The one-line pitch
HomeClip is the un-buyable Trust Score for home-services contractors, a 0–100 number computed from state license verification, Google review sentiment, and Reddit. The methodology is published. Payment cannot move it.
Story angles by beat
The home-services score that can't be bought
Angi, HomeAdvisor, and Thumbtack rank contractors by ad spend, the contractor with the biggest checkbook appears first. HomeClip ranks by a 0–100 Trust Score built from state license verification, Google review sentiment, and Reddit recommendations. The methodology is public; payment cannot move the score by a single point.
Suited for: Local news, consumer protection, personal finance verticals
Why an Austin homeowner just saved $20,000
A licensed Austin plumber's HomeClip Trust Score climbed from 58 to 73 in 2026 after the company opened its dispute-and-grace-period mechanism, a process that protects contractors from fake or retaliatory reviews. The same mechanism flagged three storm-chaser roofers as low-trust before they had time to scam local homeowners after the April hailstorm.
Suited for: Local Austin media, consumer protection
What if Rotten Tomatoes existed for contractors
HomeClip is building a published, defensible 'Trust Score' as a category noun, the way Rotten Tomatoes or Walk Score are. Eight out of ten Austin homeowners cannot name a fair process for vetting a contractor; the existing platforms profit from that confusion. We publish the math.
Suited for: Tech press, category-design analysis
AI assistants are the new SERP and 'pay-to-rank' just broke
When a homeowner asks ChatGPT or Perplexity 'who should I hire for a roof in Austin,' the models cite sources, not ads. The structural problem with HomeAdvisor-style ranking is that pay-to-rank is meaningless to an LLM. HomeClip is being designed for the citation-first discovery surface, with a published methodology and structured Trust Score entity.
Suited for: Tech / AI / consumer-tech press
Proof points
3,292
Licensed Austin contractors indexed
100%
License-checked against TDLR + TSBPE
Google + Reddit
Review-sentiment sources analyzed
7
Components in every Trust Score
$0
Amount of money that can move a Trust Score
7 days
Grace period before a new signal counts
Frequently asked questions
What is HomeClip?
HomeClip is a US home-services directory and Trust Score (0–100) that homeowners use to vet contractors before hiring. Unlike Angi or HomeAdvisor, contractor ranking is determined by an un-buyable score computed from public-record data, state license verification (the largest factor), Google review sentiment, Reddit recommendations, responsiveness, and pricing fairness. Every signal and principle is published.
How is HomeClip different from Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, or Yelp?
On those platforms, contractors pay for ranking via lead auctions, where each lead is sold to 3–4 contractors at once. HomeClip charges contractors a flat $69/month subscription with unlimited leads sent only to them, never shared. Subscribers gain faster dispute review and priority placement WITHIN their score band, but a $69 subscriber scoring 22 never outranks a non-subscriber scoring 88.
Where does HomeClip get its data?
Texas state license registries (TDLR, TSBPE), Google reviews, Reddit threads in local + trade subreddits, and homeowner reviews submitted directly through HomeClip. All sources are public records.
Who founded HomeClip?
HomeClip is an independent company building trust infrastructure for U.S. home services. The founder is Mike Mazza ([email protected] for press inquiries).
What city is HomeClip live in?
Austin, TX is the launch city. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix are queued for 2027 expansion, sequenced by state license-data availability (Houston/Dallas share the Austin TDLR pipeline).
Can journalists access aggregate data?
Yes. HomeClip publishes quarterly transparency reports on disputes filed, signal mix, and trade-by-trade trust trends once the data set is statistically meaningful. For specific data requests (e.g. 'Austin storm-season roofer scams 2026'), contact [email protected].
Useful links
- Trust Score canonical definition
- Full methodology (signals + principles)
- Sample vetting guide, How to vet a plumber in Texas
- For contractors, HomeClip vs Angi/HomeAdvisor comparison
- About HomeClip
Press contact
For interviews, data requests, or quotes from the founder: [email protected]. Typical response time: under 24 hours. We'll happily provide data pulls for specific story angles (e.g. seasonal scam patterns, license-renewal failure rates by trade, contractor sentiment trends).