How it works · Chapter 3 of 6
How PropIQ finds the home
Find the home your buyer described, not just what the filter shows. Take the power back from Zillow and Realtor.com. Give your buyers a search that filters for more than theirs does, so they come to you first.
Your buyer texts you one sentence.
Your buyer · text message Sample
“Find me a 3-bedroom inside this school boundary where I can build an ADU that cash flows if I decide not to live in it.”
That used to be your whole afternoon.
The old way: six tools, one address at a time.
By hand, for one text
- 1MLS filter3 beds only
- 2County parcel mapsOne lot at a time
- 3School boundary mapsChecked by hand
- 4Setbacks and lot-split rulesLot by lot
- 5City zoning codeIs an ADU legal here?
- 6A spreadsheetRent, taxes, the loan
Time spent5 to 7 hours
PropIQ does all of it from that one sentence.
10.0seconds
- Parcels
- School boundary
- Setbacks and SB 9
- Zoning
- Cash flow
11 homes fit SampleEvery lot checked. Cash flow run both ways.
The buyer’s text, the clock, the 11 homes and the lot lines are a sample. 5 to 7 hours is PropIQ’s estimate for one search done by hand. Satellite maps of East Palo Alto © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap.
Read the film as text
- Your buyer texts you one sentence: “Find me a 3-bedroom inside this school boundary where I can build an ADU that cash flows if I decide not to live in it.”
- That used to be your whole afternoon.
- The old way: six tools, one address at a time. An MLS filter, county parcel maps, school boundary maps, setbacks and lot-split rules, the city zoning code and a spreadsheet. Time spent: 5 to 7 hours.
- PropIQ does all of it from that one sentence.
- 10 seconds: parcels, school boundary, setbacks and SB 9, zoning and cash flow checked. 11 homes fit (sample).
- Here’s what it checks.
The problem
Your buyer gave you a goal. The MLS only takes filters.
A filter can only match what a listing says: beds, baths, price, area. Your buyer asked something else. Can this lot hold an ADU? Is it inside that school boundary? Does it pay for itself if they move out? No MLS field answers that.
So the answer comes from six places, by hand, one address at a time: the MLS, the county parcel map, the district’s boundary map, the setback and SB 9 rules, the city zoning code and a spreadsheet. That’s 5 to 7 hours for one text, and the filter already threw out homes that would have worked.
One buyer’s text, worked by handSample clock
- MLS filter3 bedrooms only, so homes with a convertible garage or uncounted space drop out.
- County parcel mapLot size and lot lines, one address at a time.
- School boundary mapEvery address checked against the district’s map by hand.
- Setbacks and SB 9Front, side and rear setbacks and the lot-split rules, lot by lot.
- City zoning codeIs a detached ADU or a garage conversion legal on this lot?
- SpreadsheetRent comps, taxes, insurance and the loan rate, to see if renting both units cash flows.
6 tools for one text
The six steps and the 5 to 7 hours are PropIQ’s estimate for one search done by hand. The clock times are a sample.
What PropIQ does, step by step
Here’s every check, in the order PropIQ runs them.
This is PropSearch. One sample text runs through every step: a 3-bedroom inside the school boundary your buyer named, with room for an ADU that cash flows if they move out.
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1Step 1 of 7
It reads your buyer’s sentence as a goal
Paste the text the way your buyer wrote it. PropIQ pulls out everything it can check: 3 bedrooms, the school boundary they named, room for an ADU and cash flow if they move out. When something it needs is missing, it asks you instead of guessing.
- A filter asks what a home has. A goal-based search asks what your buyer wants to do with it, then checks every home against that.
- Plain filters and saved searches still work the usual way when that’s all you need.
Your buyer’s textSample
“Find me a 3-bedroom inside this school boundary where I can build an ADU that cash flows if I decide not to live in it.”
What PropIQ reads from it
- 3 bedrooms
- Inside the school boundary named
- Room for an ADU
- Cash flows if they move out
No price ceiling in the text, so PropIQ asks you for one instead of guessing.
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2Step 2 of 7
It finds the homes a basic filter throws out
A filter drops a home the second one field doesn’t match. Search for 3 bedrooms and you lose the house with a garage that can convert, and the one with space the listing never counted. PropIQ starts wide, checks what each lot can become, and keeps every home that can do what your buyer asked.
- A small backyard doesn’t knock a home out. If the garage can legally convert to an ADU, it stays in.
- It also drops homes that match the filter but can’t deliver the goal.
What comes backSample
4from a standard filter+7the filter threw out= 11homes fit
Why the filter missed them
- A garage that can convertListed as 2 bedrooms, so the 3-bed filter dropped it.+3
- Space the listing never countedA bonus room that isn’t in the bed count.+2
- A small backyardA lot-size filter dropped it, but the garage can become the ADU.+2
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3Step 3 of 7
It reads every lot from parcel data
For every home in the search, PropIQ pulls the lot size and the parcel lines, the work you used to do one address at a time on the county map. It draws them on a real satellite map, so you see the lot before you drive by.
Parcel lines · East Palo AltoSample lot
6,000 sq ft50 × 120 ft lot
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
- Lot size
- 6,000 sq ft
- Lot lines
- 50 × 120 ft
- Lots read
- 11 of 11
A real East Palo Alto block. The lot lines and the measurements are illustrative.
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4Step 4 of 7
It matches the school boundary your buyer named
Your buyer named a school, so PropIQ checks every lot against that attendance boundary and keeps the homes inside it. No more holding the district’s map up against the listing map.
- Boundaries come from a third party and can change, so every result carries a note to confirm the attendance zone with the district.
