CUSTOMIZE LINE ITEMS

Xactware’s carefully researched and validated pricing information can significantly reduce the amount of time that it takes to research and negotiate pricing for individual items. However, there may be times when you need to manually adjust unit pricing or other settings to achieve the most accurate estimate.

The Quick Entry pane

View depreciation calculations

Hide the Quick Entry pane

Formulas

Add a Miscellaneous Item

Attachments

Delete an attachment

Set salvage or restoration details

View item details

Add item tags

Modify the item unit price

View sales tax calculations

Mark an item as paid when incurred

How to edit line item properties

Add Overhead and Profit to an item

Change an activity code

Related topics

The Quick Entry pane

Use the Quick Entry pane to add a new line item or customize existing line item settings.

Each setting in the Quick Entry pane can be adjusted and will affect the final calculation of your line item.

• Cat:  Line items are organized into material and labor categories such as painting or roofing. Use the Cat list to select or change a category.
• Sel:  Each line item in a category has a unique selector. Use the Sel list to select or change a selector.
• Act: Use the Act list to select the action that will be used to calculate the line item. Select from the following actions:
• • Replace
  • Remove
  • Remove and Replace
  • Detach & Reset
  • Material Only
  • Install Only

• Available actions will depend on the line item. For example, you cannot detach and reset a layer of paint, so that option will not be available.

• Desc: This brief description of the line item can be edited. Learn how to view a more detailed description.
• Calc: On the calculation line, you can adjust the line item quantity and quick-edit the unit price.
• • To change the quantity, click the Calculator icon . Enter a number, variable, or formula. Learn more about variables. Learn more about formulas .
  • To change the unit of measurement, click the Unit of  Measure  list.
    .
  • To quick-edit the unit price, click the Unit Price button, and type a new unit price.  
    
• Depr: On the depreciation line, you can adjust the depreciation calculation information.
• • Click the Depreciation list to indicate how depreciation is calculated. You can select from Amount, Percent, or Age/Condition.
  • In the amount box, indicate an amount or percentage for the depreciation.
  • In the Age box, enter the age of the line item. Clicking the Age box will also open a calendar that allows you to calculate age based on the date purchased.
  • In the Recoverable box, indicate whether or not depreciation is recoverable for this line item.

View depreciation calculations

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Select a line item.
3. Click Depreciation to the right of the Quick Entry Pane.

Learn more about depreciation.

Hide the Quick Entry pane

1. Right-click a line item.
2. Click Show Line Item Entry Pad.
3. Select Show Line Item Entry Pad to view the Quick Entry pane again.

Formulas

The Xactimate Formulas wizard helps you calculate quantities for less common situations, such as the cubic yards of concrete in a trapezoidal wall or the number of shingles in a circular roof.

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Select a line item.
3. Click the Calculator icon in the Quick Entry pane.
4. Click Formulas to view a complete list of available formulas.
5. Select a formula, and enter the required information. Click OK.

Add a Miscellaneous Item

To add an item that is not included in the price list:

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. In the Grouping pane, select a room.
3. Select the blank row in the line item list area.
4. Click Misc. Item in the Quick Entry Pane.
5. Select a category for the miscellaneous item. The selector will be MISC.
6. Select an activity, and type a description.
7. Set the calculation and depreciation settings for your item.
8. Click OK to add your item.

Attachments

You can attach notes, images, or sound files to a line item.

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Click Attachments in the Quick Entry pane.
3. Type your note, and click Close.
4. To add multiple notes, click Add.
5. Click the Note list to an image or a sound file.
6. Enter the information for your image or sound file. You can also type a text note that will be included with your file.
7. Click Load to upload your image or sound file.

See also: Annotations and Use Notes to add a photo

Delete an attachment

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Click Attachments in the Quick Entry pane.
3. Select an attachment, and click Delete.

Set salvage or restoration details

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. In the Quick Entry pane, add or select the item you wish to edit.
3. Click Salvage/Restored at the top of the pane.
4. Select a salvage type and amount.

