I started HomeownerCosts because the cost of a home is usually explained one piece at a time: a mortgage ad shows one payment, a tax bill shows another number, an insurance renewal brings a third. I wanted a site that puts all of it together, explains how each cost is calculated and lets you run the numbers yourself.
I'm not a lender, insurance agent or tax adviser, and I don't sell any financial products. My job is research and explanation: I read the primary sources (federal regulators, laws and regulations, state agencies and published research), build the calculators on this site, and check every figure in a guide against its source and against those calculations before it's published.
When a rule or a number changes, I update the guide and its date. If you spot something that looks wrong, please tell me. Corrections are welcome. You can read more about how the site works in our methodology and editorial policy.
Guides by Aritz Boveda
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Are Mortgage Points Worth It? How to Find Your Break-Even
What discount points cost, how much they lower your rate and payment, and how to tell whether you'll keep the loan long enough for them to pay off.
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Down Payment Assistance Explained: Grants, Second Loans and Catches
How down payment assistance works, who offers it, typical eligibility rules, when the money must be repaid, and how to find your state housing finance agency.
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Earnest Money Explained: How Much, Who Holds It, When You Lose It
What an earnest money deposit is, typical amounts, who holds it, the contingencies that protect it, and a worked example on a $350,000 home.
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FHA vs. Conventional Loan: Down Payment, Credit and Insurance
Compare FHA and conventional mortgages on down payment, credit scores and mortgage insurance, with a side-by-side example on a $300,000 home.
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Flood Insurance Explained: Who Needs It and What It Covers
Why home insurance excludes floods, when lenders require flood cover, NFIP limits, the 30-day wait and how to decide if you need a policy.
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HOA Fees Explained: Dues, Reserves and Special Assessments
What HOA and condo dues pay for, how reserves and special assessments work, how dues affect your mortgage approval, and which documents to read first.
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Home Buying Timeline: Every Step From Pre-Approval to Keys
The steps of buying a home in order, from setting a budget and getting pre-approved to closing day, with the deadlines that set the pace and a sample schedule.
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Home Inspection Guide: What It Covers and How to Negotiate
What a standard home inspection checks and skips, when to add radon, sewer scope or termite inspections, typical cost, and how to use the report to negotiate.
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How Much to Budget for Home Maintenance Each Year
The 1% rule, the 2% rule and the square-footage rule, where each falls short, and how to build a repair fund around your home's actual systems.
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Homestead Exemption Explained: How Much It Saves and How to Apply
How homestead exemptions cut your property tax, dollar vs. percentage exemptions, who qualifies, how to apply, and the assessment caps tied to them.
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How a Mortgage Escrow Account Works (and Why Your Payment Changes)
Why your mortgage payment can rise on a fixed-rate loan, how the yearly escrow analysis works, and what to do about a shortage or a surplus.
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How Much House Can I Afford? The 28/36 Rule, Worked Out
Use the 28/36 rule to estimate a realistic home price from your income, debts and down payment, including the taxes, insurance and PMI most estimates skip.
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How Property Tax Is Calculated (With a Free Calculator)
Market value, assessment ratio, exemptions and mill rates explained step by step, with worked examples and a calculator you can use with your own bill.
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Loan Estimate vs. Closing Disclosure: What to Compare
Which closing costs can change between your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure, by how much, and a line-by-line checklist to catch errors before you sign.
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How to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Without Losing Coverage
Why home insurance premiums vary and keep rising, and practical ways to pay less: deductibles, bundling, mitigation discounts and shopping at renewal.
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How to Get Rid of PMI: The 80% and 78% Rules Explained
When you can ask your lender to cancel private mortgage insurance, when it must end automatically, and how extra payments can save you thousands.
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How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment, Step by Step
When a property tax appeal is worth filing, how deadlines work, what evidence persuades a review board, and how much a lower assessed value really saves.
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Rent vs. Buy: How to Compare the Real Costs
Compare the net cost of buying a home with renting over the years you expect to stay, with a free calculator and a worked $400,000 example.
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The True Monthly Cost of Owning a Home (Beyond the Mortgage)
Mortgage ads quote principal and interest. Here is everything else a homeowner pays each month, with a worked $400,000 example and a calculator.
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What Are Closing Costs? Every Fee Buyers Pay, Explained
What homebuyers pay at closing, fee by fee, how much it usually adds up to, a worked example on a $350,000 home, and three ways to bring the total down.
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What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover? The 6 Parts of a Policy
A plain-English guide to dwelling, other structures, belongings, loss of use, liability and medical payments coverage, plus the gaps that catch owners out.