Methodology

HomeRule analyzes the real cost of owning a home using public federal data, presented at the county and state level with qualifying language and balanced risk framing. Specific datasets are cited inline on each guide, county, and calculator page where a claim is made.

Editorial process

Research is AI-assisted; every guide is reviewed by a HomeRule editor before publication. Data-driven pages (county, state, calculator) are programmatically rendered from imported public datasets and refreshed on a regular ISR cadence. We update guides when underlying data or methodology changes.

What we measure

HomeRule analyses fall into four families. Specific dataset attribution appears next to the figures on each page.

• Annual ownership cost. County-level property tax plus an insurance estimate, energy cost, and a maintenance factor. Reported annually and monthly.
• Rent-vs-buy break-even. Compares cumulative non-equity ownership outflows net of equity gained against cumulative rent net of the down-payment pool invested at an assumed market return. Break-even is the first year where net buy cost falls below net rent cost.
• Affordability index. Median owner cost as a share of median household income at the county level. Lower is more affordable.
• Flood-risk signal. A relative county-level signal derived from historical National Flood Insurance Program claims, expressed as low, moderate, high, and very high tiers. This is a historical indicator, not a forward-looking forecast.

How affordability is weighted

Where HomeRule presents a composite affordability view (for example on the affordability index), the components contribute as follows:

• Owner cost share of income: 60%
• Property tax burden: 25%
• Local energy and insurance baseline: 15%

Weights are reviewed when underlying data sources or methodology change; revisions are noted in the version history below.

Update cadence

• County and state pages refresh as the underlying federal datasets are re-released.
• Calculator default mortgage rates refresh weekly.
• Guides are reviewed and updated when underlying data or methodology changes.

Limits and caveats

County averages hide intra-county variation. Property taxes, insurance premiums, and utility costs can vary widely between neighborhoods, home ages, and structures. Historical flood claims do not capture properties that were never insured. HomeRule is not a real estate agent, lender, appraiser, or financial advisor; figures on this site are starting points, not a substitute for a professional assessment of a specific property.

Editorial team

Reviewed by the HomeRule editorial team. See About and Editorial Guidelines for more on our process.