What we cover
- US mortgage payment data by state — median-home PITI estimates using Census ACS home values and effective property tax rates, combined with live Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rates.
- Calculator methodology — documented formulas, fee schedules, and verification scenarios for mortgage, refinance, affordability, and tax calculators (see Methodology).
- Weekly rate context — present-tense rate anchors cited from Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, refreshed after each Thursday release when applicable.
What we do not cover
- Personalized financial advice — calculators and reports are educational tools, not recommendations tailored to an individual borrower's credit, income, or goals.
- Forecasts or predictions — the site is present-tense only. We do not publish forward-looking payment projections or rate predictions on citable research surfaces.
- Non-US markets — all state data and program rules refer to US jurisdictions only.
- Non-mortgage financial products beyond calculator adjacencies (e.g., generic loan, tax, or affordability tools tied to housing decisions).
Voice and tone
Research and policy pages use neutral, sourced, factual language. We avoid marketing superlatives, urgency framing, and unsubstantiated claims. When we state a number, we name the source and date.
Author responsibility
Dexter Umel is the sole author of citable editorial content on CalculatorBasics.com. Every research page, methodology document, and policy page carries his byline linked to /about. Guest or automated blog content is labeled separately and is not presented as primary research.
Sourcing standard
All data on citable pages must be traceable to a named primary source — U.S. Census Bureau, Freddie Mac, HUD, VA, USDA, IRS, or another authoritative agency — with the publication or refresh date stated on the page. Secondary aggregators may provide context but do not replace primary citations for headline figures.
See the full source inventory and refresh cadence on Data Sources.