Skip Trace Not Finding Results? 7 Fixes for Better Hit Rates
You submitted a batch of 200 property owners for skip tracing and 60 of them came back with no results. Zero phone numbers, zero emails, nothing. Or worse, the results came back but half the phone numbers are disconnected and the emails bounce. Skip tracing is not perfect, but a hit rate below 70% usually means something is fixable on your end. Here are seven ways to improve your results.
Fix 1: Verify your address format before submitting
Skip trace providers match your input against their databases using address as a primary key. If your address format does not match what the provider expects, the match fails. Common formatting issues that cause failed traces include:
- Abbreviations that the system does not recognize (e.g., "Blvd" vs "Boulevard" vs "BV")
- Missing apartment or unit numbers for multi-family properties
- Incorrect zip codes (a wrong zip can route the match to the wrong state entirely)
- Directional prefixes or suffixes that are inconsistent (e.g., "N Main St" vs "North Main Street")
- Extra characters or formatting from copy-paste (invisible unicode characters, extra spaces)
What to do
Before submitting your list, standardize all addresses to USPS format. Use the USPS Address Verification tool (free) to validate and correct addresses. Most skip trace platforms accept standard USPS formatting: number, street name, street type abbreviation (St, Ave, Blvd, Dr), city, state abbreviation, 5-digit or 9-digit zip. Remove any extra columns, notes, or formatting from your CSV. Clean data in, clean results out.
Fix 2: Include the mailing address, not just the property address
When you skip trace an absentee owner, you typically start with the property address. But the property address is where the asset is, not necessarily where the owner lives. If the county records show a separate mailing address for the owner (which they do for most absentee owners), include it in your trace submission.
The mailing address is often a more reliable match point than the property address because it is where the owner actually receives mail, pays bills, and is registered in consumer databases. A skip trace provider trying to match "John Smith at 123 Elm St" (the rental property) may fail because John Smith's consumer records are all tied to "456 Oak Ave" (his personal residence). By providing the mailing address, you give the system a better starting point for the match.
What to do
When you pull your list of property owners from county records or a data service, always include both the property address and the owner's mailing address. Most platforms have separate fields for each. If your data source only provides the property address, check the county assessor's website directly, as they almost always show the mailing address for tax correspondence.
Fix 3: Try a different provider
No single skip trace provider has access to every database. Providers license data from different sources, and each source has varying coverage by geography, demographic, and record type. A record that returns no results on Provider A might return a valid phone number and email on Provider B because Provider B has a data source that covers that particular geography or demographic better.
This is especially true for certain populations. Recent immigrants, elderly individuals who do not use credit, young adults with thin credit files, and people who have recently moved across state lines are all harder to match, and coverage varies significantly between providers.
What to do
If your primary provider returns no results for a batch, re-submit the failed records to a second provider. Many experienced investors maintain accounts with two skip trace services specifically for this reason. The incremental cost of re-tracing failed records is small compared to the value of reaching an additional 10-20% of your list. Some disposition platforms include skip tracing from multiple data sources automatically, which handles this for you.
Fix 4: Use LLC dissolution records for corporate owners
Properties owned by LLCs are among the hardest to skip trace because the property records show a company name, not a person. Skip trace providers handle LLC-owned properties by first looking up the LLC's registered agent or managing member, then tracing that individual. But if the LLC is registered through a registered agent service (like LegalZoom, Northwest Registered Agent, or a local attorney), the trace returns the agent service's contact information, not the actual owner's.
This is a frustrating dead end that affects a significant percentage of investment properties, particularly those owned by experienced investors who use proper asset protection structures.
What to do
Go directly to the state's Secretary of State website where the LLC is registered. Look up the LLC by name and pull the formation documents and annual reports. Annual reports are particularly useful because they often require listing the names and addresses of all managing members. Even if the initial formation was through a registered agent, the annual report may show the actual owner's name and address, which you can then use as input for a standard skip trace.
