Overview
This page explains, step by step, how a guide on The Homeowner Guide goes from a question to a published article, and how we keep it accurate afterwards. It complements our editorial policy, which sets out the standards; this page describes the process.
Step 1: Start from a real reader question
We begin with questions homeowners actually ask, such as “Why did my property tax bill go up when rates didn’t change?” or “Does my homeowners policy cover water damage from a burst pipe?” Questions come from reader emails, the contact form, and common issues new homeowners run into. We define the question narrowly enough that we can answer it accurately and say clearly where a general answer stops being reliable.
Step 2: Go to primary sources first
We look for the organization that actually sets or administers the rule:
- Federal agencies: the IRS for tax treatment, FEMA for flood insurance and the NFIP, the CFPB for mortgage servicing and escrow, the FTC for consumer protection, HUD for housing programs, the CPSC for product safety and recalls, and the US Fire Administration for fire safety.
- State and local government: state revenue departments, state insurance departments, and county assessor and treasurer websites for assessments, exemptions and appeal deadlines.
- Industry and standards bodies: the NAIC for insurance consumer information, and standards bodies such as NFPA and ICC for safety and building code topics.
Secondary sources, such as news reporting, may help us understand context or spot a change, but they are not the sole basis for a factual claim when a primary source exists.
Step 3: Cite and date every fact
Every factual claim in a guide is linked to its source, with the date we accessed it. If we cannot find a reliable source for a claim, we leave it out. We do not publish statistics we cannot trace back to where they came from.
Step 4: Check numbers on publishing day
Tax-year limits, program thresholds, filing deadlines and similar figures change. On the day an article is published or updated, we re-check every number against its source. The figures in an article are accurate as of the dates it displays.
Step 5: Call out state and local differences
Property tax, insurance regulation, HOA law and many consumer protections vary by state and often by county or city. When a rule differs by location, we say so plainly, give examples of the variation where useful, and point you to how to find the official rule for your area. We avoid writing as if one state’s rules apply everywhere.
Step 6: Label examples as hypothetical
Worked examples help explain how a deductible, an assessment or an escrow adjustment works. Any example with names, dollar amounts or scenarios is labelled hypothetical. These examples are illustrations, not quotes, averages or predictions for your situation.
Step 7: Draft, with honest use of AI tools
Writers draft the article from the research. AI tools may help with drafting and with translating the article into Spanish and Simplified Chinese. AI tools are not used as a source of facts, and they are never used to invent experts, quotes, reviews or data.
Step 8: Fact-check and editorial review
Before publishing, the editorial team checks each claim against its cited source, confirms numbers and dates, reviews safety guidance (for example, flagging when gas, electrical, roofing or ladder work should go to a licensed professional), and reads for clarity. Translations are checked against the same sources. Nothing is published without this review.
Step 9: Publish with visible dates
Each article shows when it was published, when it was last updated and when it was last reviewed, so you can judge how current it is.
Step 10: Review and update
We review every article at least once a year and sooner when laws or programs change, such as new tax-year figures or revised NFIP rules. Reader reports also trigger reviews. When we make a significant correction, we note it at the bottom of the article with the date, as described on our corrections page.
Limits of this method
A careful process reduces errors but cannot remove them, and no general guide can account for every policy, property or local rule. Use our guides to understand the landscape and prepare good questions, then confirm the details with the official source or a qualified professional. See our disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a primary source?
The organization that sets or administers the rule: federal agencies such as the IRS, FEMA, CFPB, FTC, HUD, CPSC and USFA; state revenue and insurance departments; county assessor sites; the NAIC; and standards bodies such as NFPA and ICC.
Why do your articles show access dates on sources?
Official pages change. The access date tells you when we last confirmed the information, so you know how fresh it is and can check whether the source has changed since.
Are the dollar examples in your guides real?
No. Examples with dollar amounts or scenarios are labelled hypothetical. They illustrate how something works and are not quotes, averages or predictions for your home.
How do you handle rules that differ by state?
We call out state and county differences explicitly and link to the official source for each jurisdiction we mention, rather than presenting one state's rules as universal.
Does AI write your research?
AI tools may help with drafting and translation, but research is done from the sources themselves, and every article is fact-checked and reviewed by the editorial team before publishing.
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