The Ultimate Guide to Skip Tracing for Real Estate Investors

You’ve built the perfect list of distressed properties. Tax liens, pre-foreclosures, absentee owners with high equity. But there’s one problem: you don’t have phone numbers for half of them, and the numbers you do have are outdated. This is where skip tracing becomes the bridge between a list of addresses and a pipeline of deals.

Skip tracing originated in the debt collection and bail bonds industry as a way to locate people who had “skipped” town. Real estate investors adopted the practice because property records give you addresses and owner names, but rarely current phone numbers or emails. A good skip trace can turn a static property list into an actionable call list within hours.

Key Takeaways

• Skip tracing matches property owner names with current contact information including phone numbers and emails
• Data accuracy varies significantly between providers, typically ranging from 60-85%
• Batch skip tracing costs between $0.03-$0.15 per record depending on the provider
• Always run your skip traced data through a DNC scrub before calling
• Multiple phone numbers per contact increase your chances of reaching the owner
• Combining skip tracing with other data points like equity and ownership duration improves targeting

What Is Skip Tracing?

At its core, skip tracing is the process of finding current contact information for a person when all you have is their name and a property address. Skip tracing companies maintain massive databases compiled from:

• Public records (property filings, court records, voter registration)
• Credit bureau data (current and former addresses)
• Utility records (who’s paying the electric bill)
• Social media profiles (phone numbers linked to accounts)
• Consumer databases (marketing data aggregators)

When you submit a list of names and addresses, the skip tracing service cross-references these databases to find matching phone numbers, email addresses, and sometimes even alternative addresses.

The Best Skip Tracing Tools for Real Estate

BatchSkipTracing (BatchLeads)

BatchLeads has become one of the most popular options for real estate investors. Their skip tracing is integrated directly into their property data platform, which means you can pull a list and skip trace it without exporting data between systems.

• Cost: $0.03-$0.10 per record depending on volume
• Accuracy: Generally 70-80% hit rate
• Strength: Integration with property data and list stacking features

REISkip

REISkip focuses specifically on the real estate investor market and offers competitive pricing for high-volume users.

• Cost: $0.04-$0.08 per record
• Accuracy: 70-75% hit rate
• Strength: Affordable bulk pricing and fast turnaround

PropStream

PropStream offers skip tracing as part of its comprehensive property data platform. The advantage is having everything in one place.

• Cost: Included in subscription with per-record fees
• Accuracy: 65-75% hit rate
• Strength: All-in-one platform for list building and skip tracing

REDX

REDX is particularly popular among real estate agents and investors who focus on expired listings and FSBO leads.

• Cost: Monthly subscription model
• Accuracy: 75-85% hit rate for their specialty lists
• Strength: Pre-built lists with skip tracing included

TLOxp

For professional-grade skip tracing, TLOxp (owned by TransUnion) offers some of the most accurate data available. However, it requires a legitimate business purpose and compliance certification.

• Cost: Higher than consumer-grade options
• Accuracy: 80-90% hit rate
• Strength: Deep data with high accuracy

How to Get the Most from Your Skip Trace Data

Getting phone numbers is just the first step. Here’s how to maximize your results.

Clean Your Input Data First

The quality of your skip trace results depends heavily on the quality of your input data. Before submitting a list:

1. Standardize names: “Robert Smith” and “Bob Smith” might return different results
2. Verify addresses: Make sure property addresses are current and formatted correctly
3. Remove duplicates: Don’t pay to trace the same person twice
4. Include mailing addresses: If different from property address, this helps the matching algorithms

Request Multiple Phone Numbers

Most skip tracing services can return 2-5 phone numbers per record. Always request the maximum. The first number might be a disconnected landline from 2015, but the third number could be their current cell phone.

Prioritize Cell Phones

When you get multiple numbers back, prioritize cell phones over landlines. Cell phones are more likely to be current and more likely to be answered. Most services flag whether a number is a cell or landline.

Cross-Reference Results

No single skip tracing provider has perfect data. Serious investors often run their lists through two different providers and combine the results. If both providers return the same phone number, your confidence level goes up significantly.

DNC Compliance Is Non-Negotiable

Before you dial a single number from your skip traced list, you must scrub it against the National Do Not Call Registry. This isn’t optional.

Steps for Compliance

1. Register with the FTC at donotcall.gov
2. Download the DNC list for your target area codes
3. Scrub your list using your dialer’s built-in DNC check or a third-party service
4. Maintain an internal DNC list of anyone who asks you to stop calling
5. Document everything in case of complaints

Penalties for calling numbers on the DNC list can reach $51,744 per violation. No deal is worth that risk.

Skip Tracing Costs: What to Budget

For a typical real estate investing operation, here’s what skip tracing costs look like:

Most providers offer volume discounts. If you’re doing significant volume, negotiate. Many will match competitor pricing if you ask.

Turning Skip Traced Data into Deals

Having phone numbers is only valuable if you use them effectively. Here’s the workflow we recommend:

Step 1: Segment Your List

Don’t treat all skip traced contacts the same. Segment by:

• Motivation level: Pre-foreclosure owners are likely more motivated than random absentee owners
• Equity position: High equity owners have more flexibility to sell at a discount
• Property condition: Known distressed properties suggest higher motivation
• Time on list: New additions to your list should be called first

Step 2: Set Up Your Dialer

Load your scrubbed, segmented lists into your power dialer. Tools like CallTools, ReadyMode, or Mojo Dialer can significantly increase your throughput.

Step 3: Call with a System

• Morning calls (9-11 AM): Best for reaching retirees and work-from-home owners
• Afternoon calls (4-6 PM): Best for reaching working homeowners
• Avoid: Early morning, late evening, Sundays

Step 4: Track and Iterate

Monitor which list segments produce the best results. Over time, you’ll learn which property characteristics and owner demographics convert best in your market.

At Televista, we handle skip tracing, list management, and cold calling as an integrated service. When the data sourcing, quality control, and outreach are all coordinated, the conversion rates improve dramatically.

Common Skip Tracing Mistakes

1. Using only one provider: Cross-referencing catches numbers a single provider misses
2. Skipping DNC scrubbing: The fines aren’t worth it
3. Ignoring data age: Skip trace data degrades over time. Re-trace lists older than 90 days
4. Not cleaning input data: Garbage in, garbage out
5. Calling without a plan: Segment your list and call with purpose

Conclusion

Skip tracing is the engine that powers real estate cold calling. Without accurate contact data, even the best scripts and most skilled callers are dialing into the void. Invest in quality data, maintain compliance, and build a systematic approach to working your traced lists. The investors who treat data as a competitive advantage are the ones consistently closing deals.