If the state's annual reports are also shielded (some states like Wyoming, Nevada, and New Mexico allow anonymous LLCs), look for the LLC's name on other county records. The same individual often owns properties through multiple LLCs, and one of them may have been registered with personal information visible. Cross-referencing LLC names across multiple counties sometimes reveals the owner behind the veil.
Fix 5: Search for related names and known associates
When a direct trace fails, indirect approaches can work. Skip trace results often include a "known associates" or "related persons" section that lists family members, business partners, or other individuals linked to the target. If the property owner cannot be found directly, tracing a known associate and then reaching out to them can create a connection.
What to do
If your initial trace returned any associated names (spouse, adult children, business partners), run a separate trace on those individuals. Explain to them that you are trying to reach the property owner regarding a real estate matter. People are generally willing to pass along a message or provide contact information when the inquiry is about a property the owner holds.
You can also search public court records, including divorce filings, probate cases, and civil lawsuits. These records often contain current addresses and contact information for parties that may not appear in standard consumer databases. County court records are typically searchable online by name.
Fix 6: Check phone carrier databases for number porting
A phone number returned by a skip trace may show as "disconnected" when it has actually been ported to a different carrier. Number porting happens when someone switches from AT&T to Verizon (for example) but keeps the same phone number. During the porting process, there is sometimes a brief period where the number appears inactive in certain databases.
Additionally, some skip trace results return old phone numbers that have been reassigned to new owners. The number works, but it reaches the wrong person. This is more common with landline numbers and less common with mobile numbers.
What to do
Before writing off a phone number as dead, verify its status through a phone lookup service that checks real-time carrier data. Services like Twilio Lookup, NumVerify, or dedicated phone validation APIs can tell you whether a number is currently active, what carrier serves it, and whether it is mobile, landline, or VoIP. If the number shows as active on the carrier side but was flagged as disconnected by the skip trace (which may be using older data), try calling it.
For numbers that are genuinely disconnected, try searching for the person's name in combination with the city or state to see if a new number has been published. People search engines like Spokeo, TruePeopleSearch, and WhitePages sometimes have more recent phone data than skip trace providers because they crawl different sources.
Fix 7: Use social media as a backup channel
When traditional skip tracing fails entirely, social media can be a last-resort contact method. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram allow you to search for people by name and location. While this does not provide a phone number or email directly, it does give you a messaging channel to reach the person.
What to do
Search for the property owner's name on Facebook. If you find a profile that matches (verify using location, age, photos, or mutual connections), send a brief, professional direct message explaining that you are a real estate investor interested in discussing a property they own. Keep it short and non-aggressive. Something like: "Hi [Name], I'm a real estate investor in [City] and I noticed you own a property on [Street Name]. I'd love to discuss it with you if you have any interest in selling. Would you be open to a quick conversation?"
LinkedIn is particularly useful for finding business owners and investors who hold properties through LLCs. Many real estate investors list their investment activity on their LinkedIn profile. A professional InMail or connection request with a brief note about the property can generate a response.
Social media outreach has a lower response rate than phone or email, but it costs nothing and can reach people who are otherwise unfindable through data services. It is worth the five minutes per contact for high-value leads.
When to accept a failed trace
Not every property owner can be found. Some people have very small data footprints. Some properties are owned by trusts or holding companies with multiple layers of corporate structure. Some owners are deceased and the property is in probate with no identified heir. At some point, continued effort on a single record has diminishing returns.
A good rule of thumb: if you have tried your primary skip trace provider, a secondary provider, the Secretary of State lookup (for LLCs), and a social media search, and still cannot find the person, move on. Focus your time on the 70-85% of your list where you have valid contact information. You can always come back to failed traces later with a different provider or approach.
The goal is not 100% hit rate. The goal is maximizing the number of meaningful contacts you make from your list while spending your time and money efficiently. These seven fixes will typically push a 65-70% hit rate into the 80-90% range, which translates directly into more conversations, more offers, and more deals.