Motivated seller leads near me: how to check a county before you buy
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readBefore you buy leads for your area, check your county's own records for three things: how many homes sell off-market each year, which seller lists actually sold there, and how soon after the filing they sold. The same list can sell at very different rates one county over, like expired listings at about 15 of every 100 in Harris County, Texas, and about 8 in Denton County.
"Motivated seller leads near me" usually means: who will sell me a list for my area? Before you pay anyone, spend ten minutes on your county's own records. They'll tell you whether the list you're about to buy has ever worked where you live.
Check 1: how many homes sell off-market
This is your whole pond. In the middle county we measured, about 1.4 of every 100 homes sold off-market in an arm's-length sale over 12 months. Some counties run under 1, some over 2. State by state.
Check 2: which lists sold there
Lists that sell well nationally don't sell the same everywhere:
- Expired listings sold off-market at about 15 of every 100 within a year in Harris County, Texas, and about 8 in Denton County.
- Liens sold at about 10 per 100 in Dallas County and about 4 in Collin County, next door.
- Free and clear owners sold at 1 to 2 per 100 almost everywhere, about the rate of a random house.
Whoever's selling you leads should be able to tell you which list they come from. Then you can check that list in your county.
Check 3: when they sold
A list that sells in the first 3 months is worthless if your vendor's records arrive in month 2. In our tracking, licensed data sources ran about 12 days behind the county in the median county. Ask any vendor for the county filing date on each lead. How far behind they run in your county.
Then pick how to buy
- A list platform if you'll do the calling and mailing yourself.
- Pay-per-lead if you want hand-raisers and will call within minutes. The math at five deals a month.
- Done-for-you mail if you want the list, timing and mailing handled and your phone to ring.
Read your county free: every home, the new filings, and which lists actually sold there.
Questions investors ask
Where can I get motivated seller leads near me?
From your county's own records (foreclosure filings, liens, probate, tax lists), from list platforms that resell those records, or from pay-per-lead services that run ads in your area. Check what sells in your county before you pay for any of them.
How do I know which motivated seller list works in my county?
Count it: of the owners on each list a year ago, how many sold off-market since. Free county reads show that for most counties.
Do motivated seller lists work the same in every county?
No. Expired listings sold off-market at about 15 of every 100 within a year in Harris County, Texas, and about 8 in Denton County. Liens sold at about 10 per 100 in Dallas County and about 4 in Collin County next door.
Are leads cheaper in smaller counties?
Sometimes, but smaller counties have fewer filings and fewer off-market sales. Check both the count of homes and how many sold off-market before you decide.