How to use Plot Eval

Clear guide to every part of the site

Plot Eval is a web app that turns property CSVs into a single research workspace: create a dataset, import rows, resolve parcels and geocode, enrich with county GIS when your tier supports it, then browse, grade, map, and track notes, checklists, and reminders on each property.

Support explains platform functionality only and does not provide investment advice.

Overview

Plot Eval turns property lists (tax sale CSVs, county exports, or your own spreadsheets) into a single research workspace. You create a dataset, upload a CSV, and the site enriches properties with GIS data, grades them, and puts them on a map. You then browse, filter, and open each property in a workspace (maps, checklist, notes, reminders, and status). The Dashboard surfaces upcoming reminders; Agenda and Calendar organize them by date; Decisions summarizes pipeline markings across properties. Inbox is available on Team workspaces for assignments and notifications. Export when you need a spreadsheet copy.

Plot Eval home page through "How Plot Eval is meant to work" (hero, workspace CTA, and three workflow cards). — Home page — use Dashboard or New dataset to get started.

Navigation bar: Dashboard, New dataset, How to, About, and Sign out. — Navigation — Dashboard, New dataset, How to, About.

1. Dashboard (home)

After signing in, you land on the Dashboard at /datasets. This is your home for all datasets. Each part of the screen is described below.

1.1 Header and primary action

Dashboard (title): Page heading; confirms you are on the datasets list.
Welcome back, [name]: Greeting under the title; [name] is from your account email.
New dataset (button): Primary action. Opens the create-dataset form (name + county). Use this before uploading any CSV.
[N] dataset(s): Count of datasets you own; shown next to the New dataset button.

Header — New dataset button and dataset count.

1.2 KPI summary row

Three cards summarize properties across all your datasets:

Total properties: Sum of all properties in all datasets.
Enriched: Count of properties that have been geocoded and (where applicable) resolved with county GIS data.
Enrichment (with progress bar): Percentage of properties that are enriched; the bar fills left-to-right. 100% means every property has location data.

KPI cards: Total properties, Enriched, Enrichment %. — KPI row — Total properties, Enriched count, Enrichment %.

1.3 Properties per dataset chart

A bar chart shows each dataset name and two bars per dataset: total properties (e.g. blue) and enriched count. Use it to see which datasets still need enrichment.

1.4 Your datasets (cards)

Each dataset appears as a card. Component breakdown:

Dataset name: Title of the card (e.g. "PG County tax Sale 2026"). You set this when creating the dataset.
County badge / Created date: County name and creation date under the title.
Map preview: Small static map of property locations in that dataset, if any have coordinates.
[N] properties and [N] enriched: Property count and how many are enriched for that dataset.
Open dataset →: Appears on hover. Click anywhere on the card to open the Browse view for that dataset.

One dataset card with name, county, properties count, map preview. — Dataset card — click to open Browse for that dataset.

Full Dashboard: header, KPIs, chart, dataset cards. — Dashboard — full view.

1.5 Next actions, reminders, and global views

When you have properties, the Dashboard also shows a Next actions panel: upcoming and overdue reminders you attached on property pages (follow-ups, deadlines, auction dates). Use View all reminders to open the full Agenda at /agenda. The top app navigation includes Agenda, Decisions (workspace-wide summary of statuses and recent activity), and Calendar (month view of reminders). On Team plans, Inbox can list assignments and team notifications.

2. Create a dataset

You must create a dataset before uploading a CSV. The dataset stores your properties and is tied to one county (which controls GIS enrichment). Steps and form fields are below.

2.1 Opening the form

On the Dashboard, click the New dataset button (top right). A panel opens with the title "Create a new dataset" and two fields.

2.2 Form fields (component list)

Dataset name (required): Free text, for your reference only (e.g. "PG Tax Sale 2024", "Marathon tax sale 2026"). Shown on the Dashboard card and in the Browse bar.
County (required): Dropdown of supported counties. This choice controls which GIS is used for parcel resolution and enrichment. Same property data can yield different enrichment depending on county (e.g. Prince George's has full parcel + community + environmental layers; Maryland statewide uses state ACCTID parcel IDs; some counties have geocoding only until configs are added). Pick the county that matches your CSV data.

2.3 Submit and next step

Create dataset (button): Submits the form. On success, the new dataset appears as a card on the Dashboard. Click that card to open Browse, then use the Import button to upload your CSV (see section 3).

