Getting Started with Heatmap Housing

Welcome to Heatmap Housing

Heatmap Housing is a visualization-first investment platform. See every U.S. ZIP code on a live, interactive heatmap — color-coded by your criteria. Drill into property-level data nationwide. Underwrite deals with pre-filled, sourced data. Track everything from discovery to close. This guide walks you through the essential features.

Your Dashboard

When you log in, you'll see three main areas:

• Map View (Top) — Interactive map showing ZIP codes colored by profitability. Zoom in to see individual properties.
• Top Bar — Controls for filters, column picker, profile menu, and more.
• Bottom Drawer — Tabbed panel with your data table, heatmap controls, and pipeline. Drag the top edge to resize.

Understanding the Map

ZIP-Level Heatmap

The map uses color-coding to show profitability at a glance:

• Green — Highest values (best performers)
• Yellow/Orange — Medium values
• Red — Lowest values
• White/Gray — No data or filtered out

Click any ZIP code to open its detail sidebar with comprehensive market data, demographics, and investment metrics.

Property-Level View

Zoom in past a certain level and the map transitions from ZIP polygons to individual property markers:

• Green markers — Good deal quality
• Yellow markers — Marginal deals
• Red markers — Poor deal quality
• Gray markers — Not enough data to score
• Blue circles — Properties from nearby cached ZIPs (background data)

Click a property to open its detail sidebar. Use the "View Properties" button in any ZIP detail sidebar to jump straight to property-level view for that area.

Filtering Your Data

Click the Filters button in the top bar to open the filter modal. Set your criteria and click See Results to apply. For a complete guide, see How to Use Filters.

Key Filter Types

• State Selection — Choose which states to analyze (all 50 available on every plan)
• Investment Goal — Cashflow, Appreciation, or Balanced (adjusts scoring thresholds)
• Numeric Ranges — Cash flow, purchase price, cap rate, rent prices, and more
• Categorical — Property type, county, metropolitan area
• Data Source — Toggle between 6-month rolling average and current-month data (Pro plan)

Target Markets

Inside the filter modal under Location > Target Markets, you can save ZIP codes to personalize your experience:

• Liked ZIPs: Saved for quick access and highlighted in your results
• Disliked ZIPs: Excluded from your results

Search for ZIP codes by number, add them to your liked or disliked list, and the map updates automatically.

Working with the Data Table

Sorting

Click any column header to sort. Click again to reverse direction. Focused and selected items always sort to the top.

Selecting Items

• Normal click — Focus and open detail sidebar (blue highlight)
• Ctrl/Cmd+Click — Toggle multi-selection (purple highlight)
• Shift+Click — Focus, open detail, and zoom to location on the map
• Checkbox — Toggle multi-selection

These shortcuts work the same way for both ZIP codes and individual properties.

Columns

Click the Columns button to customize which metrics appear. Use the search box to quickly find columns. Some columns require a paid plan — locked columns show a lock icon. See the Pricing page for plan details.

Deal Analyzer

The Deal Analyzer is a full underwriting tool for evaluating individual properties. Every field is pre-filled with sourced data — rent comps, taxes, insurance — each with a confidence indicator showing how much to trust the value. Adjust anything and the analysis updates instantly.

• Pre-Filled & Sourced — Every field shows its data source and confidence level. No blank spreadsheets.
• Strategy Selector — Choose between Hold (buy-and-hold rental) or BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat)
• Rent Basis — Toggle between Market rents and HUD Voucher rates with automatic utility reconciliation
• Financing Presets — Cash, DSCR, Conventional, FHA/VA, Hard Money — or set custom terms
• Full P&L — Complete expense breakdown with color-coded metrics
• Sensitivity Analysis — See how changes in key inputs affect your returns
• Max Offer Solver — Calculates the maximum purchase price to hit your target cash flow or DSCR

Open the Deal Analyzer from any property detail sidebar or property card.

Pipeline & Plans

Track your investment deals through a Kanban-style pipeline:

• Stages: Tracking → Analyzing → Ready to Offer → Sent → Closed
• Create Plans: Organize properties into named plans (e.g., "Q1 Midwest Deals")
• Save Properties: Use the "Save to Plan" button from any property card, detail sidebar, or Deal Analyzer
• Drag & Drop: Move properties between stages as your deals progress
• 3 Views: Compact strip in the bottom drawer, side panel with accordion, or full-screen Kanban

Saving Your Work

Saved Workspaces

Save your current filters, map position, and selections:

1. Apply your desired filters in the filter modal
2. Click Save Filters in the filter modal footer
3. Enter a name (description is auto-generated)
4. Click Save

To load a saved workspace, open the filter modal and click Load Saved..., or go to your profile menu and select Saved Workspaces.

Workspace limits vary by plan. See the Pricing page for details.

Automatic State Persistence

Your map position, filters, selections, active plan, and theme preference are automatically saved. If you refresh the page (F5), everything restores to where you left off.

Heatmap Customization

The map can visualize different metrics:

1. Open the Heatmap tab in the bottom drawer
2. Select a metric (Cash Flow, Cap Rate, Median Price, etc.)
3. Adjust the color range with min/max sliders
4. The map colors update to reflect the selected metric

The heatmap panel includes a histogram showing the distribution of values and lets you customize the color gradient.

Dark Mode

Heatmap Housing supports Light and Dark themes:

1. Click your profile icon in the top right
2. Select Settings
3. Under Appearance, choose Light or Dark

Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow:

• Ctrl+Click (or Cmd+Click) — Multi-select ZIPs or properties (map or table)
• Shift+Click (table row) — Focus + zoom to location on the map
• T — Toggle tracking on the focused/selected property
• Esc — Close open modals
• Ctrl+Shift+R — Reset all filters and reload
• Double-tap (mobile) — Zoom to a ZIP code

Data Freshness

Data updates at multiple cadences:

• Listings — Refresh daily. You always have yesterday’s data.
• ZIP-level heatmap — Uses 6-month rolling averages, updated monthly (Free & Basic). Pro users get current-month snapshots.
• Enriched property data — Ownership, tax history, and comps refresh every 30 days.

Data freshness badges appear on ZIP and property detail sidebars so you always know how recent the data is. See the Pricing page for plan-specific data access.

Need Help?

If you have questions or need assistance:

• Click Help & Resources in the profile menu
• Check out the FAQ page
• Read the Filtering Guide
• Contact us at support@heatmaphousing.com