AI-Powered Site Selection with OZ Explorer
→ Launch OZ Explorer — The active artificial intelligence-driven platform for identifying sites suitable for Opportunity Zone investments.
What OZ Explorer Does
OZ Explorer is a complete intelligence environment — not a map with a search bar. It combines AI-powered property discovery across all 8,765 federally designated Opportunity Zone polygons with real-time commercial listings, U.S. Census demographic data, FEMA flood risk overlays, deal scoring, compliance analysis, and a persistent deal pipeline — all in a single workspace. The platform is purpose-built for investors, QOF managers, commercial agents, business owners, and OZ program officers who need to move from market identification to investment decision without switching tools.
Every analysis the platform runs is anchored to exact coordinates and the investor’s stated project type. Generic output is not an option here.
The Intelligence Stack: What You Get
| Capability | What It Delivers |
|---|---|
| AI Location Search | Describe your project in plain language — the AI translates it into structured LoopNet search parameters, queries for matching commercial listings, and drops pins only on properties confirmed inside OZ boundaries via PostGIS spatial intersection |
| AI Location Card | A 5-tab intelligence suite that opens on any property or address: Overview, Sale Info, AI Tools, Market Intel, and Deal Fit — each delivering a distinct layer of analysis with inline data sourcing |
| Projects & Deal Pipeline | A persistent, Postgres-backed workspace where saved properties accumulate AI reports, notes, and financial data — exportable as PDF or DOCX at any time |
| AI Property Showdown | Select 2–4 saved properties and run a side-by-side AI comparison that synthesizes every report across all projects and renders a ranked verdict |
| Map Layer Controls | Independent toggles for OZ 1.0 polygons, OZ 2.0 eligible tracts, FEMA flood zones, and OSM land-use overlays (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, conservation) |
The AI Location Card: Five Layers of Intelligence
The AI Location Card opens automatically when any address, census tract, or map pin is selected. It is the primary analysis interface in the platform.
Overview Tab
Loads automatically — no action required. The Overview tab pulls a live Google Street View or listing photo, then immediately surfaces AI-generated “Why This Location” bullets written from the perspective of your stated project and role. It also delivers U.S. Census Bureau ACS figures for the tract (population, median household income, poverty rate), drive times to the nearest interstate, commercial airport, and major metro hub, and a verified list of federal, state, and local tax incentives tied to the exact coordinates — including OZ status, state-level OZ programs, enterprise zone designations, and capital stack advantages. Three at-a-glance performance badges summarize the zone’s Growth, Liquidity, and Risk profile derived from Census data.
For LoopNet listings, the Overview tab also surfaces the full financial picture: asking price, cap rate, NOI, occupancy, price per square foot, property tax assessments, nearby retail anchors, broker contact cards, and any downloadable offering memorandums — everything needed for initial underwriting without leaving the platform.
Sale Info Tab
The Sale Info tab presents the complete commercial listing record from LoopNet/CoStar: address, price, price per SF, building size, lot size, zoning, year built, building class, cap rate, NOI, occupancy, traffic counts, tenancy structure, and parking. A one-click Investment Score calculation runs the property through a composite scoring engine that weights location, market conditions, financial metrics, and OZ incentive value into a single 0–100 score with a rating label and per-category breakdown.
AI Tools Tab — Three Reports That Change the Math
The AI Tools tab contains three on-demand reports. Each is generated against the property’s exact coordinates and the investor’s stated project type — not a generic template.
Incentive Audit scans federal and state databases to identify every applicable tax benefit: OZ capital gains deferral and exclusion, state-level OZ incentive programs, local tax abatements, and grant programs. This is the first report to run — it surfaces every financial lever available before a broker is contacted.
Matching Incentives (Capital Stack) goes deeper into county and city-level programs to identify gap funding, NMTC eligibility, CDFI loan availability, Historic Tax Credits, and LIHTC applicability where relevant. It produces a recommended capital stack structure narrative and an estimated combined incentive value range — the kind of analysis that typically requires a specialized consultant.
Compliance Check verifies the project against QOZ rules that can silently disqualify tax benefits: the 180-day investment window, the Substantial Improvement test (doubling adjusted basis within 30 months), the Original Use doctrine, Sin Business restrictions, Working Capital Safe Harbor timelines, and the 90% Asset Test. It flags specific compliance risks for the property and project type and recommends remediation steps. This report only becomes available after Matching Incentives is generated — by design, so the compliance analysis has full capital stack context.
Market Intel Tab
Market Intel is a configurable demographic and economic intelligence report. Set a radius from 1 to 25 miles, apply optional age and income cohort filters, and run the query. Results include daytime population (the true captive audience number — not just residential count), total area income (aggregate household purchasing power), workforce score, unemployment rate, commuter patterns, housing cost burden percentages, the active commercial development pipeline from LoopNet/CoStar within the radius, and a list of anchor institutions — hospitals, universities, and government facilities — with names and distances. This report can also be triggered directly from the Projects area without returning to the map.
