The RealCostIQ Blog
Blog
Long-form explainers that sit beside our calculators: the rules, fees and trade-offs behind the numbers, written market by market and sourced line by line. No lead forms, no sponsored picks.
United States
- Home InsuranceCondo Insurance (HO-6) vs the HOA Master Policy: What You Insure YourselfThe association insures the building; you insure what it does not. Where that line falls depends on one sentence in your governing documents. Here is how to find it, size your HO-6, and meet the lender's condo insurance rules.13 min read
- Home InsuranceHow Much Homeowners Insurance Does Your Mortgage Lender Require?The lender does not pick a number. It tests your policy against replacement cost, a deductible ceiling and a named-mortgagee clause. Here is each test, the flood exception, and what Massachusetts law says about a lender asking for more.16 min read
- MortgagesEscrow Shortage: Why Your Mortgage Payment Went Up and What to DoYour principal and interest did not change, but your payment did. Here is how the annual escrow analysis produces a shortage, what your servicer may and may not demand, and how to check the math.16 min read
- Renovation & RepairHeat Pump vs Gas Furnace in 2026: Installed Cost and Cost to RunThe math behind the choice: what each system costs to install, what a million BTU of heat costs from gas and from electricity at current EIA prices, and where a heat pump stops winning.21 min read
- Renovation & RepairReroofing Over Old Shingles vs. a Full Tear-Off: Cost, Code and WarrantyA roof-over skips tear-off, but it is not always legal, it can cost you the shingle warranty, and it mostly defers the tear-off cost. Here is the decision rule.18 min read
Canada
Canada blog →- Home BuyingBuying or Selling an Ontario Home With a Rented Water Heater or Furnace: The Contract, the Title Notice and the Buyout at ClosingWho inherits the rental contract, what an old notice of security interest means on title, and what a buyout costs at closing. Ontario rules read from the province's own pages on 2026-10-06.17 min read
- Home InsuranceCondo Insurance in Canada: What the Corporation's Policy Covers and the Deductible You Can Be ChargedThe corporation insures the building, but a water leak from your unit can put its whole deductible on your bill. How Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec each decide who pays, with worked examples in Canadian dollars.23 min read
- Property Taxes & FeesCapital Gains When You Sell a Home or Rental in Canada: How the Tax Is Worked OutThe principal residence exemption, the plus-one year, adjusted cost base, the 12-month flipping rule, CCA recapture on rentals and non-resident withholding, with the arithmetic shown.19 min read
- MortgagesThe Canadian Mortgage Stress Test in 2026: Qualifying Rate, Limits and Worked ExamplesThe stress test does not change your payment. It changes how big a mortgage a lender will approve. Here is the exact arithmetic, in CAD, at three incomes.18 min read
India
India blog →- Home BuyingIFMS, Corpus Fund, Advance Maintenance and the Society Transfer Fee: What a Builder or Society Can Charge YouThe interest-free maintenance deposit is not a refund to you, a corpus fund is three different things, and Maharashtra's draft bye-laws cap a resale premium at ₹25,000. We read the rules and mark what no rule caps.19 min read
- Property Taxes & FeesGift Deed vs Will vs Partition vs Release Deed: Transferring Property in the FamilyA Maharashtra gift to a daughter pays ₹200 stamp duty; the same flat gifted in Bengaluru pays ₹5,000 plus cess. We compare the four family instruments on cost, revocability, tax and what the donee inherits.24 min read
- Home BuyingThe True Cost of Buying a Flat in India: Every Charge Beyond the Sticker PriceA ₹1 crore flat is rarely a ₹1 crore cheque. Stamp duty by state, 5% GST on under-construction homes, TDS, brokerage and the charges that vary by project, line by line.22 min read