You’ve found the perfect property to invest in … all you need to do next is negotiate with the owner.
But how can you get in touch with the owner?
This is where skip tracing services come in handy.
Skip tracing is the process of finding individuals who are difficult to locate.
For real estate investors, using a skip tracing service can make prospecting new properties much easier and more efficient.
Plus, you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
Pretty sweet, right?
Here are 6 of the best skip tracing services and why they’re so helpful for real estate investors.
The 6 Best Skip Tracing Services of 2025
Batchleads
Batchleads is a real estate investing platform that offers skip tracing services.
Users get access to a powerful property search tool, which you can use to qualify leads and find owner contact information.
The platform has its own skip tracing tool, BatchSkipTracing.
The biggest advantage of Batchleads that I’ve found is its ease of use — the platform has a wide range of appealing property search features built in.
With BatchSkipTracing, you can conduct skip tracing in bulk, searching for hundreds of contacts at once.
BatchSkipTracing has a pay-per-match model rather than a monthly subscription, so you’ll only pay for the skip tracing you use.
Pricing starts at $0.09 per matched contact.
Propwire
Another skip tracing tool I’ve used is Propwire.
Propwire is a digital platform that helps real estate investors find information about properties.
Users can get a detailed analysis of any property in the United States, which included skip tracing services when the owner’s contact information isn’t readily accessible.
Propwire charges $0.10 per skip trace, each of which includes up-to-date contact information as well as data about the property value and remaining mortgage balance.
What I love the most is that many of the platform’s other features are free to use.
However, the free data provided isn’t always accurate.
PropertyRadar
PropertyRadar is a property search and data management platform for real estate professionals.
With PropertyRadar, you can search for comprehensive data on any existing property.
The platform also has both list and map features to help you find new leads.
PropertyRadar has skip tracing built into its data search, automatically looking for contact information for any property you’re interested in.
However, I’ve found there’s no way to pay for standalone skip tracing services with PropertyRadar.
Pricing for the platform starts at $119 per month for individual users.
PropStream
PropStream is a comprehensive real estate data management tool.
The platform helps users find new leads with detailed property analysis.
I love the marketing tools it has that make it easy to reach out to potential homeowners.
PropStream offers skip tracing starting at $0.12 per record.
PropStream skip tracing returns accurate phone numbers and email addresses, and comes with DNC flagging to help you avoid homeowners who aren’t likely to be receptive to your outreach — a huge plus!
PropStream doesn’t have minimum volume requirements, and you’ll only pay for skip tracing that returns results.
Skip Genie
Skip Genie is a skip tracing service designed specifically for real estate professionals.
Out of all the skip tracing services on this list, Skip Genie no doubt has the best name.
It allows you to conduct skip tracing in minutes. You can also conduct bulk skip tracing.
Skip Genie has two bulk skip tracing options — you can send in a spreadsheet or a box of physical mail that has been returned to sender.
Skip Genie starts at $58 per month for 100 skip traces, with a cost of $0.17 per additional search.
TLOxp
TLOxp is a skip tracing service from TransUnion.
While it is not specifically designed for real estate investors, TLOxp is still a popular choice for detailed skip tracing.
I’ve found that it offers some features that real estate-specific skip tracers don’t have, such as information about each search’s criminal history.
TLOxp doesn’t list their pricing online — you’ll need to contact them directly to ask for a quote.
What is Skip Tracing?
Now that we’ve broken down the best skip tracing services today, let’s take a step back and do a refresher on the concept of skip tracing.
Even if you’re an experienced investor, it’s great to brush up on things you may not remember.
Skip tracing is the process of finding a person who is difficult to locate. It may also involve collecting information about this person.
In real estate, skip tracing is typically used to find contact information for a property owner that isn’t readily available online or in existing property records.
In other industries, skip tracing is often used to find people with unpaid debts or those who are avoiding legal obligations.
Advantages of Skip Tracing
The biggest advantage of using a skip tracing service is that it can help you find the contact information you need very quickly and efficiently.
Instead of manually digging through old records, knocking on doors or spending hours scouring social media, you can use a skip tracing service to find the information for you.
This can help you invest in properties that you may not have been able to access otherwise.
Disadvantages of Skip Tracing
There are some potential disadvantages of skip tracing to be aware of.
I’ve learned the biggest disadvantage is that many homeowners do not want to be found and view skip tracing as an invasion of privacy.
You will need to be very tactful in contacting these homeowners to maintain their goodwill.
Additionally, skip tracing services need to follow very strict privacy requirements, or they could end up facing legal consequences.
It’s very important to choose a skip tracing service that takes privacy and compliance seriously.
Skip Tracing Alternatives
If you don’t want to fork over the cash for a skip tracing service, it is possible to find the information you’re looking for on your own.
You can do so by searching through local government records, as well as using social media and other online platforms to find information.
However, it can be very difficult to find this contact information on your own.
Additionally, you’ll need to be very mindful of your state’s local privacy laws.
Here’s the good news: if you’re looking to access the MLS for free, there are several ways to do that.
The Bottom Line: Skip Tracing
One of the biggest hurdles for any real estate investor is getting in touch with local property owners.
It can make or break not only a deal, but your career as a real estate investor.
Skip tracing services speed up the sleuthing process, making it easier to find the contact information you’re looking for.
When done strategically, using a skip tracing service can help you get ahead of the game and connect with property owners — before your competition does.
