Reference 6 min read
How the fit score works
Five buckets, nine factors, 100 points, no black box. The exact math behind every Hot, Warm, Prospect, and Watch pin.
Every permit gets a 0–100 fit score computed from nine factors, summed into five buckets. The tiers: Hot is 70+, Warm 40–69, Prospect 14–39, Watch under 14 — and the pin color matches the tier, so the map reads at a glance.
| Bucket | Max | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | 36 | The heavyweight. Your trade window (0/8/18/30 — in the ideal window earns the max) plus filing freshness (−12 to +6 — stale permits actively lose points). |
| Project fit | 20 | Project type match with your targeting (0/4/8/12) plus how well the value fits your stated range (0–8). |
| Location | 18 | Inside your territory earns up to 12 (drawn polygons beat city-name matches); proximity to your base adds up to 6. Far-outside work can go negative. |
| Connections | 20 | Builders you've worked with or watch, plus lookalikes to deals you've already won — capped at 20. |
| Reachability | 6 | Contact quality: how good the phone/email on file is (0/2/4/6), so you know before you dial. |
The qualification gates
A raw total isn't the whole story — gates can demote a tier. Hot requires real trade-window timing: a permit can't ride relationship points alone to the top tier. Warm requires at least one genuinely strong signal. This keeps Hot honest — every Hot pin is hot for a reason you can act on this week.
What this means in practice
- Open the breakdown, not just the number. Click a project and expand the score: each of the nine factors shows what it earned out of its max with a one-line reason — so you can tell a timing-driven 78 from one that's high because you've worked with the builder.
- Scores move. Freshness decays (down to −12 for stale filings) and trade windows open and close — so today's Watch pin can be next month's Hot.
- You control more of the score than you think. Your Targeting setup (trades, project types, value range) drives Timing and Project fit; your drawn territory drives Location; the builders you star drive Connections.
- A 65 in your backyard often beats an 80 across town once proximity and relationship factor in. The breakdown is there so the score earns your trust instead of asking for it.
TipIf your map feels off, fix the inputs, not the output: tighten your trades and territory in Settings → Targeting and the whole market re-ranks to your work.