Divorce leads for real estate investors: the public record and the honest data gap
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readDivorce cases are filed in the county family or district court, and in the 8 counties where we had enough records to measure, about 4 of every 100 owners with a divorce filed sold off-market within 12 months, against about 1.6 for a house picked at random. They sold slowly and steadily across the year, and most counties didn't have enough divorce records in licensed data to measure at all.
Divorce is on every list of motivated sellers, for a simple reason: a house two people can't share often has to be sold. What's less known is how hard it is to count, and how slowly these owners actually sell.
Where divorce filings come from
The case is filed in the county court that handles family law: family court, district court, superior court or circuit court, depending on the state. The case index (names, case number, date filed) is public in most states. Some states keep family cases off their online search, and details inside the file can be sealed.
To use it, match each spouse's name to the county property records to find a house they own together.
The data gap
The licensed property data most investors buy carries divorce filings thinly. Out of the more than 1,600 counties where our records had any divorce filings at all, only 8 had enough, outside states whose records don't mark MLS sales, to measure what happened next honestly. Treat any vendor's divorce list with the same caution, and ask where it comes from.
What the 8 counties showed
| Since the filing | Of every 100, sold off-market |
|---|---|
| 3 months | 1.2 |
| 6 months | 2.6 |
| 9 months | 3.4 |
| 12 months | 4.2 |
Source: GoForClose count of off-market, arm's-length deeds in county records. 2,896 owners; 122 sold off-market within 12 months. A house picked at random in the same counties sold off-market at about 1.6 per 100 over 12 months.
Two takeaways. Divorce owners did sell off-market more often than a random house, at about 4 per 100 within a year. And they sold steadily, not early: the sale usually waits for the two sides to agree, or for the court to order it.
How to work divorce leads
- Mail across the year. The decision comes when the settlement does.
- Write to both spouses, separately and neutrally. Either may be the one who wants out of the house.
- Be the easy option. A fast, as-is sale with a clean split of the proceeds at closing is what both sides want and neither can arrange alone.
- Watch your words. Don't name the divorce on the envelope or postcard. A letter that sounds like you've been reading their court file loses both of them.
Questions investors ask
Are divorce leads public record?
The filing usually is: the case is opened in the county family or district court, and the case index is public in most states. Details inside the file can be sealed, and some states restrict online access to family cases.
Do divorcing couples sell to investors?
Some do. In 8 counties with enough records, about 4 of every 100 owners with a divorce filed sold off-market within a year, more than a random house. Both spouses usually have to sign, so the sale often waits on the settlement.
When should I mail divorce leads?
Across the year, not just at filing. Of every 100 owners with a divorce filed, about 1 sold off-market within 3 months, about 3 within 6 months and about 4 within 12, so most sales came months after the filing.
Who should I send a divorce letter to?
Both spouses if you can, and keep the letter neutral: one spouse may not have told the other they're thinking of selling. Never take sides or mention the divorce in a way that embarrasses either one.