Number Every Property to Match Your Survey or Proposal

Put the rank in a column of your spreadsheet and use that column as the pin label, so property 1 on the map is row 1 in the table. Rank by what matters most to the client, such as total occupancy cost or commute, and note that in the survey so the order makes sense. If the sheet is already sorted best to worst, you can skip the extra column and use Maptive’s numeric labels, which number the pins by row.

An availability survey lists every space that could fit the requirement, one row per suite. Along with size and asking rent, it usually shows the rent structure, operating expenses, parking ratio, the earliest move-in date and the listing broker. Reps often add a few spaces a little outside the size range, or ones that aren’t formally listed, so the client sees the whole market before narrowing it down. The client then reviews the table next to the numbered map to pick the buildings to tour.

The client reads the map and the table together, so a pin with the wrong number sends them to the wrong building and the wrong rent. Numbers get out of step when a space leases during the search or someone re-sorts the table. If the labels come from a Survey No. column in the same data, the pin and the row stay matched. To renumber, change the Survey No. value and the label on the map changes too.

Yes. Sort the spreadsheet by asking rent or by square footage, then write the rank into a column and use it as the label. The numeric labels, which follow row order, are the other option. To show the figure as well, turn on Labels Above Markers for the rent or size column, so the rank and the value appear together. The label shows exactly what’s in the cell, so set the unit format, like $31.50/SF/yr, before you upload.

There’s no set number. In a dense downtown, labels start to overlap at slide size once you have a few dozen pins. When that happens, split the survey into two maps by submarket, or export one overview and one zoomed-in view of the core. Another option is to filter the map down to the shortlist and keep the full list in the table. Use the same Survey No. column for every map so no two properties share a number.

The numbers need strong contrast, and the map around them needs to be plain. Use one label color with white text on a light base map, and turn off road names you don’t need. Show only the area the client cares about and zoom in before you export, because a map of the whole metro makes every label small. Export at the Large size for a full-width slide, and check it on a projector or shared screen before the meeting.

Add a Status column and mark the shortlisted spaces. Then filter on that column to make a second map with only those spaces. Keep the original survey numbers on the shortlisted pins so the client still knows each building. Both the full survey and the shortlist export as separate images from the same map. Keeping one number per space for the whole search also helps later, when you compare landlord proposals against the same numbers.

Yes. Both label types let you set the border color, background color, opacity, font color and font size, and a preview shows one marker before you save. Most firms use their main brand color for the number box and keep the font big enough to read when the map is printed at letter size. A smaller style for the building name above the pin keeps the number as the first thing people see.

Labels Inside Markers replace the pin with a box that shows a value from your data, which is where the survey number goes. Labels Above Markers add a second label over each pin, such as the building name. The two work together. What doesn’t work is using Labels Inside Markers and the numeric row labels at the same time, so use a column for the number when your rows aren’t in survey order. Keep labels short and put longer details in the pin popup.

Give each building one pin and one number, and list its suites in the table as 7A and 7B. Two pins on one address overlap exactly, so one number disappears on the printed map. Labels Above Markers can show the total available square feet for the building, and the table keeps the detail for each suite. The client compares suites in the table and uses the single pin to find the building on the map.