--- title: How we pick and what our labels mean | Neighborhood Picks url: https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/how-we-pick/ updated: 2026-10-29 --- Skip to content [**Neighborhood Picks** Good local businesses, closer to home](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/) [How we pick](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/how-we-pick/) [About](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/about/) [For business owners](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/claim/) 1. [Home](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/) 2. Methodology Our method # How we pick, and what our labels mean We pick businesses neighborhood by neighborhood, and we label every one by how closely it's tied to your area. This page explains the rules and how we're paid. Updated October 29, 2026 ## The four coverage labels Every business on a neighborhood page carries exactly one. They're set from evidence, never by payment. - Based here Office or yard in the neighborhood. - Regularly serves this area Has a checked record of work in the neighborhood. - Serves city-wide Works all over the city, including here. - Service area unconfirmed Says it works here, but hasn't shown us a recent job yet. ### What we need to see - **Based here:** a business address inside the neighborhood's boundary, matched to public business records. - **Regularly serves this area:** a checked record of recent work in the neighborhood, such as job addresses, permits or invoices. We keep addresses private. - **Serves city-wide:** works across the city and has some checked work here. - **Service area unconfirmed:** the company says it serves the area, but we haven't seen a recent job yet. Not wrong, just not checked. ## How a business becomes a pick 1. **We list everyone who says they work here,** from public business records, review platforms and businesses that contact us. 2. **We check the basics:** the business is active, reachable by phone and has enough real customer reviews to judge it fairly. 3. **We set the coverage label** from its record of work in the neighborhood. 4. **We order the picks:** coverage label first (based here, then regularly serves, then city-wide), then rating, review volume, recent reviews, years in business and how complete the details are. 5. **We recheck regularly** and note significant changes on the page they affect. ## How we make money Businesses can pay for a fuller profile or a clearly marked neighborhood sponsorship, and pay a flat fee when you send them a quote request. None of this changes a pick, its order or a coverage label. [Read the details](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/how-we-make-money/). ## Corrections Spotted a wrong label or a business that has moved? [Tell us](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/corrections/) and we'll check and fix it. ## Questions about how we pick Why pick by neighborhood instead of by city? Because a job on your street depends on things a city-wide list misses: older houses in one area, narrow access in another, a homeowners' association with its own rules. A company that already works nearby usually knows them. Do you check HOA and community rules? We don't approve plans for an HOA. We do favour companies with a record of work in the neighborhood, since they are more likely to know its architectural review steps. Always ask your association what it needs before work starts. How do you know who really serves which streets? From job evidence: recent addresses, permits pulled in the area or invoices a company shares with us. A website that lists twenty neighborhoods is not enough. Without evidence, a company gets the “service area unconfirmed” label. Why does it matter who pulls the permit? Permits are tied to the address and the licensed contractor. A company that pulls them in your area regularly knows the local office, inspection timing and access rules, which saves you delays. Neighborhood Picks Good local businesses, picked one neighborhood at a time. Every pick shows whether the business is based here, regularly works here, covers the whole city, or hasn't shown us yet. We earn money from optional profile upgrades, clearly labelled neighborhood sponsorships and, when you ask for a quote, a fee from the businesses that receive it. None of that changes a pick or a label. ## Find picks - [All neighborhoods](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/) - [Ask for quotes](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/quote/) ## About us - [About Neighborhood Picks](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/about/) - [How we pick](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/how-we-pick/) - [What the coverage labels mean](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/how-we-pick/#labels) - [How we make money](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/how-we-make-money/) - [Corrections](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/corrections/) ## Contact & legal - [For business owners](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/claim/) - [Contact us](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/contact/) - [Privacy](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/privacy/) - [Terms](https://theneighborhoodpicks.com/terms/) © 2026 Neighborhood Picks. Picks and labels reflect what we could confirm on the date shown on each page.