County assessor
Confirm owner name, situs address, mailing address, and last sale information.
Free Skip Tracing and Owner Contact Tools
Skip tracing means finding a property owner current phone, mailing address, or email so you can reach them about a sale. You do not always need a paid subscription. Start free or low-cost: pull ownership from the county assessor or recorder, confirm the mailing address with the USPS change-of-address indicator, and use public records and free people-search tools for a first pass. Paid platforms like DealMachine and PropStream bundle skip tracing into a subscription; use the free route first to test whether a lead list is worth paying to enrich.
| Need | Free/county route | DealMachine | PropStream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | ✓ Free to low-cost | Paid subscription | Paid plan / add-on |
| Owner contact lookup | ✓ Manual from public records | Bulk in-app | Bulk in-app |
| Best fit | ✓ Small batches and testing a list | Scaled outreach | Scaled list building |
County recorder
Check deeds, liens, notices, and mailing addresses tied to recorded documents.
Public records
Use court, probate, business, and people-search records as a first-pass contact check.
FAQ
What is skip tracing in real estate?
Skip tracing means finding a property owner's current mailing address, phone number, or email so you can contact them about a potential sale.
Can you skip trace property owners for free?
You can do a first pass free with county assessor, recorder, court, probate, and public-record sources. Paid tools mainly save time when you need bulk enrichment.