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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. What is Charlotte USA Prospector? Charlotte USA Prospector is a website that allows users to identify available commercial property. The website also provides data including workforce demographics, business information, and interactive maps. The data is created and displayed using a Geographic Information System (GIS) that combines layers of information in order to better understand comprehensive details about a specific location and is powered by GIS Planning's ZoomProspector software. The website is provided by the Charlotte Regional Partnership, and is FREE. 2. How are commercial properties listed in Charlotte USA Prospector? Properties are downloaded from a regional commercial real estate database where a large number of commercial brokers, property owners, developers, or similar real estate entities can list available commercial or industrial property. There is no cost to participate. Charlotte USA Prospector serves as a dynamic and comprehensive listing system for brokers and interested companies. With their informed list of leads, website visitors can contact the local economic developers directly about specific properties. Linked to the Charlotte Regional Partnership frequently-trafficked website, Charlotte USA Prospector promotes the properties listed by real estate professionals. Charlotte USA Prospector also provides critical business data giving enormous exposure to listed properties and real estate brokerage firms. 3. How do commercial real estate professionals get access to Charlotte USA Prospector? Properties that are not listed in the regional commercial real estate database can be entered by the local economic developer of the specific county. Contact information for each county can be found here. 4. How do users access Charlotte USA Prospector? The public can view and use Charlotte USA Prospector by visiting the website at Charlotte USA Prospector The easy-to-use, browser format lets anyone with an Internet connection use the Web to access Charlotte USA Prospector's maps, properties and GIS-based data. 5. How is Charlotte USA Prospector different than other site selection sites/services? Charlotte USA Prospector is unique. In addition to the commercial property listings and the current-year demographic and economic information that is available, Charlotte USA Prospector offers access to a breadth of important proprietary local data that is critical to relocation and/or expansion decisions. Business site selection is not just about available commercial buildings. The reason people say real estate is all about "location, location, location" is because it is. By using GIS, a business is able to analyze and evaluate the site-specific advantages and opportunities of each unique business location. 6. What type of properties will be listed? Commercial, industrial and vacant land suitable for commercial or industrial development will be catalogued and displayed on Charlotte USA Prospector. 7. How will the website connect interested parties to the listed properties? The contact information of each local economic development office along with contact information for the Charlotte Regional Partnership accompanies each property listing. After entering the listing, along with any additional information (such as photos or other documents), the real estate professional can then update the information - which immediately places the listing on Charlotte USA Prospector and can be viewed on the map. 8. What types of companies are using Charlotte USA Prospector? Commercial and industrial firms large and small are taking advantage of this free service. 9. How often will data be updated? Properties are uploaded daily from the regional commercial real estate database so the inventory of available properties can remain current. Demographic data, consumer expenditure data, business and workforce data will all be updated yearly providing the most up-to-date information available. Some data will be updated as frequently as necessary to maintain a current and robust database. 10. What kind of information can users access? Charlotte USA Prospector offers site location data and demographic information. The asking price, square footage, property description, local contact information in addition to other vital information will be listed with each property. When considering a specific property, users can also query the demographics, workforce data, and existing market synergy and competition in any radial vicinity of the property. In addition, "layers" of information can be turned on and off on the interactive map display. Individual properties may also include other pertinent information. 11. Why is the Charlotte Regional Partnership investing in Charlotte USA Prospector? The Charlotte Regional Partnership recognizes the importance of expanding and sustaining its business community and is therefore committed to making "doing business" as easy as possible. Current research suggests that 80 percent of the initial site selection screening is now done through the Internet. With the growing number of people who conduct business on the Internet, Charlotte USA Prospector provides an invaluable, real-time service to the many businesses that contact the Charlotte Regional Partnership seeking site selection information. 12. How will companies know about the Charlotte USA Prospector GIS site? How is the Charlotte Regional Partnership marketing it? There is a link to Charlotte USA Prospector on the Charlotte Regional Partnership website as well as a link on other frequently trafficked sites. The Charlotte Regional Partnership and its partners will promote Charlotte USA Prospector in all marketing materials. 13. What is GIS? GIS is an abbreviation for the term "Geographic Information System". A GIS combines layers of geographic information about a place that provides better information about that location. In the case of Charlotte USA Prospector, the Internet-based GIS allows businesses to identify optimal business locations based on available commercial property, location differences, demographic variations and business industry characteristics. Charlotte USA Prospector allows website users to customize the analysis to their specific needs. Copyright © 2008 GIS Planning Inc. All Rights Reserved.