Skip Tracing for Real Estate: The Complete Guide

Skip tracing is one of those topics that sounds complicated but is actually pretty straightforward once you understand what's happening behind the scenes.

In simple terms: you have a list of property addresses, and you need to find the owners' phone numbers and emails so you can contact them. That's skip tracing.

If you've ever tried to reach an absentee owner, a property inherited through probate, or someone who's moved out of state, you know how difficult it can be to find current contact information. Skip tracing solves that problem.

Let's break down everything you need to know.

What Is Skip Tracing?

The term "skip tracing" originally comes from debt collection—finding people who "skipped" out on their debts. In real estate, it means finding contact information for property owners.

When you skip trace a property, you're looking for:

• Phone numbers (cell and landline)
• Email addresses
• Current mailing addresses (if different from property address)
• Additional property owners (spouse, business partners)
• Relatives (useful for inherited properties)

The process works by aggregating data from multiple sources:

• Public records (court filings, voter registration)
• Utility company records
• Credit header data
• Social media profiles
• Phone carrier databases
• Consumer data brokers

Skip tracing services compile this information and match it against property records, giving you the contact details you need.

Why Real Estate Investors Need Skip Tracing

Without skip tracing, you're limited to sending mail to the property address and hoping it reaches the right person. That's a problem when:

Absentee Owners

By definition, absentee owners don't live at the property. Your mail might reach a tenant who throws it away, or worse, a vacant property where it sits unopened.

Skip tracing gives you:

• The owner's current mailing address
• Direct phone numbers
• Email for digital outreach

Inherited Properties (Probate)

When someone inherits a property, the ownership records often lag behind. The deceased owner's name may still be on the deed, making it hard to reach the actual heir.

Skip tracing helps you:

• Find the executor or administrator
• Identify heir contact information
• Reach family members who can point you to the decision-maker

Vacant Properties

Vacant properties have no one to receive mail. You need alternative contact methods.

Corporate-Owned Properties

When an LLC or trust owns a property, the public record shows the entity name—not a person you can call. Skip tracing can help identify the actual humans behind the entity.

How to Skip Trace Property Owners

There are three main approaches, ranging from manual research to automated batch processing.

DIY Methods (Free but Time-Intensive)

If you're working with a small number of properties, you can skip trace manually:

County records: Assessor websites often show owner mailing addresses. Start here for absentee owner addresses.

Social media: Search the owner's name on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You'd be surprised how often you can find contact info in public profiles.

Whitepages and TruePeopleSearch: Free people-search sites that aggregate public records. Hit rates are lower, but it's free.

Google the address: Sometimes news articles, social media posts, or forum discussions mention the property or owner.

Court records: If the owner is involved in any legal proceedings (divorce, bankruptcy, civil cases), those filings often include contact information.

Manual skip tracing works for 5-10 properties. Beyond that, it becomes impractical. That's where services come in.

Professional Skip Tracing Services

Dedicated skip tracing services have access to data sources you can't get as an individual. They buy data from credit bureaus, phone carriers, and data brokers, then match it against property records.

How it works:

1. Upload your list of properties (addresses and owner names)
2. The service runs each record against their databases
3. You receive contact information for successful matches

Typical pricing: $0.05-0.20 per record for batch processing

The quality varies significantly between services. Some have better phone number data; others excel at email addresses. That's why many investors use multiple services.

Batch Skip Tracing for Volume

When you're mailing 1,000+ pieces monthly, batch skip tracing is essential. Instead of looking up each property individually, you upload your entire list and get results for everything at once.

Batch processing workflow:

1. Export your property list (CSV format)
2. Upload to skip tracing platform
3. Processing runs (usually minutes to hours)
4. Download results with appended contact info
5. Import to your CRM or mail platform

Most platforms charge per record attempted. Some charge only for successful matches (hits), which can be more cost-effective if your input data is messy.

Top Skip Tracing Services Compared

Here's how the main options stack up:

PropStream

PropStream is primarily a property data platform, but it includes unlimited skip tracing with all paid plans.

Pricing: $99/month (includes unlimited skip tracing) Hit Rate: 70-80% for phone numbers Best For: Investors already using PropStream for data

The advantage is that skip tracing is built directly into the list-building workflow. Build a list of pre-foreclosures, click a button, and skip trace the entire list without leaving the platform.

Pros:

• Unlimited skip tracing with subscription
• Integrated with property data
• Good phone number accuracy

Cons:

• Monthly subscription required
• Skip trace quality varies by region

Batch Skip Tracing

Batch Skip Tracing is a dedicated skip tracing service known for competitive pricing and high hit rates.

Pricing: $0.10-0.15 per record (volume discounts available) Hit Rate: 75-85% for phone numbers Best For: High-volume investors who want best-in-class accuracy

They specialize in real estate investor needs and offer features like property-appended data (adds property details to your owner list) and litigator scrubbing (removes numbers on the Do Not Call list).

Pros:

• High accuracy
• Real estate-focused
• Good customer support

Cons:

• Per-record pricing adds up at volume
• No property data integration

Skip Force

Skip Force is another dedicated service popular with wholesalers and direct mail marketers.

