I didn't know what a diminished value claim was, until I received a knock on my door at 5pm. A…read moreneighbor had backed into my brand new vehicle that was 9 months old. I looked online and YouTube to try and escalate the claim myself only to be shot down by the other insurance company. If you're in a similar situation, I'd highly recommend Kirk and Mike. They were able to get nearly 80% of the amount I had requested from my neighbor's insurance company. So if you're thinking hey I could do this myself or if you have a high tolerance for stress maybe this isn't for you. If you want to deal with the highly trained professionals that makes things seamless on your behalf-I'd highly recommend KWA. Kirk and Mike really made this crappy situation, much much better on my end. Thank you guys!

Kirk prepared a diminished value claim for us that helped us negotiate with the insurance company…read moreand increase their offer to settle the diminished value claim by 2.5x! He was super easy to work with and always made himself available to answer any questions I had along the way. Thank you Kirk!

The appraiser spent exactly 3 minutes in the house. She had not even looked at the page of updates…read morethat I had made to the home, even though it was sent a week in advance. I had no confidence that I would be getting an accurate appraisal, and I did not. Do not use this company unless you want a low appraisal.

This company did the appraisal for my refinance. Kim was very flexible and worked to fit in with my…read moreschedule even though their schedules were packed - this was especially important given my infant was having surgery. Jenna practiced safety precautions in my house (booties, masks). The appraisal result was very reasonable and it was completed timely. I definitely recommend this company for appraisals

I had the pleasure of working with Jacob at Greater Bay Appraisals as an out-of-town client, and he…read moretruly exceeded my expectations. I needed a FMV date of death appraisal. When you're not local, you really need someone you can trust, someone skilled, responsive, and grounded in the realities of the market. Its can be a very hard time when dealing with the loss of a loved one and their property. Jacob handled this with sensitivity, respect and care. He delivered the appraisal faster than I expected, and the work itself was thorough and precise and was able to bring great insight and steadiness to complete this. It really stood out most was how thoughtful he is. He's clearly highly experienced and understands not just the mechanics of appraising, but the nuances of the local market and how to communicate what matters to a client. He took the time to explain what I needed, why it mattered, and what to expect without overcomplicating anything. His pricing is fair, his process is efficient, and he operates with a level of professionalism that's refreshing. If more people in business approached their work the way Jacob does, things would run a lot more smoothly. I'm appreciative and grateful to have found him by the help of reading the reviews of others. He's truly a great professional to work with and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services. Thank you so much Jacob.

I highly recommend Jacob at Greater Bay Appraisal. He's friendly, professional and very easy to…read morework with. He was flexible in finding a time for us to meet and quick to get the final appraisal sent. Definitely would use their services again!

I had the pleasure to work with Jane on a ring appraisal! She was absolutely fabulous-period! After…read morereviewing her experience, education and yelp reviews, I was convinced that she was the best person for the job. I spoke to her via phone and scheduled an appointment. Her location is easy to get too. Parking at the attached lot of the building is available, (if it's full, there is street parking around). The building is clean. accessible, it has an elevator, a restroom on the first floor and entrance on both lot and front of building (btw, try the handle). It's walkable to downtown and can occupy time for shopping, errands and eats'! Her office suite is quaint, and secure. Jane provided very detailed directions and information on her initial emails! I would say she is very personable, down to earth and knowledgable. She provided recommendations and/or suggestions that were very helpful to me e.g. jewelers, insurance. She was honest, and I believe well worth the money per her expertise, e.g., no hidden fee, and extremely reasonable on time. I would use her again or recommend her to others. She's not "just" an appraiser, she's a gemologist! So cool!

I met with Jane today. She is awesome. She is very knowledgeable. I will be using her if I need to…read morehave anything done in the future. Very nice and efficient. Thank you Jane

