Property scoring lens for distressed leads

A five-part scorecard for tax, deed, foreclosure, and land leads—legal/title, site, marketability, timeline, and margin of safety.

Educational reference only. Not legal, tax, or investment advice.

8. Professional scoring lens for every lead

A simple five-part scorecard keeps underwriting disciplined. Plot Eval’s grades and checklists can support parts of this picture where your data and county coverage allow—they do not replace legal or field verification.

8.1 Legal / title

How clean is the title path, access, lot legality, easement burden, and survivability of encumbrances through your acquisition path?

8.2 Physical / site

How usable is the parcel physically: topography, flood and wetlands, access, and observable condition?

8.3 Marketability

Can you realistically resell or refinance within your target window and buyer pool?

8.4 Timeline

How long until monetization? Include redemption, curative title work, court process, occupancy resolution, and cleanup.

8.5 Margin of safety

Does the spread survive if your key assumptions are wrong?

Common questions

FAQ for this guide

What should I check before bidding?: Before bidding, check the sale rules, deposit and payment deadlines, redemption or challenge periods, parcel match, title clues, access, zoning, flood and environmental layers, utilities, occupancy, taxes or municipal claims, resale value, hold costs, and your exit plan. Do not rely on a map pin or list price alone.; Property scoring lens →
What is a parcel ID?: A parcel ID (also called APN, PIN, folio, or tax parcel number) is the identifier a county assessor or GIS system uses for a tax parcel. Formats differ by jurisdiction. When researching bulk lists, match parcel IDs to the correct county GIS layer before relying on geometry, zoning overlays, or automated grades.; Plot Eval supported counties →
How do I check GIS data for a property?: Use the property parcel ID or address to open the county GIS or assessor map. Confirm the parcel boundary, situs address, owner record, acreage, access, zoning or land-use layers, flood or wetlands layers, and any local overlays that affect your plan. In Plot Eval, supported counties can bring some parcel and GIS context into the property workspace, but you should still verify key facts with the official county source.; Browse supported counties →
How does Plot Eval help with tax sale list research?: Plot Eval imports your CSV, attempts parcel match and geocoding by county tier, enriches with GIS where supported, and surfaces prioritization grades when data allows—alongside maps, notes, checklists, reminders, and pipeline views. It is decision-support software, not legal or investment advice; coverage and enrichment depth vary by county.; Plot Eval for tax deed investors →

County examples

Check county coverage before you research

County support controls how much parcel, map, and GIS context Plot Eval can show. These example county pages are useful starting points when you want to understand what data may be available.

Riverside County, CA
Example county page for thinking through how county support affects scoring confidence.
Pinal County, AZ
County coverage example for testing parcel, map, and GIS readiness before scoring a lead.

Using this with Plot Eval

Plot Eval helps you normalize lists, resolve parcels, enrich with county GIS where supported, score site and investment signals where data allows, and run a structured research checklist per property—alongside notes, status, reminders, and team workflow.

View plans·How to use Plot Eval

8. Professional scoring lens for every lead

8.1 Legal / title

How clean is the title path, access, lot legality, easement burden, and survivability of encumbrances through your acquisition path?

8.2 Physical / site

How usable is the parcel physically: topography, flood and wetlands, access, and observable condition?

8.3 Marketability

Can you realistically resell or refinance within your target window and buyer pool?

8.4 Timeline

How long until monetization? Include redemption, curative title work, court process, occupancy resolution, and cleanup.

8.5 Margin of safety

Does the spread survive if your key assumptions are wrong?

FAQ for this guide

What should I check before bidding?

Before bidding, check the sale rules, deposit and payment deadlines, redemption or challenge periods, parcel match, title clues, access, zoning, flood and environmental layers, utilities, occupancy, taxes or municipal claims, resale value, hold costs, and your exit plan. Do not rely on a map pin or list price alone.

Property scoring lens →

What is a parcel ID?

A parcel ID (also called APN, PIN, folio, or tax parcel number) is the identifier a county assessor or GIS system uses for a tax parcel. Formats differ by jurisdiction. When researching bulk lists, match parcel IDs to the correct county GIS layer before relying on geometry, zoning overlays, or automated grades.

Plot Eval supported counties →

How do I check GIS data for a property?

Use the property parcel ID or address to open the county GIS or assessor map. Confirm the parcel boundary, situs address, owner record, acreage, access, zoning or land-use layers, flood or wetlands layers, and any local overlays that affect your plan. In Plot Eval, supported counties can bring some parcel and GIS context into the property workspace, but you should still verify key facts with the official county source.

Browse supported counties →

How does Plot Eval help with tax sale list research?

Plot Eval imports your CSV, attempts parcel match and geocoding by county tier, enriches with GIS where supported, and surfaces prioritization grades when data allows—alongside maps, notes, checklists, reminders, and pipeline views. It is decision-support software, not legal or investment advice; coverage and enrichment depth vary by county.

Plot Eval for tax deed investors →

Check county coverage before you research

County support controls how much parcel, map, and GIS context Plot Eval can show. These example county pages are useful starting points when you want to understand what data may be available.

Riverside County, CA

Example county page for thinking through how county support affects scoring confidence.

Pinal County, AZ

County coverage example for testing parcel, map, and GIS readiness before scoring a lead.