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A strong research brief starts with a clear property question. Create a site, add the essential project context, and let RealClear turn the early uncertainty into a source-grounded next decision.

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Before you begin

Have these details ready:
  • The site address or the best available parcel/location description.
  • The proposed use and, where known, the project’s approximate scale.
  • Any immediate question you need to resolve — for example zoning fit, entitlement history, utility constraints, community opposition, or comparable outcomes.
  • The colleagues who should be able to review the findings.

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Start research

1

Create a site

From your portfolio workspace, choose Add site and enter the address or site location. Use the clearest available address; accuracy here improves the evidence trail that follows.
2

Add project context

Describe the intended use, project scale, and the decision you are trying to make. Be specific about uncertainties — they belong in the brief, not in someone’s head.
3

Review the research status

New work enters RealClear’s 24-hour research queue. Follow the site status in your workspace; do not treat a queued site as a completed finding.
4

Read the brief with the sources

When research is ready, begin with the verdict and known unknowns, then open the evidence and citations behind the points that matter to your decision.
Do not use a RealClear brief as a substitute for professional legal, planning, engineering, environmental, or other specialist advice. Use it to focus those conversations on the evidence that matters.

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After the brief arrives

Share the brief with your decision team, leave comments where more work is needed, and use the cited source documents when escalating a point to counsel or a specialist. Need help adding a property or interpreting a status? Contact the RealClear team.