The Best Leads Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Every county courthouse in America holds a goldmine of information that most real estate investors never touch. While your competitors are paying data providers for the same recycled lists, the sharpest investors are going straight to the source – public records – to build hyper-targeted lists of motivated sellers that nobody else is calling.

The logic is simple. Certain life events and financial situations create urgency to sell a property. Divorce filings, tax delinquencies, probate cases, code violations, and pre-foreclosure notices are all documented in public records. When you know where to find these records and how to interpret them, you have a direct path to homeowners who have a genuine reason to sell – often quickly and at a discount.

This guide shows you exactly where to find these records, what each type of motivated seller looks like, and how to turn raw public data into a pipeline of deals.

Key Takeaways

  • Public records are the most reliable source of motivated seller data because they reflect real, documented life events.
  • Tax delinquent lists, probate filings, pre-foreclosure notices, divorce records, and code violations are the five highest-value record types for investors.
  • Most county records are available for free or at minimal cost through county websites, courthouse visits, or FOIA requests.
  • Combine public record data with skip tracing to build a complete contact list for outreach.
  • Consistency is critical – pull fresh lists monthly to catch new filings before competitors.
  • Work these leads with urgency, as motivated sellers driven by financial or legal pressure often have tight timelines.

Why Public Records Are Superior to Purchased Lists

Most real estate investors buy their lead lists from data providers like PropStream, BatchLeads, or ListSource. These tools are convenient, but they come with a significant drawback: every other investor using the same platform is pulling the same lists.

When 50 investors in your market are all calling the same absentee owner list, the homeowner is exhausted before you ever reach them. They have heard the pitch, they know the game, and they are far less likely to engage.

Public records offer an alternative. By pulling data directly from county sources, you can:

  • Find leads before they hit commercial databases: There is often a lag between when a record is filed and when it appears in a data provider’s system. Going to the source gives you a head start.
  • Access data that commercial providers do not include: Some record types (code violations, utility shutoffs, certain court filings) are not available through standard list services.
  • Build proprietary lists: Your list is unique to you. No one else has the exact combination of records you have pulled and filtered.
  • Verify data accuracy: When you pull directly from the county, you know the data is current and accurate.

The Five Most Valuable Public Record Types

1. Tax Delinquent and Tax Lien Lists

What they are: Lists of property owners who have failed to pay their property taxes. After a period of delinquency (typically 1-3 years depending on the state), the county places a tax lien on the property, and eventually the property can be sold at a tax sale.

Why these sellers are motivated: Unpaid taxes signal financial distress. The owner may be unable to afford the property, may have inherited it and forgotten about taxes, or may be dealing with other financial problems. The threat of losing the property to a tax sale creates urgency.

Where to find them:

  • County treasurer or tax collector website (many publish delinquent lists online)
  • County courthouse (request the delinquent tax roll)
  • State or county tax sale websites (lists of properties scheduled for upcoming tax sales)

Pro tips:

  • Focus on properties with 2+ years of tax delinquency – these owners are more likely to sell.
  • Cross-reference with property condition data to find distressed properties with tax issues.
  • Pull these lists quarterly, as new delinquencies are added regularly.

2. Probate Filings

What they are: When a property owner dies, their estate typically goes through probate – a legal process to distribute assets and settle debts. The executor or personal representative of the estate often needs to sell property to pay debts, divide inheritance, or simply because the heirs do not want the property.

Why these sellers are motivated: Heirs frequently inherit properties they cannot afford to maintain, do not live near, or simply do not want. Probate properties often sit vacant, accumulate deferred maintenance, and become financial burdens. The executor has a fiduciary duty to settle the estate efficiently, which often means selling property.

Where to find them:

  • County probate court (search case filings for new probate cases)
  • County clerk’s website (some publish probate filings online)
  • Dedicated probate research services like US Probate Leads or SuccessorsData

Pro tips:

  • Approach probate leads with sensitivity. Someone has died, and the heirs are often dealing with grief alongside legal obligations.
  • Target cases filed 3-6 months ago – the estate has had time to get organized, but the executor is likely ready to start making decisions.
  • The personal representative named in the filing is your primary contact.

3. Pre-Foreclosure Notices (Lis Pendens and Notice of Default)

What they are: When a homeowner falls behind on their mortgage payments, the lender files a notice to begin the foreclosure process. This notice – called a Lis Pendens or Notice of Default depending on the state – is a public record.

Why these sellers are motivated: Homeowners facing foreclosure are in a race against the clock. They may have a few weeks to a few months before they lose their home. Many would rather sell at a discount than have a foreclosure on their credit. They need a fast, certain closing.

