Appreciation post: the parking count sheet I photocopied from a county assessor file
I was digging through old county records in Denver trying to figure out if a warehouse on Federal had enough spots for a bank tenant. Some file had a simple grid paper for counting parking stalls by hand, and I started using it on all my site walkthroughs instead of my phone notes. It forces me to actually pace the lot and check the striped lines, not just eyeball it from Google Maps. A lender actually asked me where I got the sheet because the numbers lined up better than their appraiser's report. Anyone else have a random paper form that just works better than software?
It was the part about pacing the lot that got me. I used to be all about the apps and satellite view, figured any paper system was obsolete. But then I tried a similar grid sheet on a tricky strip mall and realized how much I was missing. Walking it forces you to see the actual striped lines and the tight corners, things the satellite just flattens out. Now I get why your numbers beat the appraiser, that physical count just sticks with you better.