Free skip tracing: what actually works
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readFree skip tracing means looking owners up one at a time on free people-search sites, the county's property and court records, and public business filings for LLC owners. It works for a short list of high-value leads, like probate or pre-foreclosure, but at a few minutes a record it costs more in time than paid tracing at about 12 to 15 cents a record once your list passes a few dozen owners.
Every skip tracing service resells public and commercial data you can partly look up yourself. Free skip tracing is that lookup, by hand. It works, slowly.
Where to look
- Free people-search sites. Search the owner's name and the property's city. Match on age and past addresses, not just the name.
- The county's own records. The property record gives the owner's mailing address, which is often where they actually live. Court records (probate, divorce, eviction) often list contact details or an attorney.
- State business filings. For LLC owners, the secretary of state's site shows the registered agent and often the managers or members.
- Social media and search. A name plus the city on a search engine or a professional networking site finds a surprising share of owners.
What it costs in time
A careful manual trace takes a few minutes per owner, more when the name is common. At 3 minutes a record, 100 owners is 5 hours. Paid tracing for the same 100, at 12 to 15 cents a record on published price pages, is $12 to $15. Published prices, side by side.
When free is worth it
- Short, high-value lists: a handful of probate or pre-foreclosure owners where finding the right person matters more than speed.
- Records paid tracing missed: the owners worth a second look by hand.
- Heirs and personal representatives: court files name them, and data services often don't have them yet.
When it isn't
For a list of hundreds, free tracing costs more in hours than paid tracing costs in cents. And for mail, you don't need a phone number at all: the county record has the mailing address.
Before you call
Scrub every number against the national Do Not Call registry and your state's list, whether you paid for it or found it free. Read your county free to see which owners are worth tracing in the first place.
Questions investors ask
Is there free skip tracing for real estate?
Yes, by hand: free people-search websites, county property and court records, state business filings for LLC owners, and social media. It costs time instead of money.
Are free people-search sites accurate?
Sometimes. They show old numbers alongside current ones and mix up people with the same name. Match on address history and age, and expect to try more than one number.
How do I find the owner of an LLC?
Look up the LLC in the state's business filings for its registered agent, managers or members, and its mailing address. Some states show far more than others.
When is paid skip tracing cheaper than free?
Once your time is worth more than about 15 cents per few minutes. For a list of hundreds, paid tracing is almost always cheaper.