Skip Tracing for Real Estate: Best Services and How to Get Better Hit Rates

Skip tracing is finding phone numbers and contact information for property owners. It’s the bridge between your list and your first conversation.

What Skip Tracing Does

You have a list of property addresses. Skip tracing services match those addresses to owner names, then find current phone numbers (mobile and landline), email addresses, and sometimes alternate mailing addresses.

Key Metrics

• Hit rate: What percentage of records return a phone number? (Industry average: 60-80%)
• Accuracy rate: Of the numbers returned, what percentage are actually correct? (Good: 40-60%)
• Cost per record: $0.05-$0.20 per record depending on volume

Popular Services

BatchSkipTracing: $0.10-$0.15/record. Popular with wholesalers. Good hit rates. REISkip: $0.10/record. Competitive pricing, decent accuracy. PropStream: Includes skip tracing with data subscription (~$99/month + per-record fees).

How to Improve Hit Rates

1. Use multiple providers — Run the same list through two providers. Each may find numbers the other missed. Combined, you’ll reach more owners.
2. Skip trace recent data — Lists older than 6 months have higher error rates as people change numbers.
3. Prioritize mobile numbers — Cell phones are answered more often than landlines. Text mobile numbers first.
4. Verify numbers before calling — Some services offer number verification (is it connected? is it a cell or landline?) for a small additional fee.

The Math

If you skip trace 1,000 records at $0.12 each = $120. 70% hit rate = 700 numbers. 50% accuracy = 350 good numbers. 8% contact rate (picks up) = 28 conversations. 5% motivation rate = ~1-2 leads.

From 1,000 records, you might get 1-2 deals at a cost of $120 for skip tracing. That’s incredibly efficient when combined with a good list and proper follow-up.

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