Insights on tax, closing costs and offers
Comparative articles that go deeper than any single state guide — grounded in the same rule data the calculator runs on.
Cash vs. Mortgage: The Four Closing Costs That Only Show Up When You Finance
Four line items in this calculator’s closing cost breakdown only appear for a buyer taking out a loan: a flat $1,400 origination fee plus points, a $550 appraisal, and a lender’s title insurance charge folded into the title insurance line. A cash buyer pays none of them — here is exactly how much that is worth, and why one of the four is capped at $900 no matter how big the loan.
Read moreAttorney States vs. Escrow States: The Flat Legal Fee Hiding in Four States’ Closing Costs
In New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and North Carolina, this calculator bakes a flat attorney fee into every closing — $1,200 for the buyer, $900 for the seller — while the other thirteen states charge nothing for it. Here is where that line item comes from and why it does not move with price.
Read moreWhen the Statewide Rate Isn’t the Real Number: County and City Overrides in FL, TX, and CA
Fourteen of this calculator’s 17 states run on one statewide rate. Three don’t — Florida, Texas, and California each have specific counties or cities where the real transfer tax or property tax rate is materially different from the number on the state guide.
Read moreEscrow and Settlement Fees by State: Why the Flat Charge Varies by Thousands of Dollars
The fee a title or escrow company charges just to run the closing is a separate line item from the title insurance premium, and it is built from two numbers — a flat base and a per-$1,000 rate — that differ sharply from state to state.
Read moreState Income Tax on a Real Estate Sale: Why the Gap Between States Is Bigger Than You Think
Federal capital-gains rules are the same wherever you sell. The state layer on top of them is not — it ranges from zero to over 13%, and that gap alone can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on a single sale.
Read moreHomestead Exemptions by State: How Much Do They Actually Save You?
A homestead exemption and an assessment growth cap are two different benefits that often get lumped together. Here is what each one is actually worth, state by state, using the real exemption amounts behind this calculator.
Read moreHow Insurance Baseline Rates Vary by State: Wind, Flood, and Earthquake Riders Compared
Hazard insurance is one of the biggest swing factors in holding cost, and it is not one number — base rates, hurricane wind surcharges, earthquake riders, and flood zone tiers each move independently by state.
Read moreWho Pays for Title Insurance? A State-by-State Buyer vs. Seller Breakdown
There is no federal rule on who writes the check for owner’s title insurance — it comes down to local market custom, and it is split roughly evenly between buyer-pays and seller-pays states.
Read moreCook County’s Equalizer Factor: Why Your Illinois Property Tax Bill Looks Wrong at First Glance
Cook County assesses homes at just 10% of value, which looks like a tiny tax bill — until the state equalization factor multiplies it back up. Here’s how the math actually works.
Read moreNew Jersey’s Mansion Tax Now Falls on the Seller — Here’s the Math on a $1M+ Sale
New Jersey’s 2025 law moved the state’s graduated mansion tax from buyer to seller. Here’s how the 1%–3.5% schedule actually adds up on deals above $1 million.
Read moreHow Title Insurance Rate Tiers Actually Work (and Why Crossing a Price Threshold Won’t Spike Your Bill)
Title insurance premiums aren’t a flat percentage of price — most states price them in declining tiers, like a tax bracket that runs backwards. Here’s how that math actually plays out.
Read moreStates That Reassess Property Tax at Sale vs. States That Don’t
Of the 17 states this calculator covers, only three reset the property tax basis the moment you close. Here is which ones, why it matters, and what the other 14 do instead.
Read moreWhy the 70% Rule Doesn’t Work the Same in Every State
The 70% rule assumes closing and holding costs eat about 30% of ARV everywhere. Comparing Texas and Florida against New Jersey and New York shows why that assumption breaks down.
Read moreCalifornia Prop 13 vs. Michigan Proposal A: Two Ways States Reset Your Property Tax at Sale
Both California and Michigan reset property tax at sale and cap its growth afterward — but the mechanics are different enough to change how you underwrite a deal in each state.
Read moreTexas and Arizona Have No Real Estate Transfer Tax — Here’s What That Actually Saves You
Of the 17 states this calculator covers in detail, only Texas and Arizona charge no real estate transfer tax at all. Here is what that means in real dollars on a typical deal.
Read moreDistressed Property? How to Decide Between Repair, Eviction and a Sale
Water damage, a non-paying tenant, or years of deferred maintenance each put you at a fork: fix it, resolve it legally, or sell as-is. Here is a framework for choosing, and where to find help for each path.
Read morePrefer the raw numbers?
Every state’s property tax, transfer tax and insurance rules, one page per state.