Who writes our articles?
Articles on this blog are published under the byline Icons of Real Estate Editorial Team. The team writes to a single written guide that sets out who the reader is (a working real estate agent), what every article must do, and what it must never do.
When a named member of the Icons team has reviewed an article and agreed to be credited, the article also shows Reviewed by with a link to that person's profile. Articles without that line were approved by the team but not credited to a named reviewer.
How do we research a topic?
Each article starts from the question an agent is actually asking and from a look at what the current top answers already cover, so we can add something they lack: a clear recommendation, a worked example, a checklist, a template or a comparison table.
- Numbers from the outside world must come from a page we have opened and read, and the number must appear on that page.
- We prefer primary sources: official platform help pages, government agencies, industry bodies and original research.
- Every external source is listed in the article's Sources section with the date we accessed it.
- Facts about Icons of Real Estate (services, prices, team, network size, client stories) come only from a maintained list of facts checked against our own public pages.
How do we use AI?
We use AI writing tools to help research, outline and draft articles. We treat AI output as a draft, never as a source. The rules above apply to every sentence, whoever or whatever wrote it first:
- No invented statistics, quotes, people, client results, prices, awards, reviews or credentials.
- Illustrative math is labeled as an example, not presented as data.
- Where an article would be better with first-hand material from our team, we leave it out until a person on the team supplies it, rather than making it up.
How are facts checked?
Every draft goes through a facts pass, where each number and claim is checked against its source or our facts list and anything that cannot be verified is removed. Drafts then run through automated checks that confirm, among other things, that sources are listed, internal links point to real pages, images have descriptions, and the opening paragraph answers the question directly.
Topics that touch advertising, lenders or neighborhoods are written with Fair Housing, RESPA and broker advertising rules in mind. We do not give legal advice; those articles tell you to check with your broker or compliance contact.
Who reviews an article before it is published?
No article is published on this site until a person on the Icons team has read it and approved it. Drafts that have not been approved are not included in the live site. An approved article can be sent back for changes at any time.
What do the dates on an article mean?
Published is the date the article first went live. Updated appears when we have made a substantive change since then, such as new facts, new or rewritten sections, or replaced sources. We do not change the date for typo fixes.
How do we handle mentions of our own services?
Icons of Real Estate sells podcast production and podcast guest booking. Our guides may mention those services where they are relevant to the reader, and each article page includes a clearly marked call-to-action box. The advice in an article should still be useful to an agent who never buys anything from us.
How do I report a mistake?
Email icons@iconsofrealestate.com with the article's address and what you think is wrong. We read every report. When we correct a factual error, we fix the article and update its Updated date.