Why I Built Prop:Metrics
How a Zillow habit and some unanswered questions sparked a new business
Five years ago, I bought my first investment property.
Like most people, I started with Zillow. I’d spend hours scrolling through listings, checking out photos, reading descriptions, and, if I’m being honest, going mostly off vibes. I’d think, “This place looks like something that would rent well,” or “This looks similar to other units I’ve seen that go for a decent amount.”
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was guessing more than I was investing.
The data scientist in me was restless. I wanted actual answers to some pretty basic questions—questions that any responsible investor should be asking:
Are prices in this neighborhood trending up or down compared to nearby areas?
Who’s moving here—families, students, young professionals?
What’s the average rent? Is the population growing or shrinking?
Can I run a rental here profitably?
Is the market already crowded with other investors?
How long are homes sitting before they sell?
Is this an area where Section 8 housing could make sense?
I figured this information had to be out there. But when I went looking, I kept running into the same two problems: either the tools weren’t useful, or they were way too expensive for the average investor.
So I did what data people do—I pulled the data myself.
The first version of Prop:Metrics was basically a cobbled-together toolkit to help me answer the questions I had about neighborhoods I was considering. And it worked. The first two properties I bought with the help of that early prototype ended up in neighborhoods that significantly outperformed their surroundings.
That was the lightbulb moment. If this tool helped me, it could help others too—especially people who are thoughtful, curious, and ready to invest, but who aren’t armed with a background in data.
That’s the whole reason I built Prop:Metrics: to make this kind of analysis accessible.
Because whether you’re buying your first rental property or adding to a portfolio, you should be able to do real due diligence without guesswork.
