When an insurance claim reaches the appraisal stage, the partiesinvariably brace for an adversarial experience, but it need not beone. If the participants realize that appraising is a mixture ofboth science and common sense, the process would result with noone's feeling as if they had lost something as a consequence of theappraisal.

In my 25 years of experience as an appraiser in the insuranceindustry, I have worked on behalf of both policyholders andinsurers. I have learned that the process of satisfying a claimfunctions best when all those involved in the process are willingto compromise without having to sacrifice their client's particularinterests.

Appraisal is a process that is included within the language ofmost insurance policies but, just as a jack is in the trunk of allnew cars, most people would rather not use the appraisal provision,due to a lack of understanding as to what it entails and how it canbest benefit them. In the case of the appraisal tool, it could beleft on the shelf if more carriers made better attempts to clearlydefine the scope of damage in property claims from the inception ofcoverage under the policy.