SKIP TRACING: Meaning, Services & Software

To collect money owed to you, you must first locate the individual who owes you the money. Sometimes it’s easier said than done to find those people. Some debtors will be open about their inability to pay what is owed, while others may try to conceal their situation. Skip tracing may be required in these cases to locate the debtor. This comprehensive guide will cover all you need to know about batch skip tracing software and skip tracing services in real estate.

What is Skip Tracing?

Skip tracing is the process of gathering information on them to locate a difficult-to-find person. “Skip” comes from the term “to skip town” and refers to the individual who has to be sought. “Tracing” refers to the act of locating them.

Locating elusive persons may appear to be detective work, but it is a necessary ability for competent process servers. Whether a person refuses to be served or lives in a remote place, process servers frequently need to skip tracking to properly fulfill their services.

Why Do You Require Skip Tracing?

If you have to serve someone who doesn’t want to be served, you might need to skip traces. To avoid service, they may change addresses or jobs, making it difficult to locate them. Maybe you could need to serve someone whose information you don’t have. In this case, a process server can locate and serve them using skip-tracing techniques.

The Evolution of Skip Tracing

Skip tracing has become a popular technique for many real estate-focused organizations, however, it is frequently confused with match-append. Match-append is the process of finding a person or property in an existing database and then attaching data such as phone and email.
Yet, to truly comprehend and exploit skip tracking for establishing a small local business, it is necessary to first understand what it is.

In the financial services and bail bonds businesses, the term “skip tracing” was first used. Skip tracing was the task for those companies of locating a debtor or a bail bond defaulter.

This was not a search for a phone number or an email address. They most certainly already had the information, but the person was not responding or answering. Finding the person who had skipped class became a series of investigative, often inventive, approaches.

Real Estate Skip Tracing

In today’s world, several services promote phone and email and add features like skip tracing. While skip tracking uses phone numbers and emails (match appending), it is just more than that.

To make matters even easier for small, property-centric enterprises that need to contact hard-to-find house and property owners, the finest services have already done the phone and email match-append, so the first step of skip tracing is already built in.

There is a crucial distinction: skip tracing via phone and email does not technically warrant advanced skip tracing. Other skip-tracking tactics become suitable only when you are unable to contact the individual using that information, or when there is no information available—but this is frequently where the best offers may be found.

Most significantly, if you’re a real estate investor looking for a property, skip tracing can help you contact the owner and work out a contract. In these circumstances, more advanced skip-tracking algorithms are required. This is an advanced guide for skip tracking property and homeowners beyond phone numbers and email addresses to help people understand that the best prices often come from skip tracking.

When should you Skip Trace a Home or Property Owner?

Skip tracking can require a lot of time and effort. If you’re a real estate agent making 20 calls per day on foreclosures, you probably don’t want to skip tracks. Professional investors, on the other hand, realize that the owners you can’t find easily are the ones with the finest chances and are worth five times as much time and effort as the ones whose phone numbers and email addresses you can quickly discover.

Skip Tracing Services

Skip-tracing services can be extremely advantageous when it comes to real estate investing for several different reasons. Skip tracing software will scan multiple databases and reveal owner contact information, such as phone numbers and emails. This is especially useful for real estate investors attempting to contact the owner of a distressed property to determine whether or not they would accept an offer.

If you are looking for multifamily homes or commercial real estate, you may need to conduct a more thorough search. Because a company entity normally owns these assets, you’ll also need to locate the owner of that entity.

When it comes to functionality, some skip-tracing software is more user-friendly than others. Skip tracing services are free, but they require you to enter addresses one at a time and only provide limited data. To make it easier to find information on multiple properties at once, other paid services offer batch skip tracing.

Batch Skip Tracing

The most popular and beneficial skip-tracking service is batch skip tracing. Real estate investors and wholesalers use it to quickly find contact information on a large number of prospects. Bulk-skip tracing is another name for this form of skip tracking.

Batch skip-tracing services have proven to be a realistic and profitable choice for investors given the accessibility of skip-tracking services for real estate.

When it comes to batch skip tracing, you have a lot of alternatives. Not all skip tracers are made equal. Accuracy, cost, and ease of use vary, therefore it’s critical to select the best skip-tracing software for your purposes.

Skip Tracing Software

Here is a list of the top nine skip-tracking software platforms for real estate investors:

#1. Batch Skip Tracing

One of the most often used skip tracers is Batch Skip Tracing. Real estate agents, private detectives, debt collectors, police enforcement, and other professionals use this software.

They provide a platform called Batch Leads IO if you are a real estate investor or wholesaler. This is a web-based platform that offers skip-tracking solutions, CRM, text messaging, direct mail, list management, and more. They promote pricing for batch leads beginning at.10 per match.

#2. Skip Genie & Drop Cowboy Skip Tracing

Skip Genie has been around for a while and is another popular skip tracer for real estate professionals. Its marketing is focused on assisting real estate investors in locating owner contact information for certain lists and properties.

To supply investors with contact information, Drop Cowboy Skip Tracing employs Skip Genie. This web-based platform enables users to deliver SMS messages and ringless voicemails (RVMs) to prospects. Call Cowboy (Drop Cowboy’s dialer) is a powerful virtual phone system with a predictive dialer, autodialer, toll-free and local numbers, cloud IVR, and call tracking. Drop Cowboy skip tracing is used by other skip tracing services, including REISkip.

