When you publish news about local real estate, the potential for conflicts of interest comes with the territory. Which is why homebuyers, renters, and investors hungry for specific information often find reports in only two unsatisfying flavors: dull, excessively restrained reporting or goofy, unreliable boosterism.
We’re trying something different here. It should be obvious in reading this site that Swamplot is not afraid to call a cheesy townhouse a cheesy townhouse. But avoiding conflicts of interest entirely is simply not possible.
So here’s our official disclaimer: Most persons involved in producing Swamplot have a built-in stake in the public image, popularity, and financial success of the neighborhoods and developments the site covers—by virtue of the simple fact that they live nearby. Some may own, buy, sell, develop, or rent real estate or provide related services in or near specific locations described on this site. There is always a possibility that reports posted or popularized here might affect the values or marketability of these properties or services. Promoting developments or real-estate services is not Swamplot’s purpose, but the fear that one of our reports might have such an effect will not drive us to ignore or tread lightly on a particular story—just because the property in question is down the street from a Swamplot author’s home, for example. When a Swamplot writer or owner has a specific financial interest in a particular property or service mentioned in editorial content here, Swamplot will disclose it. We expect outside contributors (including readers who send us tips or who add comments to Swamplot posts) to do the same.
This disclosure policy does not apply to advertisements on this site: You can safely assume that advertisers have direct stakes in the products or services they promote.
Swamplot is an independent venture, but that doesn’t mean the reports and opinions posted here can claim to be completely objective and independent. We wouldn’t want them to be. The people who produce this site have knowledge about Houston because they live here and participate in some way in the real-estate market here. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t know what they were writing about.