I used to work For Kirk's Appraisals, and I did for years, until they were taken over, as far as I…read morecould determine, by someone back east somewhere. Kirk was a great guy, paid well, and kept me busy for years. I wrote a lot of AAA work for him, among other insurance companies. When Kirk owned the compant they were one of the BEST 3rd party appraisal companies I ever worked for-PERIOD. My background is 28 years as a body tech and painter and shop owner and now 17 years as a field appraiser. As to the process of collision repairs there is one thing vehicle owners need to understand and that is that insurance companies have a set of rules all field appraisers must abide by. We are restricted in what we can write for and HAVE to lowball every initial estimate, giving the insurance company the hope that the v/o will cash out and walk away. The worst carrier was an insurance compay with the initials F.L. The majority of that companies insureds were low income migrant workers. F.L had me writing for labor rates that were HALF of what the prevailing rate was in this area and repair everything versus replace a part that obiously needed replacement, and repair at ridiculously low labor hours. Of 100 sheets I'd write for F.L. less than 10% ever went to a shop. That was F.L.'s version of the lottery, and they were winning. I have written for what it truly takes to effect a repair, only to have QC send it back to change to lower dollar amounts, until the vehicle enters a shop. Do I agree with that? Not at all, but it is the process that is practiced. Once the vehicle is in a shop, and a teardown is completed which allows us to thoroughly see the extent of any deeper damages, can we get a supplement generated and move forward with the proper repairs. Understand this is not the case for all carriers, but enough of them practice this that it puts a sour tase in the mouths of vehicle owners. On the flip side I have seen enough fraud and abuse on shop and vehicle owners sides also. An early claim I handled for Kirk's involved a first generation Lexus SC coupe. It was at a well known shop in Los Gatos CA that did a lot of high end vehicles like Rolls, Bently, Ferrari, Mercedes, etc. A large supplement was generated by the shop (about 4K), based on what the shop stated needed to be done, after the unit was torn down. I re-inspected to confirm the request. By chance I was there a week later for another vehicle claim, saw the Lexus near completion, saw that the add'l work WAS NEVER DONE and instead saw the panels all bondoed up versus replaced, as supplemented for! I immediatly called my supervisor at Kirk's and informed him. I went home that afternoon and wrote a negative supplement taking away all of that 4K plus a bit more, due to labor overlaps. Cheating takes place on all sides. I guess what I want to say is if the insurance low balls your initial estimate adjustments can be made once the vehicle is in shop for repairs and the shop submits a supplement costs estimate. I miss working for Kirk. He was a good guy and it was a great company.

All the other reviews are true. I'm not sure how this shady company is still in business…read more The estimate done by this company to fix the damages on my vehicle was 60% lower than what it actually costed to fix it at the end. I had to have an entire engine harness replaced, and while it was expensive, everything is pretty much "plug and play" something that should take a shop a few days max to fix, but the shop that my vehicle was at had to wait for the supplement to get approved. The guy at Kirks who was dealing with my case said the shop was trying to scam my insurance company by trying to fix things that didn't need to be fixed. And after countless phone calls and e-mails I convinced Kirks to send someone out to the shop to physically look at the car, and right away they agreed the entire engine harness needed to be replaced. This whole process, from start to finish took a little over 2 months. I have a lot more to say about this company but I'm really tired of explaining this whole story to everyone at Kirks and USAA, which by the way, after so many bad reviews I'm not sure why USAA still uses this company to appraise damages for theirs customer's vehicles. Please, if you have the choice do not use this company.

Working with Matthew was an absolute breeze.... he responded to me within an hour. The service I…read morerequested was for 3 properties, and the quote he gave me was very reasonable. After a brief phone call to establish my needs, we worked out the rest of the logistics and timing via text which was really convenient for me. He showed up promptly on time and was very personable and professional. I'm extremely happy with the appraisal services provided and happy to recommend this business!

Mathew was super easy to work with. He answered every phone call on the first ring. He was…read moreorganized and ready to work with me. I didn't feel like he was distracted by other clients. Mathew is a fair man. He was very straight forward with what he was offering, how long it would take. He earned my trust from the first consultation! I feel his prices were spot on. Although he charged the same as another company, Mathew charged 10% less than the one other company and 3% less than the third company I talked to. I chose to work with Mathew both because he was very knowledgeable about this County, plus Mathew was always available. Divorce is difficult. Mathew made me feel like I am back in control over this challenging time of my life. Clean, easy-to-access office with free parking. Accessible office. Clean and tidy word space.

Bryant was professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with from start to finish. He communicated…read moreclearly, delivered a detailed report and was willing to take the time to walk through it and answer questions. I would highly recommend Bryant to anyone looking for a reliable appraiser who takes his work seriously.

I reached out to Bryant and he was able to come out for an appraisal on my home within the week. He…read moreknows the area and was able to give a fair appraisal based on the location and condition of the property for use in my divorce. The turnaround time for the appraisal was quick, and the price was reasonable.