Reading Property Details

When you search for a property in Deal Run, the deal detail page displays comprehensive data pulled from our property data providers, which aggregate information from county assessor records, deed filings, MLS listings, and public records. The platform accesses over 334 data fields per property and organizes them into readable sections on the detail page. This guide walks through each section so you know what you are looking at and how to use the information in your deal analysis.

Owner information

The owner information section shows who currently owns the property according to the most recent deed recorded with the county.

• Owner name: The name as it appears on the deed. This may be an individual name, a married couple, a trust, or an LLC. If the owner is an LLC, the registered agent or manager may be different from the person you need to contact. Use skip tracing to identify the actual decision-maker behind an entity.
• Mailing address: Where the county sends the tax bill. If the mailing address is different from the property address, the property is absentee-owned. Absentee owners are a primary target for wholesalers because they are more likely to sell at a discount than owner-occupants.
• Owner-occupied vs absentee: A badge indicating whether the owner lives at the property or elsewhere. Deal Run determines this by comparing the property address to the mailing address on file with the county assessor. Absentee owners include out-of-state landlords, inherited property holders, and relocated homeowners who have not sold.
• Ownership length: How long the current owner has held the property, calculated from the most recent deed recording date. Properties held for 15 or more years by an individual owner often indicate aging homeowners who may be open to selling. Properties held for less than 2 years by an LLC may indicate an investor who already flipped or is renting the property.

Mortgage data

The mortgage section shows the most recent recorded mortgage on the property. This data comes from county deed records and may be 30 to 90 days behind the actual current balance due to recording delays.

• Mortgage balance (estimated): The approximate remaining balance on the loan. Deal Run estimates this by amortizing the original loan amount from the recording date using the recorded interest rate. The actual balance may differ by a few thousand dollars depending on the payment history, escrow adjustments, and any additional principal payments the borrower has made.
• Interest rate: The rate recorded on the deed of trust or mortgage document. For adjustable-rate mortgages, this is the initial rate, not the current rate. Fixed-rate loans locked in during 2020-2021 at 2.5% to 3.5% are particularly relevant for subject-to analysis because they represent significant below-market financing.
• Monthly payment: The estimated monthly principal and interest payment based on the recorded loan terms. This does not include property taxes, insurance, or PMI -- those are calculated separately in the PITI section.
• Origination date: When the loan was recorded. This tells you how long the borrower has been paying, which affects the remaining balance and the amount of equity built up through principal payments.
• Lender name: The original lender. Loans are frequently sold and serviced by different companies, so the current servicer may not match the original lender shown here.

Deal Run calculates the full PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes, Insurance) and optionally PITIH (adding HOA dues) in a sub-section below the mortgage data. This shows you the estimated total monthly housing cost for the current owner, which is useful context when negotiating -- a homeowner whose PITI is $1,800/month on a property worth $240,000 has very different motivation than one whose PITI is $800/month on the same property.

Equity estimate

The equity section provides a quick estimate of the owner's equity position. Deal Run calculates this as:

Estimated Equity = AVM - Estimated Mortgage Balance

The AVM (Automated Valuation Model) is a computer-generated property value estimate provided by our data provider. It is not the same as an ARV or an appraisal. The AVM is useful as a rough reference point for equity estimation, but it should not be used as your primary valuation for deal analysis. Always rely on your comp-based ARV for pricing decisions.

The equity percentage is also displayed. A property with 60% or more equity indicates an owner who has significant financial flexibility -- they can sell at a discount and still walk away with substantial proceeds. A property with less than 10% equity may indicate an owner who is near underwater, which limits their ability to sell below market value but may increase their motivation to get out of the payment.

Tax assessment

The tax section pulls directly from the county assessor's records and shows:

• Tax market value: The county's assessment of the property's market value for tax purposes. In many states, this lags the actual market value by 1 to 3 years because reassessments happen on a cycle. In Texas, where there is no state income tax, property tax assessments are aggressive and often close to actual market value.
• Assessed value: The value used to calculate the actual tax bill after any exemptions (homestead, over-65, disability, agricultural) are applied. This may be significantly lower than the tax market value if the owner qualifies for exemptions.
• Annual tax amount: The total property tax bill for the most recent year. This is a critical number for rental analysis because it directly affects monthly carrying costs and cash flow. In Texas, annual property taxes of 2-3% of market value are common. A $200,000 home may have a $5,000 to $6,000 annual tax bill.
• Tax year: The year the displayed tax data applies to. County records update annually, usually in the spring for the prior year.

