For spec and custom builders
Screen the lot before you spend a week chasing it.
Most bad builder outcomes are priced in at acquisition: too much for the dirt, the wrong house for the street, or a site issue that shows up after earnest money. LotAlpha is lot underwriting software for that first screen — market evidence, product fit, preliminary all-in cost, and early diligence flags — so you can decide whether the parcel is worth a surveyor, a civil, or a hard bid.
What a builder is actually deciding
- Can this street support the house you want to build? Closed sales when they exist; active and pending new-construction competition when closings are thin.
- What is a defensible lot basis? Residual thinking: supported exit minus hard costs, site work, soft costs, selling costs, and the profit you actually require.
- What might kill the deal later? Flood, slope, missing utility confirmation, HOA/CCR clues, access — labeled as signals, not will-serve letters.
Who this is for
Solo spec builders, small custom shops, and builder-school graduates who look at more lots than they can fully underwrite by hand. If you already have a land department and a civil on retainer, LotAlpha is still useful as a consistent first pass — not a replacement for that team.
How a run works
- Enter the address and your build program (size band, stories, $/SF, target margin).
- Review market competition and drop listings that do not belong in the set.
- Read the memo: decision call, economics scenario, and diligence items that still need a human.
Firm Pursue stays blocked when there is not enough integrity-valid closed-sale support. Thin markets show a directional scenario instead of pretending asking prices are closings.
Related
Small developers: see residential development feasibility.