- PropIQ uses school data when your buyer asks for it. It never ranks or sorts homes by school on its own.
The school boundary your buyer namedSample boundary
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
- The boundary
- Inside: kept
- Outside: dropped
School attendance boundaries are provided by a third party and are subject to change. Verify attendance zones directly with the school district.
A real East Palo Alto block. The boundary line is illustrative.
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5Step 5 of 7
It checks the setbacks and SB 9 lot-split rules
On each lot, PropIQ reads the front, side and rear setbacks and draws what’s left: the space where a detached ADU could go. Then it checks whether the lot qualifies for an SB 9 lot split.
You used to do this one lot at a time with the city’s rules open in another tab. Now every lot in the search gets the same drawing.
Site plan · the 6,000 sq ft lotSample
- SetbacksFront 20 ft, side 4 ft, rear 4 ft
- Detached ADUFits behind the house, inside the setbacks
- SB 9 lot splitEligible
Sample lot. Setbacks, the ADU area and SB 9 eligibility vary by city and by lot.
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6Step 6 of 7
It checks the zoning, and tells you when it can’t be sure
For every lot, PropIQ asks the zoning questions your buyer cares about: can the garage convert, does a detached ADU fit, can the lot split. Each answer comes back with its source and a confidence level, and the wording follows it.
- Clear
- The city is covered and the answer is solid. You get a straight answer, with the source.
- Check with the city
- The data is partial, or a historic or other overlay district applies. You get careful wording and a flag to confirm.
- Can’t tell
- The city isn’t covered or the answer is shaky. PropIQ says so and keeps the claim away from your client.
Zoning answers, and how sure PropIQ isSample
- Lot 4 · Garage conversionCovered city, solid answer. Stated plainly, with its source.Clear
- Lot 9 · Detached ADUA historic overlay applies, so the answer gets careful wording and a flag to confirm with the city.Check with the city
- A 12th home · ADUCoverage is unclear here. PropIQ says it can’t tell and leaves the home out of the 11.Can’t tell
Zoning and ADU information is sourced from third-party data and must be verified with the local jurisdiction before design, permitting, purchase or construction decisions. This is not legal, architectural or permitting advice.
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7Step 7 of 7
It runs the cash flow both ways
For every home that fits, PropIQ runs the numbers twice: your buyer lives in one unit and rents the other, or rents both. Rent comps, taxes, insurance and the loan go in. Cap rate, DSCR and monthly cash flow come out.
- The math runs in plain code, with assumptions you can change. AI’s only part here is writing the memo, from numbers already worked out.
- If no approved source has a rent for the home, PropIQ says rent unknown. It doesn’t make one up.
- Send a one-page memo, or a spreadsheet with the formulas left in.
One of the 11 homes, run both waysSample numbers
Cash flow for one sample home: live in one unit and rent the ADU, or rent both Line Live in one Rent both Rent comps ADU $2,450 $4,200 + $2,450 Cap rate n/a 4.6% DSCR n/a 1.18 Monthly cash flow −$3,050you pay +$410in your pocket - One-page memo
- Spreadsheet, formulas left in
Sample numbers for one home. Live in one: the ADU’s rent covers part of the payment. Rent both: the home pays for itself, with $410 a month left over.
Your buyer sent one sentence. You answer with 11 homes, every lot checked and the numbers run.
Memo ready: 11 homes, the zoning on every lot and the cash flow both ways.Sample
What you get
- Search by your buyer’s goal, in their own words.
- The homes a basic filter throws out, like convertible garages and uncounted space.
- Lot size and parcel lines for every home, on a real map.
- The school boundary your buyer named, checked lot by lot.
- Setbacks, the detached ADU area and SB 9 lot-split rules.
- Zoning answers with a source and a confidence level, and a plain “can’t tell” when coverage is thin.
- Cash flow both ways: live in one and rent the other, or rent both.
- A one-page memo, and a spreadsheet with the formulas left in.
What it replaces
The tools are cheap. The hours aren’t.
County parcel maps, the zoning code, rent-comp sites and a spreadsheet cost little or nothing. Running one buyer’s text through all of them takes 5 to 7 hours. PropIQ does it in about 10 seconds.
See every tool PropIQ replaces and add up your own numbers →
| What you use today | What it costs |
|---|---|
| County and zoning tabs | freebut hours |
| Rent-comp sites | your cost |
| Spreadsheets | freebut hours |
| Your time, by hand | 5 to 7 hoursper search |
Tools and prices from What PropIQ replaces, US list prices checked October 23, 2026. Hours: PropIQ’s estimate for one search done by hand.
Questions agents ask
Where do the homes come from?
Your licensed IDX feed. Lot size, taxes and rent come from approved property data providers, and zoning comes from a licensed zoning provider. PropIQ doesn’t scrape listing sites.
Can I trust the zoning answer?
Every answer carries its source and a confidence level. When the city isn’t covered or the answer is shaky, PropIQ holds the claim back and tells you it can’t tell. Either way, have your buyer confirm with the city before they design, permit, buy or build. It isn’t legal or permitting advice.
Does PropIQ rank homes by school?
No. School boundaries come in when your buyer names one, and school data never ranks, sorts or targets anything. Every result notes that boundaries change and that the district has the final word on enrollment.
Is the cash flow math done by AI?
No. The numbers come from plain code, using assumptions you can change: rent, taxes, insurance and the loan. If no approved source has a rent for a home, PropIQ says rent unknown instead of guessing. AI’s only part is writing the memo from those numbers.
What can I hand my buyer?
A one-page memo with the numbers, and a spreadsheet with the formulas left in, so anyone can change an assumption and see the result.