Why a cross-topic hub? Owning a home is four jobs at once. You're a project manager when you repair the roof or renovate the kitchen. You're a risk manager when you pick an insurance policy. You're a seller when you list. You're a tax filer every year the home is part of your life — mortgage interest, property taxes, capital gains, and the Section 121 exclusion when you sell. Every one of those conversations pulls from a different domain knowledge base.
The four sites linked below are built by the same five-layer verification: 5-model AI consensus (Grok, Gemini, Claude, with DeepSeek logic check and Cerebras synthesis), primary-source verification against CFPB, HUD, IRS, NAIC, NAR, FDIC, ALTA, state real-estate commissions, and state revenue departments; unanimous-agreement publication gate; counterfactual review against opposing evidence; and firm editorial read for reader utility. None of this replaces a licensed attorney, CPA, or real-estate professional — but it gives you the right questions to bring to one.
How to use this hub. Pick the stage you're at. If you're selling without an agent, start at First Door Key. If you're picking or updating a policy, go to the Insurance knowledge base. If you're renovating or troubleshooting a repair, the Home Improvement KB. If it's tax season, the Tax Guide.
Selling & buying
First Door Key — FSBO Guide
State-by-state for-sale-by-owner pathways for all 50 states + DC: disclosure requirements, transfer tax tiers, closing agent (title/attorney/escrow/hybrid), homestead exemptions, and specific rule quirks. Plus net-proceeds calculators and buyer-side counterpart guides.
Open First Door Key →Tax Filing Guide — Capital Gains & Section 121
IRS Publication 523 explained: when the $250K/$500K capital-gains exclusion applies, how to calculate adjusted basis including improvements, what closing costs deduct from gain, and state-specific tax overlays on home sales.
Open tax guide →Maintenance & improvement
Home Improvement Knowledge Base
DIY repair walkthroughs, remodeling decisions (cost vs value, permit requirements), maintenance schedules by system (HVAC, roof, plumbing, electrical, foundation), and contractor vetting. Sourced against NAHB, NARI, EPA, energy.gov, and manufacturer technical documentation.
Open home improvement KB →Insurance — Homeowner, Landlord, Flood, Umbrella
Consumer insurance knowledge base covering homeowner policies (HO-1 through HO-8), landlord coverage, flood (NFIP) and earthquake add-ons, and umbrella liability. Sourced against NAIC, Insurance Information Institute, CFPB, state insurance departments, and AM Best ratings.
Open insurance KB →Editorial methodology
Five-layer verification before publication:
(1) MoE draft — Grok (web + X search), Gemini (Google grounding), and Claude (web search) each produce independent drafts; DeepSeek reviews logic and date accuracy; Cerebras synthesizes consensus.
(2) Primary-source verification — every claim cross-checked against CFPB, HUD, IRS Publication 523 and related publications, state real-estate commissions, state revenue departments, NAIC, NAR research, AM Best, ALTA, and peer-reviewed real estate / finance / insurance literature.
(3) Publication gate — unanimous agreement required across all five experts.
(4) Counterfactual review — each surviving claim re-tested against its strongest opposing evidence (e.g., where IRS guidance differs from NAR's popular summary, we surface the discrepancy rather than pick one).
(5) Firm review — our own editorial read for reader utility before shipping.
Full methodology + per-site source lists: each sub-site's About & Sources page.