California E&S Insurance

A friend's mom lost her home in the palisades fire last week.  The house was rented at the time and insured as a rental property.  They filed a claim to USAA. The adjuster is scheduling to go out and inspect this week if they can get access.  The adjuster is eager to formalize the settlement and says they will cut a check the day they confirm its a total loss.  The terms of the settlement appear to be consistent with the policy contract. Some of the item prices appear to be fixed, and others appear to be estimates that the adjuster will turn into fixed prices per the site conditions the observe on their visit.  Right now the adjuster's total estimate amount for the proposed settlement is well below the anticipated market costs to rebuild, like 50% lower. Given the above, my friend wants to know if there is an option to negotiate the settlement amount and if it is typical for the insurer to want to settle so quickly .  While my friend is anxious to settle asap due to concerns for USAA's liquidity,  he also wants to get a fair settlement. What are the best way to negotiate the settlement with USAA? What are tips, lessons learned or questions to ask on the negotiation? Then assuming they can come to terms, and because he cannot afford or don’t want to rebuild, he has questions as to when to try and sell the lot for the best price. In general,  does it really matter if he sells immediately or is it better to wait until the market can stabilize? If it's better to wait, how long is the recommended time, given my friend wants to sell? The entire adjacent neighborhood is a total loss so there are potentially 100 to 200 similar properties in Palisades that might come on the market, plus others in nearbly LA neighborhoods impacted by wildfire. Final question : USAA has a line item for $141k that would be added to the total settlement if the owners either rebuild or if they purchase a replacement residence.  My friend has never heard of this and wonders if this is typical, and anything to watch out or ask questions on. Because my friend has never been through this process before and is not sure who to tap for advice, any feedback would be greatly appreciated

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  "thread_title": "Advice for LA Fire Insurance Settlement",
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