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
- 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 →- 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 →- 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