Why Search For Property Owners First? Here’s Five Reasons

This article is presented by PropStream.

Do you remember the time when we would get deliveries of stacks of phone books at our front door? No? Is that me just showing my age? 

Things have changed slightly in the world of real estate investing. The internet has undergone significant changes, but it can still be almost impossible to find the correct owner without the right tools. 

Today, investors, agents, and service providers can access ownership details, contact information, and marketing tools, all in one platform. We can utilize PropStream to demonstrate how easy it is to identify the owner of virtually any property and initiate a conversation immediately. 

This type of information is valuable, regardless of your real estate investing approach. Looking at a distressed property? Trying to find the owner of a vacation rental so you can help manage it? Do you see a commercial building that presents a prime opportunity for you? PropStream it. Let’s show you how.

Why Look Up Property Owners?

Real estate professionals search for owner information for many reasons.

Investors searching for off-market deals and motivated sellers

Identifying property owners helps investors approach owners of distressed or vacant properties and propose a sale before the property hits the market. It also allows wholesalers to match properties with investors.

Landlords or property managers looking to offer management services

Many owners, especially absentee landlords, become overwhelmed by maintenance or tenant issues and may be open to a management partnership. Vacant vacation homes and inherited properties are prime examples of properties that owners may need help managing or selling.

Agents seeking new listings

Real estate agents often prospect for upcoming listings by contacting owners who may be interested in selling soon. Skip tracing provides phone numbers and email addresses to initiate conversations.

Loan originators and service providers offering financing or repairs

Loan officers use owner data to target borrowers who may be candidates for refinancing, and contractors seek out owners who need roof repair, energy upgrades, or landscaping.

Commercial property data

Investors, brokers, and service providers often struggle to identify the actual owners of commercial buildings because they are usually hidden behind LLC names; accurate owner data helps evaluate debt and equity and reach the right decision-makers.

Regardless of your goal, success hinges on obtaining reliable ownership information and consistently following up. Studies show that only 2% of sales occur on the first contact, while 80% of sales require at least five follow-up calls. Unfortunately, 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up call, and roughly half never follow up after the initial call. 

This gap means that persistent investors who are willing to make multiple contacts can win deals others miss. PropStream simplifies the process of locating owners and following up, saving time while increasing opportunities.

Setting Up PropStream for Success

PropStream is a data platform that aggregates public records, MLS data, mortgage information, and marketing tools. 

Before searching for owners, register for an account (PropStream offers a free trial). Once inside the dashboard, follow these steps:

1. Define your target market: Search by county, city, ZIP code, or draw a custom polygon. Narrow down to neighborhoods, multiple ZIP codes, or specific corridors.
2. Apply filters, such as:

• Absentee owners (Owner Occupied = No, add sale date/equity ranges)
• Distressed properties (pre-foreclosure, liens, tax delinquencies, bankruptcies)
• Vacant land or commercial buildings
• Off-market only (uncheck “On Market”)

1. Build your list: Review results, check properties, and save them to a new or existing list (e.g., “Sept 2025 Absentee Owners”).
2. Skip trace contacts: Utilize PropStream’s built-in skip tracing to obtain up to four phone numbers and emails per owner, all DNC-scrubbed. Pay only for successful matches.
3. Market to your list:

• Postcards: Personalized, as low as $0.48 each
• Emails: Campaigns for ~$0.02 each, with follow-ups
• Landing pages: Capture leads with custom forms and branding.
• Calls & SMS: Reach owners directly using skip-traced data.

Real-World Use Cases

How do you actually use this in your real-world real estate investing? The better question is, how have you managed to survive this long without it?

Helping an absentee landlord

An investor in Dallas spots a duplex with an out-of-state owner who hasn’t maintained it. With PropStream’s absentee owner filter and skip tracing, they get the owner’s number, make a call, and the tired landlord agrees to sell.

Landing a vacation home listing

A real estate agent wants to break into a lakefront community. She draws a polygon on the PropStream map, filters for absentee owners, and starts a simple email campaign. After a few follow-ups, one heir who rarely visits the property decides to list with her.

Easing the load for a landlord

A property manager in Austin searches for small landlords who don’t use a management company. One owner juggling three single-family rentals finally says yes after hearing how much stress he could offload.

Working with heirs

Someone inherits a home they don’t want to maintain. PropStream makes it easy to find their contact info. A quick call and an empathetic conversation later, they agree to sell.

Helping someone in distress

A wholesaler targets properties with liens and pre-foreclosure notices. One homeowner, worried about losing everything, reaches out. With the right help, he sells as-is, pays off debts, and keeps his equity intact.

Supporting commercial owners

A debt broker utilizes PropStream to access LLC records and connect directly with shopping center owners. One call leads to a refinance at a better rate, saving the owner money and winning the broker new business.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re seeking off-market deals, building a rental portfolio, or offering services to property owners, the ability to locate owners and reach out matters quickly. 

PropStream aggregates ownership data, contact information, and marketing tools in a single dashboard. By defining your search area, applying filters, performing a skip trace, and launching multichannel campaigns, you can turn anonymous properties into warm conversations. This is how you build a real business, giving you back your time to build relationships and create win-win deals.