If you are looking to buy a new home, or trying to figure out if buying will be cheaper in the long run than renting, financial calculators can be great tools in the decision-making process. Be careful, though, of relying on them too heavily to determine what ownership is going to cost you, experts say.

“The key is understanding and accepting their limitations,” said Michael Schreiber, managing editor of MainStreet.com. “Calculators should be used as a general guide, but an automated tool, no matter how comprehensive, can’t replace a real person.”