once learned it gets easier

Once you get the hang of it then it becomes a valuable tool for your business.

Pros

It gives you dollar amounts for all material and labor nationwide. It updates itself whenever vendors change their quotes or pricing.

Cons

It's tough to learn How to use, had to get shown how to use it. Very technical and it can be pricey.

NOT COMPATIBLE WITH MAC

Make a Mac version!!!!!!!

Pros

The product worked fine before no one supports it anymore. It is useful when it could be used after you learn it.

Cons

Does not work with my MacBook Pro. Way behind in technology if can not even have a Mac version. I lost lots of money paying others to run my X8 invoices.

Good but choppy functionality and expensive

Pros

Exact prices takes out the headache of guessing what you should charge. Professional appearance on the final product.

Cons

Expensive for just one user, should have a package deal of just a slight upcharge for more than one user.

A needed solution for Insurance claim work

Overall I would recommend it

Pros

The software answers the mail when an insurance estimate is needed to get out in a format all can understand.

Cons

The software can be somewhat cumbersome to work with as a new user. Even as an experienced user will take some onsite training.

Used for roofing specs and works well

Pros

Quick return of report when requested. I had my response and full report within the hour. Very pleased.

Cons

Can be a little price prohibitive as the cost varies as opposed to one fixed price.

Horribly ridiculous

I absolutely will never use this system again and i suggest that you dont waste your time with it.

Pros

Not much after 60 days of attempting this product. The people are very knowledgeable about the product.

Cons

The price is ridiculous. They want to charge you to be able to learn the system. They want to charge you to call in for help when you cant correct any issues online. The most non user friendly system that I have ever used in any category. Everything is compartmentalized to make everything very difficult.

Exceptional service for a fast pace business

Love the concept of having a detailed plan when I need it and how I need it.

Pros

The ability to look at a prospective client and give them same day pricing with a great photo of there home.

Xactimate - Must have for Water & Restoration

Must have for jobs related to insurance reimbursement.

Pros

Provides up-to-date pricing for your region and almost forces you to consider all the detailed costs (great for capturing every cost associated with the job, especially those items/processes most forget, but add up).

Cons

Cumbersome to learn and seems to require more extensive training than other programs, but well worth it as aligns exactly with amounts/values major insurance companies use.

Any where any Place, do your work

Pros

Estimate are been easier than ever, form any device you can access and do needed job within a glance

Cons

Cover all needs, but could be great if some general features and add on are implemented to this software to provide more accuracy.

Easy to learn

Pros

The overall program is very easy to learn. It has many features that allow you to clearly define the estimate.

Cons

The drawing of different types of rooves can be challenging to get right however with proper training the tool is amazing.

Xactimate is not very user friendly.

Pros

Xactimates customer service to sign us up was very friendly and helpful, the class was upbeat and fast paced.

Cons

We paid for the course and the yearly fee but cannot seam to use this estimation software correctly.