Ever started a project thinking it would be easy, then realized halfway through it was way more complicated than you expected? When filing a hail insurance claim, one of the biggest mistakes is letting old wear and tear get blamed for fresh storm damage, because insurance separates “age” damage from “impact” damage very strictly. Real hail damage shows up as circular bruises, fractured shingle mats, loosened granules, and soft metal dents that follow the storm’s wind direction. I build a full evidence trail with chalked impact zones, test squares, slope diagrams, and time-stamped photos so there’s a clear line between storm damage and normal aging. I helped a homeowner who was told their roof was “just old,” but I was able to prove a specific storm caused the damage by mapping consistent impact patterns across every slope, and the claim was approved for a full replacement. This connects to paying attention to people who tend to second-guess themselves and downplay problems. Clarity beats confidence — and when someone isn’t sure whether something matters, it’s usually worth checking before ignoring it, so when you meet someone like that, send that one person my way and I’ll help them sort it out.