GIS Developer Needed – RHAM Rural Housing, Real Estate & USDA Lending Opportunity Platform

Hello, I am seeking an experienced GIS Developer / Geospatial Data Engineer to help develop an interactive web-based platform called the Rural Homeownership Access Model (RHAM). The primary objective is to build a data-driven system that identifies rural homeownership opportunities, underserved communities, and potential markets for USDA mortgage financing, while connecting prospective homebuyers with real estate professionals and participating mortgage lenders. The platform should integrate official government data, real estate market information, and mortgage lending activity into one interactive mapping interface. 1. USDA Rural Housing Eligibility & Opportunity Mapping - Integrate official USDA property eligibility maps and geographic boundaries. - Identify communities with potential opportunities for USDA home financing. - Develop an analytical model to identify and rank underserved rural housing markets based on workforce, housing demand, real estate availability, and mortgage activity. - Allow users to search by state, county, city, ZIP code, or property address. 2. Agricultural & Non-Agricultural Workforce Analysis The platform must have two distinct workforce sections: - Agricultural Workforce: Farmworkers, seasonal workers, crop production, agricultural employment concentrations, and types of agricultural activity. - Non-Agricultural Workforce: Healthcare, education, construction, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, transportation, and other employment sectors. The objective is to understand where these workers are concentrated and identify potential rural homeownership opportunities. 3. Real Estate Market & Property Analysis I would also like to incorporate a real estate component that allows the platform to: - Identify available residential properties in USDA-eligible areas. - Display property prices, housing inventory, and market trends where reliable data is available. - Compare available homes with local household income and affordability. - Identify areas where USDA financing could help qualified buyers access homeownership. - Potentially integrate MLS/IDX property listings through an authorized real estate data provider. This component is important because RHAM should not only identify underserved communities but also help determine where actual real estate and USDA mortgage opportunities exist. 4. Mortgage Lending Activity & Opportunity Zones Using HMDA mortgage data and other available government sources, the system should analyze: - USDA mortgage originations by geographic area. - Overall mortgage lending activity. - Areas with relatively low USDA mortgage utilization. - Mortgage application and denial patterns. - Potential opportunities for increased USDA homeownership financing. The platform should generate a RHAM Opportunity Map highlighting communities where USDA-eligible housing, workforce concentrations, available residential properties, and limited USDA lending activity overlap. These would be RHAM-defined opportunity areas, not necessarily federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones. 5. Lender Connection & Referral Portal I also want to reserve a dedicated section called “Connect With a Lender.” This feature should eventually allow us to: - Add participating USDA mortgage lenders and loan officers. - Create lender profiles with contact information, service areas, and available mortgage programs. - Allow prospective homebuyers to request information or connect with a participating lender. - Include a preliminary homebuyer inquiry or mortgage-readiness questionnaire. - Support future expansion to Realtors, housing counselors, and community partners. The system should be designed to accommodate additional lenders and partners as RHAM expands, with appropriate privacy, consent, and mortgage referral compliance safeguards. 6. Initial Development Scope For the first phase, I would like to focus on five Southwest Florida counties: Hendry, Collier, Glades, Lee, and Charlotte. The initial deliverable should be a functional interactive website with mapping capabilities, workforce data, USDA eligibility information, mortgage activity, real estate market indicators, and space for future lender integration. I would prefer a solution using GIS, R or Python, SQL/PostGIS, and a modern web-mapping framework. 7. Timeline & Proposal My goal is to have a functional pilot developed within approximately 4–6 weeks, if feasible. Could you please provide: - Examples of similar GIS, real estate, or mortgage-related mapping platforms you have developed. - Your recommended technical approach and data integration strategy. - An estimated timeline and fixed-price proposal. - What can realistically be completed in the initial phase versus future development. - Your availability for an introductory meeting. My long-term vision is to make RHAM a scalable platform that helps identify rural housing opportunities, supports USDA homeownership education, and connects eligible households with lenders, Realtors, and community resources. I look forward to discussing this project and potentially working together. Best regards, Diderot Saintilma Founder – RHAM Initiative