Deal Fit Tab
Deal Fit is the synthesis layer. It consumes data from all other tabs — Overview, Sale Info, AI Tools, and Market Intel — and produces a single investment thesis scored from the perspective of the selected role (Investor, Commercial Agent, Business Owner, or OZ Officer). The output is a 0–100 Fit Score with color coding, a one-line Viability Verdict (Viable / Risky / Dead on Arrival), a full narrative investment thesis, a bulleted list of Deal Killers (specific, data-backed disqualifying risks), and a bulleted list of Value Adds (upside catalysts with realistic potential). Running Deal Fit after completing all other tabs produces the most accurate and detailed output — and the result is saved to the project record.
Projects: From Discovery to Decision
The Projects area is where a shortlist becomes a decision. Every property saved from the map is stored in a Neon serverless Postgres database, synced across devices, and tied to the authenticated user’s account. Project cards display a 3-column bento grid of key financial metrics, auto-generated risk and opportunity badges (OZ eligibility, low investment score warnings, zoning mismatch flags), and a full tab structure that mirrors the Allocation Card — with green coverage indicators showing which reports have been run.
Projects are organized by state and city in a collapsible tree. A real-time search filters by address, city, state, or custom name. Each project card exports to PDF or DOCX with one click — including all tab data, notes, and AI report snapshots — formatted for lender presentations, investment committee packages, or internal review.
The AI Property Showdown is the final step in the pipeline. Select 2 to 4 saved projects, click Compare, and the platform serializes every report across all selected properties and sends the full dataset to the AI comparison engine. The result is a ranked verdict with a winner declaration, category-by-category scoring, and a narrative explanation of why one property outperforms the others relative to the stated investment goals. The comparison is framed around the project description entered at the start of the session — so the AI is always evaluating against your specific objectives, not a generic benchmark.
The Blue & Orange Mapping Layers
| Layer | Color | Represents |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy Layer | 🟦 Blue | Existing OZ 1.0 zones, demonstrated effective since 2017 |
| High-Distress Candidate | 🟧 Orange | New candidate tracts for OZ 2.0 with an AMI of ≤70% |
When a specific tract is present in both mapping layers — designated as “Double-Eligible” — it represents the most secure long-term investment prospect: having demonstrated success under OZ 1.0 and assured to meet the more stringent requirements of OZ 2.0.
The 70% AMI Distress Threshold
| Geography | Qualifying Income Level |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan tracts | Income level at or below 70% of the median income for the metropolitan area |
| Rural / non-metro tracts | Income level at or below 70% of the statewide median income |
The Orange Layer within OZ Explorer automatically filters out tracts exceeding 70% AMI, thus safeguarding investors against the potential for redesignation.
Transit Scoring
Example: “12 mins to I-95 · 45 mins to Airport · 22 mins to Port”
| Mode Weight | Stabilized | Value-Add |
|---|---|---|
| Location | 30% of total score | 60% of total score |
Census Demographic Layers
| Layer | What It Measures | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime Population | Residents + commuters | Demonstrates the feasibility of retail ventures |
| Disposable Income Density | Spendable dollars/sq mile | Uncovers areas with unapparent financial resources |
| Housing Cost Burden | % renters at 30%+ and 50%+ | Measures the level of hardship for OZ 2.0 qualification |
Predictive Viability Scores (0–100)
| Score | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Workforce Score | The sum of unemployed individuals and the working-age populace within a specified radius |
| Hybrid Investment Score | Stabilized: 40% Financials / 30% Asset Quality / 30% Location — Value-Add: 60% Location / 40% Asset Quality |
| Fit Score | 🟢 Feasible / 🟡 Hazardous / 🔴 Inoperable upon initiation |
The 3 Standard Industry Tests OZ Explorer Scores
| Test | What Is Measured |
|---|---|
| Market Test | Transportation, current development projects, significant institutions |
| Community Test | Housing Cost Burden — renters at 30%+ and 50%+ |
| Policy Test | Capacity for infill development; alignment with state manufacturing and job objectives |
The 20-Minute Hidden Gem Workflow
| Step | Time | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Search & Select | 2 min | Identify a property on the digital map |
| Site Analysis | 3 min | Examine demographics, transportation access, and Opportunity Zone benefits |
| Property Intelligence | 2 min | Investment Score plus AI indicators |
| Incentive Discovery | 5 min | Identify TIF districts, grant opportunities, and state-level initiatives |
| Predictive Selection | 3 min | Tailored radius search incorporating age and income filters |
| Deal Analysis | 2 min | Produce a Fit Score |
| Export | 3 min | Transfer the report to a comparison instrument |
Treasury Data Validates the Scoring Methodology
An evaluation by the U.S. Treasury (OTA Working Paper 123, 2023) using 2018–2020 IRS tax return information verified that investment capital was not directed towards areas of highest distress. Zones that attracted qualified opportunity zone property investments exhibited discernibly superior prior conditions:
| Characteristic | Tracts That Attracted Capital |
|---|---|
| Median household income | Higher than non-invested OZs |
| Educational attainment | Higher |
| Unemployment rate | Lower |
| Pre-designation income growth | Positive trend |
| Pre-designation housing value growth | Positive trend |
| Pre-designation poverty rate | Declining trend |
This precisely aligns with what OZ Explorer’s scoring model emphasizes: forward progress coupled with the extent of distress, rather than solely distress itself. The information from the Treasury substantiates that the 20-minute process uncovers the identical indicators employed by institutional investors for zone selection.
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