What is skip tracing?
Finding a property owner's phone number or e-mail from their name and address, using data vendors. Follow the TCPA and Do-Not-Call rules.
Why it matters to an investor
County records give you the owner's name and mailing address. They rarely give a phone number. Skip tracing is the paid step that tries to find one, so it adds cost for every owner you try.
How investors use it
- Mail first: a letter needs only the mailing address on the tax roll.
- Trace only the owners you will really call or text, such as your top-scored owners or a small stack.
- Work out your cost for each owner you reach, not for each record you buy.
Questions
Does LeadCounty skip trace?
LeadCounty does not sell it. You can connect your own skip-trace account and run it from the app (you pay that company directly), or export a skip-trace file, run it at any provider and upload the results back so the numbers sit on the owner record.
Is skip tracing legal?
Looking up contact details is common. What you do next is regulated: calls and texts follow the TCPA and the Do Not Call rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
How we make these guides
Written by the LeadCounty editorial and data team from official county, court and state sources and our own weekly counts. We name the office behind every number, say what we cannot see, and fix mistakes when you tell us. See our editorial standards and methodology. General information, not legal or financial advice. Refreshed weekly.
Find the owners behind these records.
Official county records, scored with reasons, refreshed weekly. 7-day free trial.
- 7 days free
- Explore: no card
- Full access: cancel before day 7, pay nothing
- Max 10 investors per county
