Our Methodology

This page explains exactly how our guides and calculators are made, so you can judge how much to rely on them.

Sources we use

We start from primary sources whenever one exists:

• Federal regulators and agencies: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the FHA, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, the IRS.
• Laws and regulations: for example the Homeowners Protection Act for mortgage insurance and Regulation X for escrow accounts.
• Housing finance agencies: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guides and consumer pages.
• State agencies: state revenue departments, comptrollers, county assessors and state insurance departments.
• Recognized research and industry bodies: for example the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

When a figure only exists in a private survey or a company’s published data, we name the source in the text and treat the number as an estimate, not a fact.

Every guide lists its sources at the end with links.

How our calculators work

• Standard formulas. Loan payments use the standard fixed-rate amortization formula. Property tax uses taxable value multiplied by the combined rate. Each guide explains the formula in plain English next to the calculator.
• Visible assumptions. Every input that affects the result, such as a PMI rate or a maintenance percentage, is shown and can be changed. Defaults are illustrative, not predictions of what you’ll be offered.
• Matched examples. The worked examples in our guides are produced with the same logic as the calculators, so the numbers in the text and the tool agree.
• Private by design. Calculators run entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or stored.

How we check a guide before publishing

1. Every rule and figure is traced to a source listed at the end of the guide.
2. Every number in a worked example is recalculated independently.
3. Every calculator is tested against the worked example in its guide.
4. Links are checked so none are broken.
5. The guide is read for clarity: it should answer the reader’s question in the first few sentences.

What “fact-checked” means on this site

When a guide says it was fact-checked against primary sources, it means every rule, limit and figure in it was checked against the sources listed at the end of the guide, and every number in its examples was recalculated, on the date shown. It does not mean the guide was reviewed by a licensed lender, agent or tax professional. If a guide has been reviewed by a licensed professional, it says so separately and names them.

Updates

Rules and limits change: insurance premiums rise, loan programs adjust their requirements, states change exemptions. When we learn of a change, we update the guide and the date at the top. Significant changes are listed on our corrections page.

Limits

Our guides describe how things generally work in the United States. Your county, state, lender or insurer may apply different rules. We are not a lender, insurer or tax adviser, and nothing here is personal advice. See our disclaimer.

Questions about a method or a number? Contact us.