Lender · Boynton Beach, FL · Member since 2026 · 172 posts · 71 votes
Quick update for new investors in Palm Beach County (33446 / 33445).
Last week I was skip tracing first, then checking PAPA/Palm Beach Clerk after. Wasted 6 credits on addresses like 6663 Bristol Lk S Delray — list said last sale 2002, PAPA showed sold again 2020-06-12 to new owner. Old owner gone, credit wasted, wrong person contacted.
Fixed system based on advice here (Amr + Ziad):
1. Filter first — out-of-state + 20yr+ holder (my 50 became 38)
2. Check PAPA + Clerk BEFORE skip — find sold/new owner
3. Check Code/Tax lien
4. Skip trace ONLY final list
Built simple Google Sheet with 7 columns: Property_Address / List_Name / Pull_Date / Last_Sale_Date_On_List / Last_Verified_Sale_Date_PAPA / Action_Save_Credits / Notes
Saved 6 credits immediately. And now when same address comes back on another list next month, I check sheet in 5 seconds — don't re-check PAPA.
For those farming Valencia / Vizcaya / Coral Pointe in Delray 33446 — do you do PAPA check before or after skip? What else you check before you skip to save credits?
Checking ownership before you skip trace is the right order, and keeping the sheet so a repeat address takes five seconds is the part most people skip. One more check worth adding is a probate filing or a family deed transfer since the list date. Those often don't show up as a normal sale, so the "owner" you'd be texting may have passed away. I'd also add a column for the date you last checked each row, so you know when it's stale enough to recheck. And on the lien column, a lien plus delinquent taxes on an out-of-state owner has been a much stronger signal for me than either one by itself.
Dan — thank you, this is exactly what I was missing!
You nailed it on the repeat address — saved me 6 credits this week alone just by having the sheet. 6663 Bristol Lk came back on another list, 5-sec check, no re-PAPA.
Adding 2 columns now based on your advice:
8. Last_Checked_Date — so I know when it's stale
9. Probate/Family_Transfer_Flag — to catch those $10 deeds that are actually death transfers, not trust
Question on your lien + delinquent tax combo — for Palm Beach County, are you checking tax delinquent on Tax Collector site before skip, or after PAPA? And for probate, are you checking Clerk probate search by name or by property?
I'm farming Valencia / Vizcaya / Coral Pointe 33446, mostly 70+ NY/NJ out-of-state — combo signal sounds perfect for that.
Appreciate you — going to update sheet template and share back here.