503.420.3001

10 reasons to hire Ken Nix as your Auto Appraiser for your Total Loss Appraisal Dispute?

  1. 12+ years as an Oregon Certified Auto Appraiser
  2. 40+ years negotiation experience
  3. 35+ years automotive experience including appraising vehicles for dealerships, directs sales to dealers, Product knowledge trainer, Sales Trainer, Closer.
  4. Limits the number of Total Loss appraisals per month to enable time to dedicate to your claim.
  5. Produces each appraisal himself. If there is a physical inspection, Ken inspects the vehicle, not a unqualified employee.
  6. Negotiates Each case himself, not an employee, to obtain the maximum value for your vehicle.
  7. Knows and sold most late model cars, trucks, including diesels, classics, RVs, Motorcoach, and many other vehicles, and stays within his scope of expertise.
  8. Doesn’t rely on someone else’s reputation. Before hiring someone, make sure they’re actually qualified to appraise your vehicle. Many auto appraisers have never appraised vehicles for anyone other than insurance companies or as an auto appraiser. Ken has been appraising vehicles for Dealerships since 1989.
  9. He’s local. Ken’s lived and worked in the Oregon automotive industry since 1996, for over 27 years. 
  10. Ken Specializes in Oregon Total Loss Appraisals, unlike other companies, especially other appraisers from other states that are not even licensed in Oregon to appraise vehicles. 

OREGON Certified/Licensed Auto Appraiser # V34-075

I found a company that will do the appraisal cheaper. 

For years there have been out of state appraisers targeting Oregon for appraisals at lowball prices.

  1. Most of these companies are not licensed in Oregon.
  2. The majority also work for the insurance companies. Which I believe is a conflict of interest. Do you really believe someone earning $30k a year from an insurance company is going to truly have your best interest at heart?
  3. Some of these so called “auto appraisers” don’t have any type of state license and may even be “certified” by their own fictitious corporation. There’s a lot of companies like this out there since there’s only two states that have an Auto Appraiser’s Certification Program, which one of those state is Oregon, the other is North Carolina.
  4. Some even have employees working for as little as $7.50 an hour pushing out hundreds of appraisals because their state’s minimum wage is $7.50. 
  5. Most of those appraisers from Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas have never even been to Oregon, or the Pacific Northwest, much less know our market. Their cost of living is 35% less than ours. Think they really know how to build value in your vehicle? 
  6. We have one of the most unique used car markets in the United States. We don’t have sales tax, we do have a higher cost of living, and our gas prices are the second highest in the U.S. Think that doesn’t make a difference? 

So, As long as they’re licensed in Oregon, they’re okay?

Not always. Less than 5% of the auto appraisers I know truly have the experience and knowledge to appraise vehicles in my professional opinion. Most auto appraisers working total loss claims come from insurance companies, were auto body estimators, took over someone else’s business, or were involved in classic car appraisals and decided they had the qualifications to appraise late model vehicles.

Most total loss disputes are on late model vehicles. I do classic appraisals since that is still in my scope, but there are a lot of appraisers who don’t know the difference between a convertible and a hardtop when it comes to value. I’m truly not kidding.

Saying you’re a qualified appraiser and having the reputation as a qualified auto appraiser are two different things. I’ve worked the hard cases, testified in court, even testified in criminal cases. Even if they know cars, do they know how to discredit the opposing appraiser’s comparables? Do they go the extra step to look up their comps and find out why they’re low? I do. That’s why I get such large increases.

Remember, Your insurance company has to reimburse you our appraisal fees by Oregon Law if we increase the amount just one cent over the last offer. 99%+ of our Oregon clients receive our services at no cost when it is all over. So why not hire the best, if it’s not going to cost you anything in the end? – Ken Nix

OREGON Certified/Licensed Auto Appraiser # V34-075

Ken Nix's current Oregon Auto Appraisers Certification and License issued by ODOT

Total Loss, Getting Your Real Market Value.

We don’t just write a Total Loss Fair Market Value appraisal like some companies. Our Total Loss auto appraiser will also negotiate with your insurance company’s appraiser to get a fair value for your totaled vehicle. This is included in the price of your appraisal, you won’t be upsold later on like some companies. Ken has over 38 years of negotiation experience. Licensed Auto Appraiser in Oregon

Auto Appraiser

Over 11 years as an Oregon Licensed Auto Appraiser

Negotiator

Over 38 years experience in negotiations.

Only Works For Consumers

No conflict of interest here. We only work for consumers, not insurance companies.

Detailed Specs

In Oregon and Washington, if you feel you’ve been offered an unfair amount, you’ll normally have an appraisal clause in your policy that allows you to dispute their offer. The appraisal clause allows you to hire an independent auto appraiser to produce an appraisal and your insurance company will also have to hire an independent auto appraiser to produce one for them. The two auto appraisers will negotiate the value between them, if they can not come to an agreement, then an Umpire will decide which appraisal is more credible.

In Oregon, if we increase the value by one cent more than the last offer your insurance company offered you, they have to reimburse you for the cost of the appraisal.

If your claim is with your insurer, you may have the right to an appraisal if your policy
includes an appraisal provision. Your insurer must reimburse your reasonable
appraisal costs if the final appraised value is greater than the insurer’s last offer. This
provision applies to all new policyholders on or after January 1, 2010 and to current
policyholders upon the first renewal of their policy that occurs on or after January 1,
2010. Ask your claims adjuster or the Insurance Division for more information.

Lowball offers from CCC One are more common than you may think. In the case of Buratovich v. Farmers Insurance, documents obtained during discovery, reflected that Farmers Insurance had selected CCC One solely due to it’s evaluations having the lowest payout in regards to a Total Loss Claim. CCC has also recently come under fire in Georgia where consumer advocates claim they have substantially lower valuations than other companies.If your car, truck, RV, motorcycle, or other wheeled vehicle has been totaled, before you accept the insurance company’s total loss offer, you should speak to an Auto Appraiser.

There have also been several Class Action Lawsuits filed regarding Mitchell / J. D. Powers and Associates Total Loss Valuation Methods. This valuation has been involved in several cases where consumers have sought class action lawsuits against State Farm and Progressive for using Mitchell and J.D. Powers valuations.

OREGON CERTIFIED AUTO APPRAISER

OREGON CERTIFIED APPRAISER

When Hiring an Auto Appraiser, make sure they are certified by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Otherwise, the appraisal may not be considered credible. We are an Oregon certified and licensed auto appraiser. #V34-075

CREDIBLE APPRAISALS

Some appraisal companies inflate their valuations in an effort to entice you to use them because they have the largest value. Largest estimate doesn’t mean you’ll settle for more, normally it’s the opposite. Most insurance companies know who provides credible appraisals, and who provide inflated values

AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCE

With over 11 years as a licensed and Certified Oregon Auto Appraiser, Ken has the experience to handle any job. He has over 40 years negotiating experience with over 30 years spent in the automotive industry.

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LEVERAGE

Auto Appraisals

(503) 420-3001

Location

Portland, OR. 97225

Email

Open Hours

Mon:10am – 5pm
Tue: 10am – 5pm
Wed: 10am – 5pm
Thur: 10am – 5pm
Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 10am – 5pm
Sun: Closed

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