Wake County (Raleigh), NC: motivated seller leads, with the reason on every owner
LeadCounty reads 3 official record sources for all 439,191 properties here, refreshed weekly. The biggest seller lists are tired landlord (31,842), tax delinquent (2,481) and estate / heirs owner (1,688).
National files go to anyone who pays. We cap this county at 10 investors, so the owners you find here are not on a stack of other desks. Stack the lists below and mail the top of the pile.
2.5×in Wake County, the top-scored tenth sold this many times as often as average
In a test on real sales, 9.2% of the top-scored tenth sold within 12 months, against 3.8% of all properties.
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The badge links to the Wake County page. It shows the result of the test on real sales.
See all 16 seller lists in Wake County
Certified delinquent is the same list as Tax delinquent in Wake County (the county publishes one delinquency list).
2,481 owners are behind on tax here today. See who, and why.
Start my 7 days in Wake CountyFrom $99 a month for one county. Explore needs no card. Full access: cancel before day 7, pay nothing. See pricing
Not ready? Get 20 free Wake County leads by e-mailWhat's in Wake County, and what isn't
In Wake County we hold tax delinquent, delinquent 3+ years, in foreclosure, estate / heirs owner, absentee owner and out-of-state owner. Every owner you do see has the reason next to the name.
New records against the usual week
| List | Latest week | 4-week average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sold | 242 | 289 | -16% down |
Top ZIP codes in Wake County
Most tax-delinquent properties
- 27610 Raleigh317 delinquent
- 27603 Raleigh231 delinquent
- 27591 Wendell221 delinquent
- 27587 Wake Forest210 delinquent
- 27529 Garner207 delinquent
Owners with more than one reason to sell
A stack is an owner who matches several reasons at once. These are the stacks investors start with in Wake County, with live counts.
- 354owners nowTax delinquent + absentee owner + owned 15+ yearsOwners behind on tax who do not live in the house and have held it a long time: usually equity and little attachment.
- 3,607owners nowPortfolio owner (5+) + owned 15+ yearsLong-time landlords with several properties: one conversation can cover more than one house.
- 5owners nowIn foreclosure or sheriff sale + high equityOwners with a deadline who still have equity to protect by selling on their own terms.
- 382owners nowLikely vacant + absentee ownerProbably empty houses whose owner lives somewhere else: every month costs them tax and upkeep.
Named stacks of signals in Wake County
A stack is an owner who matches several reasons at once, all true for the same property. The number is how many properties in Wake County match every one today.
- Ghost Owner112
A death on record, an empty-looking house, tax unpaid.
- 3 signals stacked
- Last Straw2,337
Two years behind on tax and a lien or foreclosure case on top.
- 2 signals stacked
- Long Hold Estate3,336
Held 30 years or more, now in a trust or estate.
- 2 signals stacked
- Paper Rich15,315
Long held, worth twice what was paid, owner lives elsewhere.
- 3 signals stacked
- Far Away Drift65
Out of state for 10 years or more and behind on tax.
- 3 signals stacked
- Empty and Owing334
Looks empty, owner lives elsewhere, tax unpaid.
- 3 signals stacked
- Equity Under Fire791
Lots of equity, with a lien, a foreclosure or 2+ years of tax owed.
- 2 signals stacked
These count records, not people: a stack never says an owner wants to sell. How all eight stacks are defined →
Three Wake County properties our score ranks highest
| Street and city | Score (1 to 10) | Why it may sell |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Tanager TrlRaleigh | 10of 10 | Owes about $9,800 in taxBusy area: 23% of nearby homes sold in 3 years |
| Holden StRaleigh | 10of 10 | Owes about $10,600 in taxValue up 81% in 3 years |
| Bledsoe AveRaleigh | 10of 10 | Owes about $6,300 in taxSold 5 times in 10 years |
Street name and city only: house numbers, owner names and mailing addresses are in the app.
What the free trial shows
The same property, in both trials. Example row, not a real person.
Explore
- Owner
- Hidden in the free Explore trial
- Mailing address
- Hidden in the free Explore trial
- Tax owed
- $4,812
Everything except who to contact: owner names, mailing addresses and house numbers stay hidden.
Full access
- Owner
- Pat Example
- Mailing address
- PO Box 118, Sample City
- Tax owed
- $4,812
Everything, owner names and mailing addresses included. Cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing.
Get 20 free Wake County records
This week's top 20 properties by score: address, city, ZIP, score, reasons, owner type, years owned and tax owed. Owner names and mailing addresses are in the trial. One file per e-mail per week.
What the Wake County records say
Wake County has 439,191 properties on file. 2,481 of them (0.6%) are behind on property tax, and 327,889 owe $1,000 or more; 999 have been delinquent for three years or longer. 102,982 (23.4%) belong to an owner who gets the tax bill at another address, 29,067 of them in another state.
In the latest full week of the county's deed file, it recorded 242 sales (average 289). 12 properties have an open foreclosure case.
Unpaid tax is most concentrated in ZIP 27610 (Raleigh) with 317 delinquent properties, followed by 27603 (Raleigh) and 27591 (Wendell).
Stacking lists narrows the county to owners with more than one reason to sell. "Tax delinquent + absentee owner + owned 15+ years" gives 354 owners right now: small enough to mail every month.
Wake County on file: tax history 1992–2026, sales and transfers 1919–2026, 345 columns with data; tax liens, foreclosure filings and vacant-building cases included. The records come from Wake County Department of Tax Administration, Wake County GIS and City of Raleigh, collected every week.
Where the Wake County data comes from
Collected from 3 official government offices, live and refreshed weekly.
- Wake County Department of Tax Administrationowners, values and building facts, tax bills, payments and delinquency, deeds and sales, foreclosure and sheriff-sale records
- Wake County GISowners, values and building facts, parcel maps
- City of Raleighcode cases and vacant buildings, building permits
Wake County on file: tax history 1992–2026, sales and transfers 1919–2026, 345 columns with data; tax liens, foreclosure filings and vacant-building cases included.
Wake County government website →
How we collect and check county records →How unpaid tax and foreclosure work in North Carolina
Counties collect unpaid tax by foreclosure (a court case or an in-rem proceeding), followed by a public sale. Every sale stays open 10 days for higher (upset) bids; the owner can pay the tax until the sale is final.
Mortgage foreclosures: non-judicial with a clerk's hearing. Power-of-sale foreclosures need a hearing before the clerk of superior court, and every sale has a 10-day upset bid period.
All North Carolina rules and counties →Where to go from here
More about Wake County: strong signals, nearby counties, guides
Signals strong in Wake County
More on Wake County
Nearest counties
Wake County questions
How many tax-delinquent properties are in Wake County, NC?
2,481 properties on the latest county file, from the Wake County Department of Tax Administration's tax records; 327,889 of them owe $1,000 or more. The count is refreshed every week.
Where does the Wake County data come from?
From official public records: Wake County Department of Tax Administration, Wake County GIS and City of Raleigh. We collect them every week, match them to each parcel and score every property.
How many investors can use Wake County data?
At most 10 investors per county, so fewer people mail the same owners. Seats are open in Wake County today.
Is Wake County full?
Seats open. The badge on this page is the same counter that decides who can join.
Does Wake County publish foreclosure filings?
Yes: 12 properties have an open foreclosure case on the latest county file.
Want every Wake County property in one Excel file?
All 439,191 properties with owners, mailing addresses, values, taxes and seller signals. $500 first delivery, $300 per refresh.Somebody opens Wake County this week.
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