Where to find them:

  • County recorder’s office (search for Lis Pendens or Notice of Default filings)
  • Court clerk’s website (foreclosure cases are civil actions)
  • Services like PropertyRadar or ForeclosureRadar that aggregate these filings

Pro tips:

  • Speed matters more with pre-foreclosure leads than any other list type. These homeowners have deadlines.
  • Know your state’s foreclosure timeline so you can gauge how much time the homeowner has.
  • Many pre-foreclosure homeowners are embarrassed about their situation. Lead with empathy, not sales pressure.

4. Divorce Filings

What they are: Divorce proceedings are public record in most jurisdictions. When a married couple splits, jointly owned real estate often needs to be sold to divide assets.

Why these sellers are motivated: Divorcing couples frequently need to sell the marital home as part of the settlement. Emotions are high, neither party wants to deal with listing the house, and speed is often more important than maximizing price. Some divorcing couples will accept a lower offer just to move on.

Where to find them:

  • County family court or district court (search for dissolution of marriage filings)
  • Court clerk’s websites (many publish case indexes online)

Pro tips:

  • Be extremely tactful. Divorce is a painful process, and your outreach should be respectful and solution-oriented.
  • Look for cases filed 3-6 months ago where real property is listed as a marital asset.
  • Both parties may need to agree to a sale, so be prepared for more complex negotiations.

5. Code Violations and Condemned Properties

What they are: Municipal code enforcement departments track properties that violate building codes – overgrown lots, structural issues, unpermitted work, hoarding, and condemnation orders. These violations are public record.

Why these sellers are motivated: Code violations come with fines, liens, and eventually condemnation if not addressed. Property owners who cannot afford repairs or do not want to deal with the hassle are often willing to sell at a discount to make the problem go away.

Where to find them:

  • City or county code enforcement department
  • Municipal building department website (some publish violation databases online)
  • FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests for violation lists

Pro tips:

  • Properties with multiple code violations are the most motivated – the owner is clearly overwhelmed.
  • These properties often need significant work, so factor renovation costs into your offer.
  • Code violation lists are among the least-targeted by competitors, making them a hidden gem.

How to Pull Public Records: A Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Identify Your Target County

Start with the county (or counties) where you actively invest. Focus on one or two counties until you have a repeatable system before expanding.

Step 2: Visit County Websites

Most county offices have some level of online access. Search for:

  • “[County name] tax collector” or “[County name] treasurer”
  • “[County name] probate court”
  • “[County name] recorder” or “[County name] clerk”
  • “[County name] code enforcement”

Many counties offer free online portals where you can search and download records. Some charge small fees for bulk data.

Step 3: Visit the Courthouse

For records not available online, visit the county courthouse. Bring a USB drive – many counties will let you copy records electronically. Introduce yourself to the clerks and ask about their process for providing public records. Building relationships with courthouse staff can give you access to information that other investors miss.

Step 4: Submit FOIA Requests

If a county office is not forthcoming with records, file a Freedom of Information Act (or your state’s equivalent) request. Be specific about what you want – “all properties with tax delinquencies exceeding 2 years as of [date]” is much better than “all your tax records.”

Step 5: Skip Trace Your List

Once you have your raw public record data (names and property addresses), run it through a skip tracing service to append phone numbers and email addresses. Now you have a targeted, contact-ready list.

Step 6: Launch Outreach

With a clean, skip-traced list built from public records, you are ready to start reaching out. Whether you cold call, send direct mail, or use a multi-channel approach, your messaging should reference the specific situation whenever possible – “I noticed there may be some tax obligations on the property” is far more effective than a generic “Are you interested in selling?”

At Televista, we help investors build campaigns around public record data, combining county-sourced lists with skip tracing and professional cold calling to convert motivated sellers into appointments.

Building a Monthly Public Records System

The real power of public records comes from consistency. New filings happen every week – new probate cases, new tax delinquencies, new pre-foreclosure notices. Investors who pull fresh data monthly (or even weekly) always have fresh leads that nobody else has called yet.

Monthly Workflow

  1. Week 1: Pull new tax delinquent records and pre-foreclosure notices from the county.
  2. Week 2: Pull new probate filings and divorce records from the court clerk.
  3. Week 3: Check for new code violations and condemned properties.
  4. Week 4: Skip trace all new records and add them to your outreach campaigns.

This creates a steady flow of new, targeted leads entering your pipeline every month.

Conclusion

Public records are the foundation of smart, targeted lead generation for real estate investors. While other investors fight over the same commercial data provider lists, you can build proprietary lists from county sources that are fresher, more accurate, and less competitive.

The five record types covered in this guide – tax delinquencies, probate filings, pre-foreclosure notices, divorce records, and code violations – represent the most motivated sellers in any market. Master the process of pulling these records consistently, and you will never run out of high-quality leads to work.

Combine this approach with professional outreach, and you have a lead generation system that compounds over time. If you need help turning public record data into booked appointments, explore how Televista supports real estate investors with end-to-end lead generation.