Sale history

The sale history section shows every recorded transaction for the property, listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Each entry includes:

• Sale date: The date the deed was recorded with the county, which may be days or weeks after the actual closing date.
• Sale price: The consideration shown on the deed. In disclosure states, this is the actual transaction price. In non-disclosure states (like Texas and Missouri), the sale price on the deed is often $0 or $10 (nominal consideration), and you need MLS data or other sources to determine the actual price.
• Buyer name: Who acquired the property in this transaction.
• Seller name: Who transferred the property.
• Document type: The type of deed used (Warranty Deed, Special Warranty Deed, Quitclaim Deed, Trustee's Deed). Trustee's Deeds indicate a foreclosure sale. Quitclaim Deeds often indicate transfers between family members or entities.

The sale history tells a story. A property that has changed hands three times in five years has a different profile than one owned by the same family for 30 years. Rapid turnover may indicate investor activity or property problems. Long-term ownership by an individual often indicates an aging owner or an estate situation.

Listing history

The listing history section shows the property's MLS listing history: every time it has been listed for sale or rent, including listings that expired, were withdrawn, or were cancelled. Each entry includes:

• List date and status change dates: When the property was listed, went pending, and sold or was withdrawn.
• List price and sold price: The asking price and final sale price. The difference between these tells you about negotiability in the area. A property listed at $250,000 that sold for $235,000 indicates a 6% spread, which is wider than typical and may suggest overpricing or a soft market.
• Days on market: How long the property was actively listed before going under contract. Longer DOM indicates less demand or overpricing.
• Agent and office information: The listing and selling agents and their brokerages.

Expired listings are particularly useful intelligence. A property that was listed 8 months ago at $260,000 and expired without selling may indicate an owner who is still interested in selling but had unrealistic price expectations. That is a lead worth pursuing.

School data

The school section shows the assigned public schools for the property's location, organized by level: elementary school, middle school, and high school. For each school, Deal Run displays:

• School name
• Rating (where available from state or national rating systems)
• Distance from the property

School quality is one of the top three factors driving residential property values in suburban markets (alongside location and condition). A property in a top-rated school district may command a 10-20% premium over a comparable home in a lower-rated district across the street. When marketing to rental investors, school data also matters because tenants with children prioritize school quality, leading to lower vacancy and higher rents in strong school zones.

Flood zone information

The flood zone section shows the FEMA flood zone designation for the property. This is pulled from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) data and indicates the property's flood risk classification.

• Zone X (minimal risk): The property is outside the 100-year and 500-year floodplains. Flood insurance is not required by lenders, though it is still available and recommended in some areas. Properties in Zone X carry no flood-related value discount.
• Zone X (shaded, moderate risk): The property is in the 500-year floodplain but outside the 100-year floodplain. Flood insurance is not required but is recommended. There may be a small value impact in flood-conscious markets.
• Zone AE (high risk): The property is in the 100-year floodplain with base flood elevations determined. Flood insurance is required for any federally backed mortgage. Annual flood insurance premiums can run $1,000 to $5,000 or more depending on the property's elevation relative to the base flood elevation. This directly affects both the property's market value and its rental cash flow.
• Zone AO, AH, VE (high risk, coastal): Various high-risk designations with specific characteristics. VE zones (coastal high hazard) carry the highest insurance costs and the greatest value discounts.

In Houston and other flood-prone markets, the flood zone designation is one of the most impactful data points on the property detail page. A home in Zone AE may be worth 10-15% less than an identical home in Zone X a few blocks away, because of the mandatory insurance cost and the stigma of past flooding. Always check the flood zone before committing to a deal in flood-prone areas.

Motivation indicators

Deal Run highlights specific data points that may indicate a motivated seller. These are not guarantees of motivation, but they are signals that warrant further investigation through skip tracing and direct outreach.

• Pre-foreclosure / Notice of Default: The lender has initiated foreclosure proceedings. The owner is under time pressure to sell or refinance before the foreclosure sale date.
• Tax delinquent: The owner has unpaid property taxes. In Texas, the county can initiate a tax sale after taxes are delinquent for a specified period. Tax delinquency often indicates financial distress.
• Divorce: Public records indicate a divorce filing involving the property owner. Divorcing couples often need to liquidate real estate quickly as part of the settlement.
• Probate / Inherited: The property has transferred through an estate or probate proceeding. Heirs who inherit a property they do not want to manage or maintain are among the most motivated seller categories.
• Vacant: Indicators suggest the property is vacant (mail forwarding, utility disconnection, no homestead exemption despite absentee mailing address). Vacant properties cost the owner money every month with no income, creating carrying pressure.

When one or more motivation indicators are present, the property detail page highlights them with colored badges so they are immediately visible. Multiple stacked indicators (for example, tax delinquent plus vacant plus pre-foreclosure) represent the highest-motivation seller profiles.