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CountyEdge Field Guide

Evidence labels and glossary

Applicability: CountyEdge research and user-directed calculations. Editorial review: 2026-09-25. Local rules vary; examples are fictional.

Evidence labels

  • Authoritative: a finding supported by the responsible authority or its documented delegate. Check jurisdiction, date, property identity, and scope before applying it.
  • Secondary: information reported by a listing or another discovery source. It can identify a question without settling it.
  • Estimate: a calculated or inferred value that depends on stated assumptions.
  • Conflicting: evidence disagrees. Keep the competing observations visible until the difference can be resolved.
  • Unavailable: the needed information was not obtained. This does not mean the record or condition does not exist.
  • Pending: the question remains unfinished in the current research.

Stale describes freshness, rather than a separate finding category: a once-useful record or check may be too old for the decision. An authoritative source can still be outdated or inapplicable. See Understand property evidence.

Conclusions and applicability

  • Supported: the cited evidence supports the stated conclusion within its scope.
  • Prohibited: the cited rule supports a restriction on the researched use; check the property's circumstances and effective rule.
  • Approval required: the proposed use depends on an approval or review. It is not a permit or a prediction that approval will be granted.
  • Unknown: the evidence does not establish an answer.

Applicability tells you whether a finding concerns the property, the jurisdiction, the local market, or an unknown scope. A local-market statistic is not a comparable sale, and a general jurisdiction rule is not proof that a specific parcel qualifies. One supported finding does not turn the entire report into an approval.

Dates that answer different questions

  • Event date: when a sale, transfer, listing change, or other reported event occurred.
  • Publication date: when the information was published, when known.
  • Effective date: when a rule or requirement applies, when known.
  • Retrieval or checked date: when the source was consulted.
  • Report date: the date of a saved research output, not a guarantee that every included record is equally recent.

Unknown dates stay unknown. A recently retrieved historical listing remains historical. Dates recorded only as a year or month should not be read as an exact day. Interpret market evidence explains how this affects prices.

Research states and saved versions

  • Draft: a brief being prepared in this browser before research begins. It is separate from a saved calculator snapshot.
  • Queued: the case has been accepted and is waiting for processing.
  • Researching: the case is in progress; the case list says Research in progress. Saved checks may still contain unavailable or conflicting information.
  • Complete: a report has been produced; the case list says Report ready. Read its gaps and limitations; completion does not certify the property.
  • Failed: the research did not finish successfully. Review retained information and the available next action before starting another case.
  • Preliminary findings: saved findings available before a completed assessment. They can remain useful even when a later stage fails.
  • Analysis version: a new saved assessment using a reviewed brief and applicable retained research.
  • Research version: a new case/report requested to investigate again. Historical reports retain their original content and dates.

Opening saved work does not consume research merely by reading it. New analysis and research versions use the available report allowance. See Track research and troubleshoot.

Numbers and assumptions

  • User input: a figure you supplied. It is an instruction for the calculation, not independent verification of its accuracy.
  • Source-supported input: a figure associated with retrieved evidence; its date and applicability still matter.
  • Planning assumption: an explicit working value used to compare possibilities.
  • Unresolved input: a needed value that remains unknown. Unknown is different from zero.
  • Downside, Base, and Upside: alternative assumptions for comparison, not forecasts or probabilities.
  • Unlevered: a comparison without modeled borrowing. It does not establish that your actual purchase will be all cash.

On-screen assumption changes recalculate displayed figures. The saved assessment and its report PDF continue to reflect saved inputs until a new version is made. See Compare scenarios.

Glossary

  • ARV: after-repair value assumed for a completed scope of work. An automated estimate or current asking price is not automatically ARV.
  • MAO: maximum allowable offer under your chosen formula and assumptions. The free calculator uses ARV, a purchase factor, repair costs, and target margin.
  • Purchase ceiling: the maximum modeled purchase price consistent with the stated scenario. Missing costs can make the ceiling misleading.
  • Cash flow: rental income remaining after the modeled vacancy, expenses, debt service, and reserves. Missing costs remain additional exposure.
  • Break-even rent: the modeled rent needed to cover specified costs. It is not evidence that the market will pay that amount.
  • Cash requirement: cash needed under the scenario's purchase, financing, and cost assumptions. Check which expenses are included.
  • Parcel ID: an identifier interpreted within its issuing jurisdiction. An address or map match alone does not verify it.
  • Assessed use: a classification in a property or tax record. It does not by itself establish permitted zoning use.
  • Proposed use: the activity or development you intend to investigate.
  • Overlay: an additional regulatory area that may impose conditions beyond base zoning.
  • Recorded transfer: an ownership-related recording. It may not represent an arm's-length closed sale or a usable comparable price.
  • Comparable: a property observation used for a reasoned comparison. Similar geography alone does not establish comparability.
  • Evidence gap: information still needed to answer the question or support the decision.
  • Strategy assessment: a conditional discussion of a possible use, its assumptions, concerns, and next checks.
  • Investment request: reviewed criteria for the properties you want to find. Activation does not guarantee coverage or matches.
  • Opportunity: a potential match that still needs verification; it is not a recommendation to transact.

Files and reports

  • Saved calculation: a private snapshot of calculator inputs and results.
  • Research case: the confirmed brief and progress for an investigation.
  • Source link: a reference to information; it is not proof a local copy is available.
  • Page capture: retained page content that may be partial or describe a general process.
  • Original unofficial PDF: a retained source file, distinct from a certified copy or a CountyEdge-generated report.
  • Extract: information read from a document or page. Missing text may reflect extraction limits.
  • Report PDF: an export of the persisted completed report, including its saved assumptions and limitations.

Check property identity, date, and relevance before relying on a file. Available private documents and report PDFs require appropriate account access. Read and download documents explains the workflow.

Corrections

Keep the report reference, disputed finding, relevant evidence reference, and date. Use the CountyEdge contact page to request a correction. Avoid sending unnecessary personal records. Updated research receives a new report; historical outputs retain their original dates.

Next action

Return to the handbook, or read Your account and privacy before saving or sharing work.