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May 13, 2026

Storm chasers are out — how to spot one in your driveway

Every spring after the first round of hail, the out-of-state pickup trucks roll in. Here's the playbook they use, and the four questions that send most of them back to the highway.

Storm chasers are out — how to spot one in your driveway

If a guy in a magnet-sign pickup knocked on your door this week with a clipboard and a free roof inspection, here is what's actually happening.

After every spring storm, a wave of out-of-state contractors rolls into central Oklahoma. They lease a hotel room, slap a vinyl sign on a rental truck, and start canvassing neighborhoods that took hail. They are not roofers in any meaningful sense. They are sales crews working a commission, and their job is to get you to sign a contingency contract before any other roofer gets out to the house.

The pattern is consistent:

  • They tell you they "just finished a job two streets over" (they didn't).
  • They offer to climb the roof for free and take photos.
  • The photos show damage. The damage is sometimes real, often exaggerated, and occasionally just chalk marks they put there themselves.
  • They hand you a contingency agreement that locks you into using them once your insurance approves a claim.
  • They subcontract the actual work to whoever is cheapest, often a different crew every job.
  • When something fails next year, the company doesn't exist anymore.

The four questions that send most of them back to the highway:

1. What's your physical address? Not a PO box. Not "we have offices in Tulsa." An address you could drive to and find a receptionist.

2. Show me your Oklahoma roofing license. Out-of-state contractors working in OK still need to be registered. It's free to verify on the Construction Industries Board website.

3. Are these your crews or are you subbing the work out? If they sub, you are getting whichever crew was available that week. Warranties from a 1099 sub mean nothing.

4. If something goes wrong in 2028, what number do I call? The honest ones name a person. The dishonest ones get squirrelly.

A real local roofer will be glad you asked. They'd rather lose two minutes than win a job that bites them in three years.

If you've got real damage and you want a second opinion before signing anything, we're happy to give one. We don't pressure-sell, we don't doorknock, and we will not be on your driveway uninvited. Call us when you're ready.

Request a free inspection or call directly. No contingency contract required to talk to us.