Rental Property Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2017 · 138 posts · 100 votes
What data source provides the most accurate phone numbers and addresses for property owners?
We have a paid BeenVerified subscription and I'm a Realtor so I have access to Forewarn - I have found that BeenVerified's information is grossly outdated and inaccurate when compared to Forewarn.
I can't use Forewarn for skip tracing since it goes against the intended use as a Realtor - is there any data source out there as accurate as Forewarn, that I could subscribe to?
I'm looking for something that can be used for one-off searches to find investments for our portfolio so we aren't doing batch skip-tracing or wholesaling. I'm not a wholesaler but I do a lot of research to find buildable lots in our target area (I'm also a GC).
Lender · Chicago, IL · Member since 2025 · 204 posts · 101 votes
9mo
If you’re looking for accuracy closer to Forewarn without using Realtor-restricted tools, most investors and developers rely on real estate–focused data platforms rather than consumer people-search services. Platforms like PropStream, PropertyRadar, and Reonomy are commonly used because they’re built around deed, tax, and ownership records, which generally makes owner names, mailing addresses, and phone numbers more reliable for property research. For buildable lots and targeted investor searches, many GCs and portfolio investors also layer in parcel and land data tools such as LandVision or property intelligence from providers like Data Axle to cross-check ownership and contact details. While no data source is perfect, platforms designed specifically for property intelligence tend to be far more accurate and practical for one-off investment research than general background-check subscriptions.
Lender · Chicago, IL · Member since 2025 · 204 posts · 101 votes
9mo
If you’re looking for accuracy closer to Forewarn without using Realtor-restricted tools, most investors and developers rely on real estate–focused data platforms rather than consumer people-search services. Platforms like PropStream, PropertyRadar, and Reonomy are commonly used because they’re built around deed, tax, and ownership records, which generally makes owner names, mailing addresses, and phone numbers more reliable for property research. For buildable lots and targeted investor searches, many GCs and portfolio investors also layer in parcel and land data tools such as LandVision or property intelligence from providers like Data Axle to cross-check ownership and contact details. While no data source is perfect, platforms designed specifically for property intelligence tend to be far more accurate and practical for one-off investment research than general background-check subscriptions.
Rental Property Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2017 · 138 posts · 100 votes
9mo
Hi Ebonie,
This is super helpful, thank you so much! We have a couple of tools for parcel and land info and we’ve used Propstream before. A few of the tools you mentioned, I haven’t heard of so I’ll look into them, thanks again!
Real Estate Consultant · Member since 2025 · 3 posts · 1 vote
9mo
I saw you're looking for better data on property owners.
Honestly, unless you are doing 100+ deals a month, the big subscriptions (like LandVision) are overkill.
I run land due diligence for a living, and I usually just pull the specific County GIS Assessor Data for each parcel manually. It gives you the owner's mailing address and the zoning/flood layers in one go, and it's free if you know where to look.
If you are just trying to vet a few specific lots, shoot me the locations. I can pull the owner info + a risk report (flood/slope/zoning) for you for like $29 so you don't have to sign up for a monthly contract.
Rental Property Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2017 · 138 posts · 100 votes
9mo
Thanks Sunny - I'm researching 30-50 owners a month but the main information I need is accurate phone numbers and current mailing addresses for the owners, which most often aren't updated on the property appraiser's site. Unfortunately I've found that Forewarn's information is really accurate but can't be used at scale.
Thanks Sunny - I'm researching 30-50 owners a month but the main information I need is accurate phone numbers and current mailing addresses for the owners, which most often aren't updated on the property appraiser's site. Unfortunately I've found that Forewarn's information is really accurate but can't be used at scale.
Ah, I see. You're hitting the 'Data Quality' wall.
For 30-50 leads a month, you are in a tricky middle ground. It's too many to do manually with free tools (TruePeopleSearch), but maybe not enough to justify a massive enterprise contract.
The Honest Truth: The County Assessor (GIS) almost never has phone numbers. That's purely for mailing addresses.
If you need accurate mobile numbers at that volume, you really have to use a Tier-1 skip tracer like SkipGenie or BatchLeads. They pull from credit header data, which is why they beat the free stuff. It costs about 15 cents a record, but it saves you hours of dialing dead numbers.
Where I can actually help:
Once you do get hold of an owner and they say 'Maybe,' don't waste time driving out to the property blindly.
Send me the address then. I'll run that Deep Dive Risk Check (Flood/Wetland/Slope analysis) we talked about. It keeps you from negotiating on a piece of land that turns out to be unbuildable swamp.
Wholesaler · Portsmouth NH · Member since 2019 · 208 posts · 95 votes
8mo
Hey Bridgette, great question. I have used a variety of skip tracing sources, and the biggest thing I have learned is that results vary heavily by location. Some providers work much better in certain regions than others. For example, Data Skip IO and Skip Matrix tend to work well in many southern states. In New England, we have had better results using Deal Machine. So it really comes down to where you are targeting. Where are you looking to skip trace? If you want, I can share the best sources we use for one off skip tracing based on that market.
Rental Property Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2017 · 138 posts · 100 votes
8mo
Thanks Izaiah - I am skip tracing Florida properties. Most often the owners actually live in Florida but sometimes they're in other states. If I can find a source that has accurate phone data for this area, that would be ideal.