#3. PropStream

PropStream, like many of the skip tracers featured below, claims to give the most accurate and comprehensive data across the country. With over 15 years of experience and a staff of data professionals, they are well-versed in the aims and requirements of their users. PropStream has evolved from a tiny data provider to the fastest-growing, most inventive, and most trusted data source in the market.

#4. REI Skip Tracing 2.0

One of the best skip tracers available is Max Maxwell’s REI Skip Tracing program. They discover homeowners using a patented “triangulation” method that was previously exclusively available to top bail bondsmen, private investigators, and FBI agents.

REI Skip Tracing claims to purchase data from the greatest companies, providing you with the most reliable data. You will only be charged for successful hits and will never be charged for unreturned results. There is no minimum requirement and no monthly commitment.

#5. Launch Control

Launch Control is a text message service designed specifically for real estate agents and professionals. Their web-based program also includes a skip tracer. I’ve tried this skip tracer and found it to be fairly accurate. Following all, they should give an excellent skip tracking service that provides correct data so that your SMS messages reach the intended recipients!

#6. Lead Sherpa

Lead Sherpa, like Launch Control, is an SMS marketing platform used by real estate salespeople to contact hundreds of sellers at once. Real estate wholesalers and house flippers looking for motivated seller leads are increasingly turning to this effective marketing strategy.

Skip tracking is a service provided by Lead Sherpa. They claim to have the most up-to-date contact information for personal, LLC, trust, and entity-owned properties. If you sign up for Lead Sherpa’s skip tracking service, you’ll get up to 14 data points per record, including information about bankruptcy, foreclosure, and lien dates, in as little as a few minutes.

#7. Quality Skips

Another approach for skip tracking that yields successful results is quality skips. The turnaround time for skip tracing a list is usually 24 hours, but the data is excellent. Even real estate magnate Grant Cardone supports them.
Quality Skips goes under the radar and doesn’t do much promotion, yet they deliver on skip tracking. I utilize Quality Skips for a lot of my skip-tracking needs and have closed many wholesale agreements using their data.

#8. Property Radar Skip Tracing

Another multi-purpose software for real estate investors is Property Radar skip tracing. This web-based tool, similar to PropStream, allows users to create lists, look for owner information, skip traces, and interface with over 4,000 apps and services.

Property Radar, like the Deal Machine App, includes a driving-for-dollars feature that allows users to see the details of every property while driving by leveraging data visualization and heatmaps. You may upload images and notes on each property while you’re out and about, and share them with your colleagues. With immediate skip tracking, you may even call or message the sellers while you’re out in the field.

#9. Free Skip Tracer: TruePeopleSearch

TruePeopleSearch is very user-friendly. Enter a name, phone number, or address to get immediate results. Because this is a free site, there are many advertisements to wade through, and they will try to upsell you on more extensive information.

You can obtain basic information about nearly every adult in the United States with their free people finder. It is as comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate as any premium search engine. Free reverse phone lookup, free address lookup, and rapid, free background checks are additional features.

Choose the Best Service for Your Company

Finding motivated seller leads is essential if you own a property flipping or wholesale business. Employing a reliable skip-tracking service is essential to your success. There are numerous marketing techniques available, and they are all effective, but I strongly recommend skipping tracing and either contacting or texting householders. Don’t allow your competitors to have all of the leads; start contacting homeowners with troubled houses right away!

How Much Does it Cost to Skip Trace?

The cost of the fee depends on the sort of skip-tracking service you require. Costs range from $20.00 to $350.00 depending on the complexity, fees, and time the skip tracer incurs, but it’s advisable to ask your process server for a quote.

Why is it Called Skip Tracing?

The term “skip” originated from the expression “to skip town,” which indicates leaving a place quickly, leaving little trace of where the person went. “Trace” refers to the act of tracking down a person’s whereabouts or whereabouts.

How do I Stop Being Skip-traced?

How to prevent skip tracking

Be aware of your planned payment fees.
Limit your public profile if you don’t want to be found in those ways without your permission.
Before approving the loan, read the contract in its entirety.
Have the loan documentation on hand in case of unjust skip-tracking.

Is Skip Tracing a Skill?

Yes. This approach is generally employed by recovery agencies, debt collectors, private investigators, and sometimes even journalists, but it is normally carried out by a competent professional known as a skip tracer who specializes in this procedure.

How do I Start to Skip Tracing?

Here is how to locate a home or property owner

Experiment with phone numbers and email addresses.
Verify the mailing address.
Verify with the USPS for a forwarding address.
If you believe the owner is at the postal address but is not answering the phone, try working with a delivery service such as UPS or FedEx.

How do Skip Tracers Find You?

Your skip-tracking service contacts the debtor’s family and acquaintances.
These folks might be able to provide information about where the debtor might be found. Verifying a debtor’s information, reviewing public records, and contacting persons who know the debtor are all part of the skip-tracking process.

Conclusion

Skip tracking is a key component of transaction discovery. Using high-quality skip tracing software will help you boost your chances of success, even though it is not 100% precise. With any of the tools listed above, you can’t go wrong.