How to Use Skip Tracing to Find Off-Market Deals Like a Pro?

Skip tracing is an important lead generation tool for real estate investors. The term "skip tracing" refers to finding details about a person in order to conduct business. Law enforcement agencies and debt collectors often use skip tracing, and real estate investors can also use it to gather information about motivated sellers.

For example, let’s say you find 10 suitable properties after driving for dollars. Two of those houses are vacant, while the other eight are occupied. You don’t know the owners of these properties. To contact them, you need to locate property information through public records and other databases. Skip tracing helps you uncover the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Is Skip Tracing Legal?

Yes, skip tracing is legal as long as it’s done ethically and within legal boundaries. Public data is available to everyone, and you can use public records like tax assessor sites, deed records, and court filings to create your own motivated seller lists. It’s legal to use skip-tracing services that provide aggregated legal data, and you can also utilize social media and public directories.

However, unauthorized access to private accounts or databases is prohibited. Harassing or overwhelming a homeowner with multiple contact attempts is illegal.

According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you cannot pull credit reports without permission. Skip tracing is permissible as long as you’re not using fraudulent means to collect financial or credit data.

Compliance Issues

Respect the privacy of your clients. Stay updated about TCPA and FCC laws. Make sure that you have appropriate permission to contact a homeowner after obtaining their information. If you’re cold-calling, make sure that you do not contact consumers on the DNC (Do Not Call) registry.

• How to Skip Trace to Find Motivated Seller Leads?

• Professional skip tracing begins with a questionnaire:

• Why would a homeowner be eager to sell?

• How will they respond to my marketing message?

• Where can I find their contact information?

You can use skip-tracing software and AI tools to curate, clean, and sort your data. Most investors start with public records, such as property records and court documents, which can reveal changes in ownership. This information can be found through your local assessor’s office (property value, ownership history, and parcel data) or recorder’s office (deeds, mortgages, and liens). Social media, paid databases, and personal connections can also be used to find additional information.

Gather all available information about the property owner, including their name, address, current and previous phone numbers, email addresses, and property tax records. Perform an in-depth online search for licensing registries, current and past business affiliations, and participation in online communities. Look for ethical clues (such as social media) and verify the information you find. Organize your list with appropriate tags so you can easily use it for marketing purposes.

Skip Tracing for Investors

How to Choose a Professional Skip Tracing Service?

Various skip-tracing services can help you find the missing information. The important part is to find a service that collects data legally and provides verified (up-to-date) information. There should be an opt-out option for those who don’t want to share contact details.

Professional Skip Tracing

Top Skip Tracing Tools for Investors

What is the best tool to use for skip tracing? And how much does skip tracing cost?

Various skip-tracing tools are available to serve different needs. You can search for property address or parcel number-based skip tracing. You can input a property address to get details about the owner, mailing address, phone numbers, and emails. Some available tools are:

• BatchSkipTracing: It offers bulk skip tracing for real estate investors using property addresses. You will pay a transparent fee for each successful match.

• PropStream: You can access owner contact details, mortgage info, and property history. There is a subscription starting at $99/month, which includes 10,000 property searches. The skip tracking feature costs an additional $0.12 per record.

• REISift: It helps clean and organize property data while offering skip tracing features. The cost for skip tracing is between $0.12 and $0.15, depending on your subscription.

• Skip Genie: It offers a subscription-based system for investors to locate property owners with minimal data input. Additional searches cost $0.17 per record.

Free or Low-Cost Alternatives

If you’re on a tight budget, you can use free sources like county tax records, Whitepages, FastPeopleSearch, or TruePeopleSearch. These won’t be as reliable but can sometimes yield useful data.

How Often Do I Need Skip Tracing Services?

It depends on your investment strategy and lead generation volume. If you’re actively sourcing off-market deals, direct mail campaigns, or cold-calling lists, you’ll need skip tracing regularly—sometimes daily or weekly.

• Volume: 500–10,000+ records per month

• Best Tools: BatchSkipTracing, PropStream, REISift (bulk-friendly)

• Cost: $0.10–$0.20 per record, or subscription-based

Fix and flip investors need skip tracing only when they need homeowner details for a specific property.

• Volume: 50–500 records per month

• Best Tools: PropStream, Skip Genie

• Cost: Pay-per-search models ($0.12–$0.30 per record) work best

Long-term investors only use skip tracing to track down absentee owners or off-market rental opportunities.

• Volume: <50 records per month

• Best Tools: PropertyRadar, Whitepages, County Records (low-cost or free options)

• Cost: Free to $0.25 per search

Why is Skip Tracing so Challenging?

Real estate investors need information to find off-market leads. The success of your entire campaign depends on the data. You need to aggregate data, clean up the lists, and make sure the information is up-to-date. A good list today could be outdated tomorrow. That’s why you must spend time researching the best technology available.

If skip tracing sounds like a hassle you want to avoid, you can connect with MotivatedSellers. At motivatedsellers.com, you can skip the hassles of lead generation. We’ll connect you directly with motivated sellers. You can choose the lead, pay a small fee, and start working with homeowners right away.