Our Mission: Protecting Homeowners Through Research

Our Story

Home Service Research Institute was founded in 2018 by Dr. Rebecca Chen, a former FTC consumer protection specialist, and Michael Torres, a licensed professional engineer with over 25 years in the building trades. They shared a common frustration: homeowners had no reliable, independent source for evaluating home service providers.

Existing review platforms were plagued by fake reviews, pay-to-play rankings, and a lack of verification. Homeowners were left to navigate a confusing landscape where a five-star rating often meant nothing. They deserved better.

We started with a simple premise: apply rigorous academic research standards to the home services industry. Working with economists, data scientists, and industry veterans, we developed a peer-reviewed methodology that evaluates providers across 47 distinct quality indicators.

What Makes Us Different

Unlike commercial review platforms, we don't accept payment from providers for better rankings or visibility. Our revenue comes from licensing our research data to academic institutions, consumer advocacy groups, and regulatory bodies—never from the contractors we evaluate.

Independence

We have no financial relationships with the providers we evaluate. Zero. Our funding comes from research grants, academic partnerships, and data licensing to consumer protection agencies. This independence is fundamental to our credibility.

Rigor

Our methodology is peer-reviewed and published. Every evaluation follows the same standardized protocol, regardless of provider size or market. We collect data from 23+ verified sources, cross-reference findings, and apply statistical controls for bias.

Transparency

We publish our full methodology, update logs, and data sources. Providers can see exactly how they're evaluated and appeal ratings through a formal process. Our annual reports include detailed breakdowns of our research activities and findings.

Our Impact

Since our founding, we've helped over 2.4 million homeowners find qualified service providers. Our research has been cited in regulatory proceedings, academic journals, and consumer protection cases. We've testified before state legislatures on contractor licensing reform and contributed to industry standards development.

But numbers only tell part of the story. Every day, we hear from homeowners who avoided a bad contractor, saved money through our pricing research, or finally found a trustworthy provider after years of frustration. That's why we do this work.

Advisory Board

Our work is guided by an independent advisory board comprising experts in consumer protection, building trades, and research methodology:

• Dr. Marcus Williams — Professor of Consumer Economics, University of Texas at Austin
• Patricia Hernandez, JD — Former Director, California Contractors State License Board
• Robert Nakamura, PE — Past President, American Society of Home Inspectors
• Dr. Sarah Okonkwo — Research Fellow, Brookings Institution
• James Morrison — Executive Director, National Association of the Remodeling Industry (Retired)