How Skip Tracing Can Help You Capture More Leads

Disclaimer: PropStream does not provide legal advice regarding skip tracing, marketing outreach, or consumer contact regulations. Laws vary by federal, state, and local jurisdiction and may change over time. Before contacting property owners or other individuals, you should conduct your own due diligence and consult with qualified legal counsel to understand and comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and licensing requirements. 

You've built a stellar lead list and are getting ready to put on your detective hat and start researching your prospects to uncover contact information.

Sure, you could spend hours scouring the internet to find contact information for one person. Or, you could perform a skip trace and locate contact information for hundreds or thousands of prospects in minutes.

In this article, we'll cover what skip tracing is, how to do it, and how to use the strategy in a well-rounded marketing campaign.

What Is Skip Tracing?

Skip tracing is the process of locating and verifying contact information for an individual when their current contact details are unknown, outdated, or incomplete. In real estate, investors, agents, and marketers often use skip tracing to identify and reach property owners who may be interested in selling their properties.

Skip tracing services typically use publicly available records, property records, court filings, business registrations, utility data, and other data sources to help uncover information.

How to Skip Trace a List in PropStream

Note: For select plan users, skip tracing is free in PropStream. For updated pricing information, visit our Pricing Page.

Once you've built a list in PropStream—or imported an external list into the Contacts page—you can quickly begin the skip tracing process to uncover contact information for property owners.

Step 1: Locate the Contact(s) You Want to Skip Trace

There are three locations you can go to perform your skip trace:

• My Properties

• My Contacts

• Property Details Page

On these pages, you will see a button that says Skip Trace.

Note: Before skip tracing a property owner using the button on the 'Property Details' page, you must save them to a list.

Step 2: Add Contacts to Your Order

With PropStream, you can skip trace one contact or a list—there are no minimums.

Skip Tracing a Single Contact

If you're skip tracing one contact, you can simply click the Skip Trace button on the Property Details page (after saving the property to a Marketing List).

Once your skip trace is complete, contact details will appear on the Property Details page or in the My Contacts section of your account. 

Skip Tracing a List

To skip trace an entire list, choose a list from the Marketing Lists section.

Check the box next to each contact you'd like to skip trace, or use the option to select all records. Click the orange Skip Trace button to proceed.

Step 3: Place Your Order

After clicking the Skip Trace button, you will have the option to name your list, select whether you would like to re-skip trace properties in your list, and review your order details.

Once satisfied with your order, you can click Place Order. The skip trace will take a few minutes, and when your results are ready, you'll receive an email notification.

Step 4: Access Skip Trace Results and/or Export Them

Once results are ready, you can see contact information on the Property Details page for each contact, in your Marketing List, or on the My Contacts page.

Pro Tip: PropStream flags contacts who are on the DNC (Do Not Call) list or who are Known Litigators for free with your skip trace, helping you stay compliant!

Related Read: The Dos and Don'ts of Skip Tracing Homeowners

Exporting

If you'd like to use your results outside of PropStream, simply select the desired contacts—or choose all records—and click Export.

This allows you to download your skip-traced data for use in your preferred CRM, dialer, direct mail platform, or other marketing tools.

Bonus: Start a Dialer Campaign or Click-to-Dial in the PropStream Application

You can conveniently start a cold-calling campaign directly in PropStream with Click-to-Dial (for single calls) or Dialer Campaigns (to cold call entire lists).

For Click-to-Dial, you can simply click on a contact's phone number. To start a Dialer Campaign, select the desired contacts in your list, click New Campaign Activity, and select Dialer. You can then name the dialer activity and add it to a marketing campaign.

With the Dialer Campaign function, utilize these features:

• Property Status Selection: Choose a property status that reflects the conversation (or lack thereof), like Appointment, Canceled, Follow-up, Left Message, or Not Interested.
• Property Tags: Create custom tags to assign to each property (e.g., overgrown lawn, boarded-up windows).
• Property Details: View the Property Details page while dialing so you can easily review important information.
• Notes: Write custom notes about the lead, the phone call, etc. You can also upload files here.
• Campaign Details: View Campaign Details at a glance to see which leads you've contacted (or the % of your list you've dialed).
• DNC/Known Litigator Flags: These flags are visible directly next to the phone number, so you don't accidentally contact a property owner on one of those lists.

Start Skip Tracing with PropStream Today

Finding motivated seller contact information has never been easier. PropStream makes skip tracing* simple, fast, and cost-effective.

Start your 7-day free trial and create your first marketing list today!