3. Import CSV (Upload)

To add properties to a dataset, open that dataset from the Dashboard (click its card), then use the Import panel on the Browse page. Below: where to find it, each part of the upload form, and what runs after you upload.

3.1 Where to find the Import panel

On the Browse page, the top bar shows the dataset name and two action buttons. Component list:

Dataset name: Title of the current dataset (same as on the Dashboard card).
County badge: Small pill with the dataset's county (e.g. Prince George's County).
X props / Y% enriched: Property count and enrichment percentage for this dataset.
Import (button, upload icon): Click to expand the upload panel. When expanded, the button is highlighted.
Health (button, chevron): Click to expand the health panel (grade distribution and other stats). Import and Health cannot both be open at once.

Dataset bar: name, stats, Import and Health buttons. — Dataset bar — click **Import** to open the upload panel.

3.2 Upload CSV form (component list)

After clicking Import, the panel shows:

Source type (dropdown): Kind of data (e.g. Tax sale). Affects how rows are matched to properties and how evidence is stored.
CSV file (file input): Choose a CSV from your device. The file must include at least one of: parcel ID, address, or owner. Typical columns: parcel_id, address, taxes_owed, sale_year, advertised_owner.
Upload & process (button): Starts the import. The site creates an import record, parses the CSV, matches rows to properties (by parcel ID and/or address), and attaches evidence (e.g. taxes owed, sale year). Duplicate parcels are merged; multiple imports into the same dataset increase convergence score for repeat appearances.

3.3 Import History

In the same panel, a collapsible section Import History lists recent imports. Each row shows: status (e.g. done, processing, failed), filename, row count, and processed count. Use it to confirm an upload finished successfully.

3.4 What runs after you upload

After processing, the site automatically runs (in the background): Resolve parcels (batch lookup by parcel ID in county/state GIS), then Geocode (addresses to lat/long), then Polygons (parcel geometry). You may see progress text like "Resolving parcels…", "Geocoding addresses…", "Fetching polygons…". See section 4 for what each step does.

Full Browse view: dataset bar, grades, view toggles, Filters, Export CSV, map. — Browse page — full view with Import panel area at top.

4. Resolve parcels and geocode

These steps usually run automatically right after you upload (section 3). They run in the background; you do not need to click anything. If you add data elsewhere or need to refresh, the same steps can be triggered again from the server/import flow. Each step is explained below.

4.1 Resolve parcels

What it does: Looks up each property by parcel ID in the dataset's county (or state) GIS. Fills in or updates: zoning, assessed value, owner, lot size, year built, flood zone, schools, roads, and other fields stored in county_data on the property.
How it runs: Runs in batches (e.g. limit 100 per request). The service rate-limits requests to avoid overloading GIS servers.
When it helps: Resolving first often improves data quality (e.g. standardized address from GIS). For supported counties, community and environmental enrichment runs when parcels are resolved and geometry is available.

4.2 Geocode

What it does: Sends addresses to the geocoder (e.g. Mapbox) to get latitude/longitude. Writes coordinates to the property so it can be shown on the map.
Why it matters: Needed for map display and for any enrichment that uses the parcel location (e.g. environmental layers).

4.3 Polygons

Optionally fetches parcel geometry (polygons) from GIS for map display. Not all counties expose polygon layers; when available, parcels can be drawn on the map instead of just pins.

5. Understanding grades

Each property has three score dimensions. The investment grade uses letter grades A+ through F. Below: the three dimensions, how letter grades work, and where you see them in the UI.

5.1 Three score dimensions (component list)

Data readiness: 0–100 score: how complete the record is (address, parcel ID, geocode, county data, owner). Until this is high enough (e.g. ≥ 50), the investment grade shows "Pending" because the system does not yet have enough data to score fairly.
Investment potential: Letter grade A+ through F, derived from tax-to-value ratio, zoning, flood risk, lot size, owner-occupied status, repeat tax sale, and similar signals. Shown only when data readiness is sufficient. This is the main grade you filter and sort by in Browse.
Research progress: 0–100: how much you have vetted the property (checklist items, notes, status changes). Shown as a small progress ring in the table and on the property page. Improves as you complete checklist items and add notes.