1. • Insured

     The Salvage Amount (or Less Salvage Retention) is automatically subtracted from the estimate's Replacement Cost Value.

     The Salvage Amount must be less than the Replacement Cost Value.

   • Salvor

     This option affects the total cost of the claim to the carrier, but does not have any effect on the final settlement paid to the insured.

   • Abandoned

     This option indicates that the item cannot be used as salvage or that no salvor would buy it.

   • Not Restored

     1. In the Restored Material group, select the material Type.

     

     2. In the Amt. Extracted box, enter the amount.

     The Not Restored option is only available for FEMA flood estimates.

   • Restored

     1. In the Restored Material group, select the material Type.

     

     2. In the Amt. Extracted box, enter the amount.

     3. In the % Restored box, enter the percentage.

     The Restored option is only available for FEMA flood estimates.

5. In the Quick Entry pane, click OK to add the item.

See also: Salvage/Restored

View item details

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Select the line item you wish to view.
3. Click Item Image to the right of the Quick Entry Pane.
4. Click Click for Detail.

Add item tags

You can append custom data to line items with tags. Tags have no effect on the default functions in the estimate but can be used to provide additional item information such as a vendor ID number or contact information.

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Select a line item.
3. Click Tags to the right of the Quick Entry Pane.
4. The default tag is a date tag. The default date is the date you added the line item in Xactimate.
5. To add another tag, click Add Tag.
6. Select a tag, or select SmartList to add a custom tag.
7. Enter the tag information.

See also: Parameters - Add Ons

Modify the item unit price

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Select a line item.
3. Click Unit Price to the right of the Quick Entry Pane.
4. Indicate the line item settings:
   1. O&P – Indicate if overhead and profit will be applied for this line item. If this option is not available, O&P will be greyed out.
   2. Taxable – Indicate whether or not the line item is tax exempt.
   3. Contractor – Indicate whether the homeowner or a contractor will be performing the labor.
   4. Line item – Indicate whether the item is a line item or a credit. Credit item prices appear in red.
5. If a contractor is performing the work, you can change the Trade to indicate if the default contractor type is incorrect. For example, if a roofer is repairing a leaky roof, then patching some drywall, the calculations will be different than if a roofer repairs the roof and a drywall team does the patching.
6. Select a Minimum Group for the labor minimum. Click the Labor Minimums sub-tab to view group descriptions. Learn more about labor minimums.
7. Click the Calculator icon to edit the unit price.
8. Click the Info icon next to a price to view the item activity information.
   1. In the Item Activity Information dialog box, you can edit the price calculations to account for market conditions or additional material costs.  
   2. Click Details to view labor, equipment, and material details.
   3. To save the changes, click OK. The Unit Price now appears in green font to indicate that it was manually updated.

• The unit price can also be changed by clicking the unit price button in the quick entry pane or clicking the unit price of an item in the line item list area.

View sales tax calculations

1. On the Estimate Items tab, click Items.
2. Select a line item.
3. Click Amounts to the right of the Quick Entry Pane.

Mark an item as paid when incurred

Paid when incurred will not appear for all profiles.

1. On the Estimate Items tab, select an item.
2. In the Quick Entry pane, select Paid When Incurred.

How to edit line item properties

With the Item Property Editor, you can edit properties specific to a line item that aren’t calculated elsewhere. Common properties that can be edited are the SKU and waste for flooring and roofing items. To view and edit item properties, double-click the properties icon in the line item list.

Add Overhead and Profit to an item

1. On the Estimate Items tab, add or select an item.
2. On the right of the Quick Entry pane, click Unit Price.
3. To apply overhead and profit to the item, click O&P.
4. Click OK.

Change an activity code

1. On the Estimate Items tab, select an item. The item information appears in the Quick Entry dialog box.
2. Click the Act: box, and select a new activity code.>
3. Click OK.

Related topics

• Profile preferences

• Environment preferences

• Parameters

• Price lists

• Add line items