How do I build a cash buyers list from deed records?
By Josh MillerUpdated 5 min readPull the last 12 months of deeds in your target zip codes, keep the buyers that are LLCs, trusts or names that bought more than once, and look up each one's mailing address and contact info. Those are people who already buy what you sell; in Harris County, Texas, the most active investor buyer in our records bought 28 houses in 12 months.
Every cash buyer in your market has already told you who they are. They recorded a deed. A buyers list built from the county's deed records beats any list you can buy, because every name on it has actually bought.
Step 1: pull the deeds
Search your county's recorded documents, or a list platform, for sales in the last 12 months in the zip codes you wholesale in. You want the buyer name, the price, the date and whether a mortgage was recorded with it.
Step 2: keep the investors
- LLCs, corporations and trusts as buyers. Homeowners rarely buy that way.
- Repeat buyers: any name that bought two or more houses in the year.
- No mortgage recorded with the deed, or a loan from a private or hard-money lender. That usually means cash or investor financing.
In Harris County, Texas, the most active investor buyer in our records bought 28 houses in 12 months, and the fifth-most active bought 17. That's what a real buyer looks like. See who's buying in your county.
Step 3: find the people
- The mailing address on the deed or the tax record.
- The LLC's registered agent and managers, from the state business filings.
- Skip trace the people behind the LLC for phone and email. Skip tracing prices.
Step 4: note what they buy
For each buyer, write down what they bought: zip codes, price range, house size, age. A buyer who bought ten 1960s ranch houses under $200,000 in two zip codes will look at your next one. The same buyer won't answer about a $500,000 house across town.
Step 5: keep it current
Pull new deeds every month or quarter. Add new buyers, and drop anyone who hasn't bought in a year. A short, active list beats a long, stale one. How to send them your deals.
Questions investors ask
How do I find cash buyers in public records?
Search the county's recorded deeds for the last 12 months in your area. Buyers that are LLCs, or that bought more than once, are almost always investors. Deeds with no mortgage recorded alongside usually mean cash or private money.
How do I get a cash buyer's phone number?
Start with the mailing address on the deed or tax record, then look up the LLC's registered agent and managers in the state business filings, and skip trace the people behind it.
How many buyers do I need on my list?
Fewer than you think, if they're active. Twenty buyers who each bought several houses in your zip codes last year beat a thousand names scraped from a forum.
How often should I update my buyers list?
Every month or quarter. New investors start buying, and others stop. Pull fresh deeds and drop buyers who haven't bought in a year.