5.2 Grade letters (A+ through F)

Investment potential, site evaluation, and combined grades all use the same letter scale. Higher score = better letter. Grouped for reference:

A+ (90+), A (85–89), A− (80–84)
B+ (75–79), B (68–74), B− (60–67)
C+ (52–59), C (42–51), C− (32–41)
D (18–31), F (0–17)

Tax-to-value ratio is included in the breakdown when we have both taxes owed and assessed value. Grades are tools to prioritize research, not legal or investment advice.

5.3 Where you see grades in the UI

Grades row (Browse bar): Below the dataset name bar: one chip per letter (A, B, C, D, F) with the count of properties in that grade. Shown when the Health panel is closed. Lets you see distribution at a glance.
Health panel (Browse): Click Health to expand a panel with grade distribution and other dataset health stats.
Table (Browse): Each row shows the property's investment letter (and often data readiness / research progress rings). Click a row to open the property workspace.
Property page (grade badge): Click the grade badge to open a breakdown of which signals added or subtracted points.

Grades row: A, B, C, D, F with counts. — Grades row — counts per letter (A–F) on the Browse bar.

6. Browse: table, map, filters

The Browse page is the main view for a dataset. You see the dataset bar, grades row, view toggles, filters, export, table, and map. Each component is described below.

6.1 Dataset bar and actions

See section 3.1 for the full component list (dataset name, county badge, props/enriched stats, Import, Health). Click Import to upload CSV; click Health to see grade distribution and health stats.

Dataset bar with Import and Health buttons. — Dataset bar.

6.2 Grades row

Directly under the dataset bar (when Health is closed): one chip per letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) with the number of properties in that grade. See section 5.3 for details.

Grades row: A, B, C, D, F counts. — Grades row.

6.3 View toggles

Split: Shows table and map side by side. Default view.
Map: Map only; hides the table.
Table: Table only; hides the map.

View toggles: Split, Map, Table. — View toggles — Split, Map, Table.

6.4 Filters and Export CSV

Filters (button): Opens the filter panel. Filter by: status (New, Researching, Shortlist, Ignore), grade, zoning, year built, lot size, taxes owed, convergence, flags, and more. Sort by grade, convergence, last updated, address, etc. Saved filter presets are available when configured.
Export CSV (button): Downloads the current list (respecting active filters) as a CSV with key fields and grades. Use for offline analysis or reporting. See section 8.

Filters and Export CSV buttons. — Filters and Export CSV.

6.5 Table

Each row is one property. Components:

Address / parcel: Primary identifier; may show address or parcel ID.
Status pill: New, Researching, Shortlist, or Ignore. Use filters to show only e.g. Shortlist.
Grade: Investment letter (A+–F) or Pending.
Data readiness / Research progress: Small progress rings or values.
Taxes, convergence, flags: Other key fields. Click the row to open the property workspace.

6.6 Map

Pins for each property; color can reflect status or grade. Click a pin to open that property. Map controls (zoom, layers, street/satellite) appear on or beside the map. "X / Y mapped" indicates how many properties have coordinates and are visible.

7. Property workspace

Click a property row or map pin in Browse to open its property workspace (detail page). Layout may be a single column or a three-panel "terminal" layout (left: pipeline navigator; center: content; right: research panel). Each part of the workspace is described below.

Property workspace: verdict banner with grade, signals grid (Data Readiness, Investment Potential, Site Evaluation), and research panel. — Property workspace — verdict, signals, and research tools in one view.

7.1 Header and navigation

← Browse: Link back to the dataset Browse page.
← Prev / Next →: Move to the previous or next property in the list without leaving the workspace. Shown when the dataset has more than one property.
Position (e.g. 1/5): Current index in the filtered list.
Address / parcel ID: Primary heading for the property.
Owner, Parcel, Missing: [field], Repeat, Converged: Secondary chips: owner name, parcel ID, missing-data warnings, repeat-appearance and convergence indicators.

7.2 Verdict and signals (terminal layout)

When the terminal layout is on, the center column starts with:

Verdict banner: Combined grade label (e.g. Strong Candidate, Review, Low Priority), letter and score, next step (research cue), and "Private by design" line.
Signals grid: Six cards: Data Readiness, Investment Potential, Site Evaluation, Convergence, HOA Risk, Record coverage, Research Progress. Each shows a value and short explanation. Use them to see at a glance why a property scores as it does.

7.3 Map

Street / Satellite / Street view: Toggles for base map and street view. Use street view for curb appeal and access.

