12.22.2025 PropStream
Disclaimer: PropStream does not offer legal advice. This article is for informational purposes only. Do your own research and consult a legal professional before contacting motivated sellers.
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Key Takeaways:
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Lead lists are the lifeblood of any serious real estate business. You need prospects to close deals. However, the types of lead lists you curate can have a big impact on your success rate. To increase deal flow, focus on the most motivated sellers. In this article, we’ll show you how.
Why Narrow Seller Motivation Beats Broad Lists
Most investors pull the same handful of lead lists: absentee owners, high equity, and pre-foreclosure. While these lead categories can point you in the right direction, they’re still relatively broad and only describe ownership traits, not selling pressure.
The most consistent buying opportunities come from owners who have a range of selling motivations. For example, they could be experiencing a life change, face complex roadblocks to selling, and be motivated by time, convenience, or relief—not just price.
Before you dive into the lists, learn how easy it is to search with various filters and create lists in PropStream
Below, we’ve highlighted the top 5 motivated seller lists that lead to better conversations, less competition, more flexible purchase terms, and ultimately more closed deals.
1. Divorce-Related Owners With Multiple Properties
Divorce is one of the most time-sensitive selling triggers in real estate. This is because it often involves liquidating assets (including houses) so that the former couple can split the proceeds and move on with their lives. It’s a combination of emotional pressure and logistical complexity. If the couple owns multiple properties, their predicament can grow even more complex.
As a result, many divorcees may offer their property at a discount to encourage a quick sale. If you step in at the right time, you could buy below market value while doing the seller a favor. Just remember to stay sensitive to what is often an emotional and stressful situation for them.
To find divorce leads, check out PropStream’s Divorce Lead List for your market. From there, you can further narrow the Lead List by stacking on other search filters related to property count, equity, and ownership structure. This creates highly focused lead lists that most investors overlook.
2. Senior Owners in Homes That No Longer Fit Their Lifestyle
Many senior homeowners want to downsize from their current home. They may struggle to get up and down the stairs or keep up with maintenance for a large space. It’s not that they’re financially distressed. They just want to simplify their life.
Consequently, lead lists that filter for multi-story homes, deferred maintenance, and long-term ownership can often lead you to homeowners who are open to change but not actively marketing their home for sale. They value clarity, ease, and trust more than speed or price.
Start by pulling PropStream’s dedicated Senior Owner Lead List for your market. It includes any homeowners who’ve owned their property for over 25 years and have a senior tax exemption and/or a current open reverse mortgage on the property.
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From there, you can apply additional filters across owner age, property type, and home levels. Your final lead list criteria could look like this:
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3. High-Value Homeowners Experiencing Financial Pressure
Luxury properties can create a unique type of selling motivation. Faced with high carrying costs, limited buyer pools, and changing market conditions, an otherwise stable homeowner may jump at an opportunity to sell. This is especially true if the owner comes under financial distress and wants to liquidate some assets to pay down debts.
Meanwhile, many investors overlook these sellers because they don’t fit the typical “distressed” profile. This can result in less competition and more room for creative deal structures.
To find luxury real estate leads, narrow your PropStream search by filtering for high-value homes and early signs of financial pressure, such as tax delinquency or liens. Ideally, you can make an offer before the owner’s situation escalates, giving them an opportunity for a clean exit.
4. Long-Term Absentee Owners Losing Momentum
Absentee owners are a common lead list, but long-term absentee owners with declining property performance tell a much more interesting story. These are landlords who may be tired of dealing with extended vacancies, repairs, and other management headaches from afar and are increasingly open to selling as a result.
As an investor, the key is to fine-tune your search to include not just any absentee owner but only those who’ve been in the game a long time and are starting to show signs of fatigue.
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Here are some example filters for a long-term-absentee-owner-losing-momentum lead list:
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5. Inherited Properties Owned by Out-of-State Heirs
When property is inherited, it often sits in limbo, especially when the heirs live out of state. This is because the heirs may not want the asset and the responsibilities and liabilities that come with it. Instead, they may want to liquidate it (and split the proceeds if there are multiple heirs).
Furthermore, many heirs lack any attachment to the property, so they may be more pragmatic about selling and open to off-market solutions that simplify the transaction.
With PropStream, you can combine probate indicators and vacancy status to identify inherited properties before they hit the open market. For a more detailed explanation of how to set up these search filters, read or watch our step-by-step guide.
| Pro Tip: Cross-check mailing address data manually with the list created. If the owner’s mailing address differs from the property address, it can signal absentee ownership or estate-related transitions, pointing to hidden deal opportunities. |
How PropStream Helps Investors Build Better Motivated Seller Lists
The best real estate investors don’t just pull more leads. They pull leads from cleaner, more intentional lists.
To take your real estate investing to the next level, try PropStream. Our platform helps you:
- Build clean, intentional, motivated seller lists using Lead Lists and advanced filters
- Layer multiple motivation signals (life events, ownership, equity, distress) to reduce low-intent leads
- Use PropStream’s multi-source enhanced skip tracing to identify accurate, up-to-date contact information for each lead.
- Reach sellers earlier in their decision process
- Export qualified leads seamlessly and use tools like BatchDialer for efficient outbound calling and follow-up once lists are built.
This is how you consistently get in front of opportunities while others are still chasing lead lists that barely scratch the surface of the motivated lead pool.
Ultimately, if you’re still pulling the same motivated seller lists as everyone else, you’re already behind. Use PropStream to build highly focused seller lists, uncover specific motivation, and find off-market opportunities earlier, before they become crowded.
*PropStream engages an independent third party to perform skip-tracing.
