Editorial standards

FixItReal is a consumer-advocate publication. Our credibility is the entire business. This page commits to specific, measurable practices so readers can hold us accountable.

How articles are written

Every article is written by a named author and published with a byline linking to a full author page. We do not publish anonymous content.

Articles may be researched with AI assistance — pulling up industry reports, cross-checking prices, summarizing permit rules. AI is never used to generate finished copy that gets published without substantial human rewriting, fact-checking, and voice editing. “Write an article about X” prompts do not produce content that ships here.

Fact-checking and review

Every cost figure is sourced to a published industry report, a government dataset, manufacturer documentation, or a tracked contractor quote. Sources are cited inline with external links.

For YMYL topics — articles covering electrical, gas, plumbing under pressure, or structural work where mistakes cause real harm — we apply stronger safety-forward language, always recommend permits and licensed inspections where applicable, and never describe procedures that would violate code without explicit warnings.

We are not licensed tradespeople. We are homeowners who research, read code, and publish what we learn. Our content is not a substitute for a licensed electrician, plumber, or inspector on any job where code, life safety, or permit rules apply.

Update cadence

Cost guides are reviewed and materially updated every quarter. The update date is shown on every article next to the byline. We don't cosmetic-edit articles and bump the update date to game search rankings — if the update date changes, something meaningful changed.

Decision guides and advice articles are reviewed at least annually, and whenever an industry event makes them stale (a major contractor marketplace gets acquired, a warranty company goes bankrupt, a code changes, etc.).

Conflicts of interest

FixItReal earns money through three channels, in order of priority: (1) home-services lead-gen partnerships where we believe the service providers are legitimate, (2) display advertising, (3) affiliate links to products we've used or thoroughly researched. We do not and will not accept advertising or affiliate partnerships from home warranty companies.

When an article contains affiliate links, that is disclosed at the top of the article and on our affiliate disclosure page.

We do not accept free products in exchange for reviews. We do not publish sponsored content labeled as editorial. We do not allow advertisers to influence article angles or conclusions.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we correct it visibly. Material corrections — factual errors, wrong price figures, misidentified products — are noted at the bottom of the affected article with the date and a summary of what changed. Minor typo fixes don't get a correction note.

If you see an error, email hello@fixitreal.com. We respond to every serious correction request.