Resources
How LotAlpha works, and what to check on the lot.
Product notes, desk answers, and builder guides. These pages help you screen a residential lot. They are not a substitute for local professionals.
Guides
Start here for the product, then the checklists for the parcel.
- Builders
How LotAlpha screens a residential lot for a spec or infill builder before deeper diligence.
- How it works
Four steps from a pin on the map to a pursue / negotiate / pass screen.
- Sample report
A public memo in the same shape as Inbox, including Site Check.
- Lot feasibility checklist
Identity, market, cost, site, utilities, access, and HOA items to verify before you treat a listing as buildable.
- How to evaluate a lot for new construction
Sequence from market support to maximum lot basis, plus the professional work LotAlpha does not replace.
- Spec-home feasibility calculator
The residual lot-basis identity. Screening math only — not an appraisal or bid.
- DFW lot feasibility
North Texas notes: clay, floodplain, MUD/PID, ETJ, and HOA architectural review.
The screen
- What does LotAlpha actually do?
- LotAlpha helps builders screen a residential lot using market evidence, product fit, preliminary project costs, and early due-diligence signals so they can decide whether the opportunity deserves deeper investigation.
- Does LotAlpha replace an appraisal, survey, or title work?
- No. LotAlpha is a preliminary screen. It does not replace an appraisal, survey, title work, or legal, engineering, civil, utility, zoning, permit, or environmental diligence. It is not a substitute for lender underwriting requirements.
- Does a Pursue result mean the lot is buildable or the profit is guaranteed?
- No. Pursue, Negotiate, and Pass are screening calls based on the evidence available at run time. LotAlpha does not guarantee buildability, ARV, sale price, profit, appreciation, financing, or lender approval.
- What happens when data is missing?
- Missing data is never treated as safe. Site Check and public-map layers fail closed: if flood, elevation, or a GIS feed is not confirmed, the memo says so. A blank cell is not a green light.
- Is the data MLS-verified?
- LotAlpha uses authorized third-party property providers. Coverage varies by location. We do not claim MLS verification unless an authorized MLS feed is connected.
- Can I use LotAlpha for infill and spec lots?
- Yes. The same screen applies to infill and production-style spec lots: market support, product fit, preliminary all-in cost, and early site flags. Local codes, HOA rules, and utility capacity still have to be confirmed on the ground.
Using the desk
- How do I run an analysis?
- Open Analyze. Step 1 identifies the parcel from a street address. Step 2 is the house you intend to build — size, stories, costs, financing, and required profit. Step 3 is the memo: market evidence, economics, and diligence. One credit is used when a new analysis begins.
- What is Find Lots?
- Find Lots searches land listings so you can pick a parcel and hand it to Analyze. It is a listing search, not a live MLS feed, and it does not underwrite the lot until you run Analyze.
- What is Inbox?
- Inbox is the saved-memo desk. Reopen a report, export the PDF, or select two or three completed deals to compare. Compare is on Pro Builder and Studio.
- Is Market included on every paid plan?
- No. Builder includes inventory and absorption on the lot memo. The Market desk — pulse across saved underwrites — starts at Pro Builder. Studio adds a pipeline board on that same desk. Free has Inbox and Account only; Market shows an upgrade screen.
- What is Site Check?
- Site Check is the diligence block on the memo: flood (FEMA), elevation, and any public GIS findings we can confirm. Public-map layers are fail-closed. Local confirmations still belong to survey, civil, and the city.
- What does Area Growth mean?
- Area Growth is a binary green-light when momentum evidence supports it. It is not a score, a forecast, or a promise that values will rise.
Plans and credits
- What does the Free plan include?
- Three limited analyses each calendar month, up to three saved reports, a basic ARV and deal score, up to three preview comps, and PDF export of saved memos. Paid plans run the fuller analysis, including active and pending competition when available.
- What is on Builder, Pro Builder, and Studio?
- Builder ($39/mo) is 30 full analyses, full comps, full underwriting, and inventory on the memo. Pro Builder ($99/mo) is 100 analyses, two seats, deal compare, and the Market desk. Studio ($299/mo) is 300 analyses, five seats, pipeline board, white-label PDFs, and API. Enterprise is custom. Paid checkout is not open yet.
- What counts as an analysis credit?
- One credit is used when a new analysis begins. Opening a saved report or downloading that memo’s PDF again does not use another credit. Extra credits can be bought as a single report or a pack once paid billing is open.
- Where do I change plan or billing?
- Account holds desk identity, teammates, and plan upgrades. Billing under Account shows usage and extra credits. Paid Stripe checkout is still closed, so upgrade buttons currently say not applicable yet.