GeoFlipper

Sources & developer notes

How a market gets its tier

• Start with price. Typical asking price up to $350K = Tier 1. $350K to $475K = Tier 2. Above $475K = Tier 3.
• Investors very active: move up one tier. Not into Tier 1 above $425K, and no boost above $600K.
• State requires a license to wholesale: move down one tier.
• Population is not part of the tier. It is shown only as a fact.
• Beginner-friendly = Tier 1, no license needed, and the state does not require an attorney for closing or title. Attorney states show the MaxDispo help box.

Where the numbers come from

• Prices: Realtor.com median listing price by metro, Aug–Sep 2026 (September housing report and the same series on FRED). U.S. median: $419,250.
• Flip rates and margins: ATTOM home flipping reports, Q1 and Q2 2026. ATTOM only publishes its top and bottom metros, so most markets show "no standout numbers".
• Investor share of purchases: Redfin investor report, Q1 2026 (39 large metros).
• State rules: 2026 state-law trackers plus bill summaries for PA Act 52, Ohio SB 155 and SC H.4754. This is not legal advice and the rules change.
• Attorney closing states: HomeLight, Feb 2026.
• People counts: SimpleMaps US ZIPs free database. Night lights: NASA Earth Observatory.

For developers: what is left to build

• Map tiles. When the CARTO probe tile loads, the page unlocks Streets, Satellite, zoom to street level and NASA Black Marble lights (CONFIG.tiles in lib/config.js).
• Google address lookup. Enable Maps JavaScript API and Places API (New), restrict a key to the domain, set NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_MAPS_KEY in Vercel. Address suggestions from AutocompleteSuggestion are merged into the search dropdown (only for inputs starting with a house number), and picking one calls locate(lat, lng, label, 'rooftop'). One session token covers each search for billing.
• MaxDispo link. The help box links to https://maxdispo.com/. Set NEXT_PUBLIC_MAXDISPO_URL to point it at a specific deal submission page.
• Licensed tiles. Replace the test CARTO and Esri URLs with Google, Mapbox or MapTiler by setting the NEXT_PUBLIC_TILES_* variables in Vercel.
• Keep tiers fresh. Market data lives in the MK array and RULES map in lib/markets.js. Move both to a small admin table and refresh prices monthly, investor numbers quarterly, state rules when laws change.
• Better investor signal. Replace the ATTOM and Redfin top lists with Assigns data for every market: cash sales share, flips, active buyers, days on market.
• Property level. At street zoom, load Assigns property pins and link each to its property page.
• Alaska and Hawaii are not included.