Every newsroom says they're independent. Independence is a set of specific behaviors. Here is ours, written out.
Only members of the editorial team and the methodology lead. Programs never see drafts. Advisory-panel members do not see drafts of reviews that cover programs they previously worked for. Advertisers don't see drafts at any stage.
The editorial team, in weekly planning meetings. We cover every program serving a meaningful U.S. seller population whose product fits one of the four categories on this site (Cash Offer Plus, iBuyer, trade-up, power buyer). We do not decline to cover programs because they're advertisers, and we do not cover programs just because they're advertisers.
Factual errors are corrected within 48 hours of verification. Corrections are logged at the bottom of the affected article with a timestamp. Substantive changes to a rating (up or down by 0.5 or more) are announced in the News section.
We distinguish between corrections (errors we introduced), updates (new information that changes our conclusion), and clarifications (restatements that don't change meaning). All three are logged.
Every program complaint we receive is logged, responded to within 5 business days, and archived. Roughly 30% of complaints lead to a correction, update, or clarification. The rest are disagreements we maintain after review. We do not remove negative reviews under pressure.
We use AI writing tools for first drafts of some sections of reviews (usually the “how it works” boilerplate). Every draft is reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a human editor before publication. Ratings, pros/cons, and verdicts are written by humans from scratch. We disclose AI-assisted content at the article level when the AI contribution is material.
Our advisory panel includes three real estate attorneys, two former program executives (one from a current advertiser, one from a program we have rated below 6.0), and one consumer advocate. Panel members advise on methodology and flag factual issues; they do not have veto authority over ratings and do not see drafts of specific reviews involving their former employers.
We pay sellers for their time ($150 per hour, capped at 2 hours), out of our editorial budget. Seller identities are anonymized in published materials; their closing statements are kept on file and can be verified by a credentialed journalist on request, subject to the seller's written consent.
We'd rather know. Email editorial@cashoffercomparison.com.
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