How to Use Filters - Heatmap Housing Documentation

Overview

Heatmap Housing's filtering system lets you narrow down thousands of ZIP codes to find exactly what you're looking for. Filters work together using AND logic — all conditions must be met for a result to show.

The platform has two filter levels: ZIP-level filters for the main heatmap and table, and property-level filters for individual property listings when zoomed in.

ZIP-Level Filters

1. State Selection

Choose which states you want to analyze. All plans have access to all 50 states.

How to use:

Click the State Filter dropdown
Check the states you want to include
The map and table update automatically

2. Investment Goal

Set your investment strategy to adjust how deal quality is scored:

Cashflow — Prioritize monthly cash flow and cap rate
Appreciation — Prioritize market growth and value trends
Balanced — Equal weight to both cashflow and appreciation metrics

3. Data Source

Toggle between data timeframes:

6-Month Rolling Average — Smoothed data, available on Free and Basic plans
Current Month — Current-month snapshots for time-sensitive decisions (Pro plan)

4. Numeric Range Filters

Set minimum and maximum values for key metrics:

Cash Flow

Estimated monthly profit after mortgage, taxes, insurance, and HOA. Property-level cash flow also deducts vacancy, management, maintenance, CapEx, and utilities.

Use case: Find areas generating at least $500/month profit
Example: Min: 500, Max: (leave blank for unlimited)

Purchase Price

Target property purchase price to achieve your cash flow goals.

Use case: Stay within your budget
Example: Max: 250000 (properties under $250k)

Cap Rate

Return on investment as a percentage (Net Operating Income / Purchase Price).

Use case: Find high-yield investments
Example: Min: 8 (at least 8% annual return)

Market Metrics

Median Sale Price — Middle price point in the market
Days on Market — How long properties typically take to sell
Homes Sold — Market activity level

Pro Tip: Leave one side of a range blank to filter in one direction only. For example, "Cash Flow Min: 500" with no max will show all areas with $500+ monthly cash flow.

5. Text Search Filters

Search for specific text within columns:

County: Find properties in specific counties (e.g., "Kings" for Kings County, NY)
Metropolitan Area: Search by metro region (e.g., "Phoenix")

Search behavior:

Case-insensitive ("phoenix" finds "Phoenix")
Partial matches ("king" finds "Kings County")
Updates as you type (300ms debounce)

6. Categorical Filters

Property Type

Single Family Residential
Townhouse
Condo/Co-op
Multi-Family (2-4 Unit)

Check all property types you're interested in. Unchecked types will be excluded.

Property-Level Filters

When you zoom into a ZIP code and switch to property-level view, a separate set of filters becomes available in the filter modal's Property tab:

Price — Filter individual properties by listing price
Max Offer — Filter by calculated maximum offer price (Basic+ plans)
Net Cash Flow — Filter by monthly cash flow after all expenses (Basic+ plans)
DSCR — Debt Service Coverage Ratio (Basic+ plans)
Cash-on-Cash — Annual return on invested cash (Basic+ plans)
Beds / Baths / Sqft — Filter by property size
Property Type — Filter by property type within the ZIP

Property filters apply to the property table and map markers without affecting your ZIP-level filters.

Combining Filters

The power of Heatmap Housing comes from combining multiple filters. All conditions must be met (AND logic).

Example: "Affordable High-Cash-Flow Properties"

States: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan
Investment Goal: Cashflow
Cash Flow Min: 500
Purchase Price Max: 200000
Property Type: Single Family, Townhouse
Cap Rate Min: 8

Result: Single family homes and townhouses in the Midwest with $500+ monthly cash flow, under $200k purchase price, and 8%+ returns.

Example: "High-End Metros with Strong Appreciation"

States: California, Texas, Florida
Investment Goal: Appreciation
Metropolitan Area Search: "San" (finds San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Antonio)
Median Sale Price Min: 400000
Days on Market Max: 45 (fast-moving markets)

Clearing Filters

Individual Filter: Click the X icon or delete the value
All Filters: Click Clear All Filters button, or press Ctrl+Shift+R

Heatmap Visualization

The map uses color-coding based on your selected heatmap metric:

Open the Heatmap tab in the bottom drawer
Select a metric to visualize (Cash Flow, Cap Rate, Purchase Price, Median Sale Price, Rent, and many more)
Adjust the min/max range sliders to focus on specific value ranges
Map colors update to show value rankings

The heatmap panel includes a histogram showing the distribution of values, color gradient customization, and an outlier trimming option.

Column Picker

Customize which columns appear in the data table:

Click the Columns button above the data table
Use the search box to quickly find columns by name
Check/uncheck columns to show/hide them
Drag columns to reorder them
Click Apply to save your changes

Some columns require a paid plan and are marked with a lock icon. See the Pricing page for details on column access by plan.

Saved Filters

Found a search you'll use again? Save it!

Saving a Filter:

Apply all desired filters
Click Save Filters in the filter modal footer
Enter a name (description auto-generated from active filters)
Click Save

Loading a Saved Filter:

Click Load Saved... in the filter modal footer, or go to your profile menu and select Saved Workspaces
Browse your saved searches
Click Load on the desired filter
All filters, sorting, and column visibility are restored

The number of saved workspaces you can create depends on your plan. See the Pricing page for details.

Filter Performance

Filters update in real-time with a 300ms debounce. This means the map and table will refresh shortly after you stop typing or adjusting ranges.

Expected Behavior:

Typing in text field: Updates 300ms after you stop typing
Adjusting numeric ranges: Updates 300ms after you stop typing
Selecting checkboxes: Updates immediately
Changing states: Updates immediately

Troubleshooting

No results showing?

Your filters might be too restrictive. Try relaxing some criteria.
Check that you have states selected.
Click Clear All Filters and start fresh.

Filters not updating?

Wait 300ms after typing — debounce delay is intentional.
Try hard refreshing the page (Ctrl+Shift+R).

Need More Help?

Check out our other documentation:

Or contact us at support@heatmaphousing.com