Pricing: $0.08-0.12 per record Hit Rate: 70-80% for phone numbers Best For: Budget-conscious investors

Pros:

• Competitive pricing
• Fast turnaround
• Bulk upload support

Cons:

• Slightly lower hit rates than premium services
• Basic interface

REI Skip

REI Skip focuses specifically on real estate investor use cases with property-focused data matching.

Pricing: $0.10-0.15 per record Hit Rate: 72-82% for phone numbers Best For: Investors who need property + owner data combined

Pros:

• Property data integration
• Real estate-specific matching
• Good for inherited properties

Cons:

• Smaller company
• Less name recognition

Comparison Table

Skip Tracing Accuracy: What to Expect

Let's set realistic expectations. Skip tracing isn't magic—it's data aggregation with inherent limitations.

Phone Number Hit Rates

A good service delivers 70-85% hit rates for phone numbers, meaning 70-85 out of 100 records will return at least one phone number.

However, "returning a number" doesn't mean the number works:

• Wrong number: The database is outdated
• Disconnected: The person changed numbers
• Wrong person: Data matching error

Realistically, expect 50-70% of returned numbers to actually connect to the right person. That means for every 100 records:

• 80 return phone numbers
• 55-60 of those numbers work
• 40-50 reach the actual property owner

This is why volume matters. If you need 10 conversations with property owners, you might need to skip trace 25-30 properties.

Email Accuracy

Email hit rates are typically lower than phone—around 50-70% of records return an email address.

Email accuracy is also worse than phone because:

• People change email addresses frequently
• Many people have multiple emails
• Work emails vs. personal emails

For direct outreach, phone is generally more effective than email for real estate investors. But email can supplement your direct mail and phone campaigns.

Improving Your Results

Double skip tracing: Run your list through two different services and combine the results. Different services have access to different data sources, so you'll fill gaps.

Data quality in = data quality out: The cleaner your input data (accurate owner names, correct property addresses), the better your match rates.

Recent movers are harder: If someone moved within the last 6 months, their new contact info may not have propagated to skip trace databases yet.

Business entities: LLCs and trusts are harder to skip trace than individuals. You often need to research the entity separately to find the managing member.

Skip Tracing + Direct Mail Workflow

Here's where it gets practical. How do you actually use skip tracing in your marketing workflow?

The Basic Workflow

1. Build your list using criteria like pre-foreclosure, absentee owner, tax delinquent, etc.
2. Skip trace the list to append phone numbers and emails
3. Send direct mail to all addresses (property address + owner mailing address)
4. Call the phone numbers from your skip trace results
5. Email as follow-up for those with valid email addresses

This multi-channel approach dramatically increases your contact rate compared to mail alone.

Automation with REmail

The manual workflow above works but requires significant effort. Here's how to automate it:

With PropertyRadar, you can set up automated lists that update via webhooks. When a new pre-foreclosure hits your criteria, it automatically gets added to your list.

Connect that to REmail, and direct mail goes out automatically—no manual list pulls, no CSV exports, no delays.

For the phone outreach portion, many investors use REsimpli to manage leads and track calls in a CRM.

Cost-Per-Lead Math

Let's run the numbers on a typical campaign:

If you get a 1% response rate (10 responses) and convert 20% to appointments (2 appointments):

• Cost per response: $75
• Cost per appointment: $375

That's competitive with most marketing channels, and you've also got phone numbers for follow-up calling.

FAQ

What is skip tracing in real estate?

Skip tracing is the process of finding contact information (phone numbers, emails, addresses) for property owners who may be difficult to reach. Real estate investors use it to contact absentee owners, heirs, and other motivated sellers who aren't publicly accessible.

How much does skip tracing cost?

Skip tracing typically costs $0.05-0.20 per record for batch processing, or may be included free with platforms like PropStream and DealMachine. Some services charge per successful hit rather than per record attempted.

What is a good skip trace hit rate?

A good hit rate for phone numbers is 70-85%. Email hit rates are typically lower at 50-70%. Hit rates vary by data source and the quality of information you're starting with.

Should I use multiple skip tracing services?

Yes, using 2-3 services and comparing results can significantly improve your hit rate. Different services have access to different data sources, so combining them fills gaps.

Can I skip trace an LLC?

You can attempt to skip trace an LLC, but results are often poor because LLCs don't have phone numbers—people do. You typically need to research the LLC separately to find the managing member or registered agent, then skip trace that individual.

Is skip tracing legal?

Yes, skip tracing using publicly available data and licensed data sources is legal. However, how you use the information matters. Calling numbers on the Do Not Call registry without proper exemption can result in fines. Many skip trace services offer DNC scrubbing to help with compliance.

How often should I skip trace my lists?

For active marketing lists, re-skip trace every 6-12 months. Contact information changes frequently—people move, change numbers, and update emails. Fresh data means higher contact rates.

Get Started with Skip Tracing

Skip tracing is a fundamental tool for real estate investors doing any kind of outreach marketing. The good news is that it's easier and more affordable than ever.

If you're just starting out, PropStream gives you unlimited skip tracing bundled with property data—a solid all-in-one solution.

For higher volume or better accuracy, dedicated services like Batch Skip Tracing are worth the per-record cost.

Once you have your data, REmail makes it easy to launch automated direct mail campaigns that reach your skip-traced lists consistently.

Already have skip trace data? Start your direct mail campaign →