7.4 Scores block

Data readiness: Completeness of the record (see section 5.1).
Investment grade: Letter (A+–F) or Pending. Click the grade to open the full breakdown (which signals added or subtracted points).
Site score: 0–100 and letter from Plot Eval (location, access, buildability, etc.) when available.
Research progress: Ring or value from checklist, notes, and status.
Tax-to-value ratio: Shown when we have both taxes owed and assessed value.

7.5 Detail sections (collapsible)

Scrollable blocks; expand/collapse by section:

Owner & Ownership: Owner names (tax sale vs county), parcel ID, mailing address, owner-occupied, tenancy, last transfer, last sale, sale type. Discrepancy note if tax-sale and county owner names differ.
Tax Assessment & History: Current taxes owed, assessed value, land/improvements, tax class, exempt class, tax map. Link to MD SDAT when available. Timeline of tax sale history by year.
Property Details: Zoning, land use, plan area, year built, structure sqft, dwelling type, lot (acres/sqft), subdivision, census tract/block, municipality, watershed, waterfront, street paved, legal description, plat/lot/block/liber/folio.
Radius Evaluation: County context card and parcels-in-radius summary (count, acreage, vacant %, etc.). Depends on county parcel sync or dataset-only data.
Location & Access: Schools (district, elementary, middle, high), road access (frontage, class, owner, type, speed limit), service districts (council, police, fire), utilities (water, sewer).
Environmental & Hydrology: FEMA flood zone, slope, wetlands, streams, flood plain, Chesapeake Bay CCA, scenic easement, agriculture, historic resource/site.
Evidence Trail: List of evidence items (type, source, date, taxes owed, sale year, owner) attached to the property.
Risks / Flags: Data-quality or risk flags (type, severity, note). Critical flags are called out.

7.6 Research panel (right or drawer)

On desktop it appears on the right; on mobile it may be in a drawer. Components:

Checklist: Due-diligence items (e.g. zoning verified, title checked). Check off as you research. Completing items increases research progress.
Notes: Add timestamped notes. Preserves research history.
Reminders: Add follow-up and due dates (e.g. auction, title pull, site visit). They appear on the property timeline, in the Dashboard Next actions list, and on Agenda / Calendar. Mark complete when done.
Status: Set to New, Researching, Shortlist, or Ignore. Use Shortlist for properties you want to pursue; filter by status in Browse. Changing status also affects research progress.

Actions panel showing Decision Panel, External Screening Tools, Research Activity timeline, and Reminders section. — Actions panel — Decision Panel, screening tools, research activity, and reminders.

Due Diligence checklist with Pending, Pass, and Fail buttons for items like Street View, Zoning, Access, Redemption, Title, Drive-by, and more. — Due Diligence checklist — mark each item as Pending, Pass, or Fail as you research.

In terminal layout, the pipeline navigator (left panel) lists properties so you can jump to another without going back to Browse.

8. Export CSV

From the Browse page you can download the current property list as a CSV. The export respects the active filters, so you can export e.g. only Shortlist or only A/B grades. Component list:

Export CSV (button): Located near the Filters button on the Browse page. Click to trigger the download. The file includes key fields (address, parcel, status, grades, taxes, convergence, etc.) for every property in the current filtered list.
Filters apply: If you have filters active (e.g. status = Shortlist, grade A or B), only those properties are included in the CSV. To export the full dataset, clear filters first.

Use the CSV for offline analysis, reporting, or sharing with others. Format is standard spreadsheet-friendly (comma-separated, header row).

Filters and Export CSV buttons on Browse. — Filters and Export CSV — Export CSV is on the right.

9. Reminders, Agenda, Decisions, Inbox

Beyond Browse and each property page, Plot Eval gives you cross-cutting views so deadlines and decisions do not live only in your head.

Reminders (property page): Created from the property workspace (timeline / reminders panel). Each reminder has a date and title; overdue items are highlighted on the Dashboard.
Agenda (/agenda): List of upcoming and overdue reminders across datasets, with links back to the property.
Calendar (/calendar): Month grid of the same reminders; click a day to inspect what is due.
Decisions (/decisions): Workspace-level view of decision activity and statuses so you can review the pipeline without opening each row.
Inbox (/inbox): On Team workspaces, may show assignments and notifications; availability depends on your plan and workspace setup.

Agenda page showing overdue Revisit reminders with color-coded key for Auction/Deadline, Revisit, Follow-up, and Custom types. — Agenda — all reminders and deadlines across your datasets in one list.

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