{"id":3430,"date":"2021-08-17T15:56:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T19:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/?p=3430"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:29:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T23:29:36","slug":"how-to-find-the-owners-of-any-property-even-vacant-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-find-the-owners-of-any-property-even-vacant-ones\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find the Owners of any Property &#8211; Even Vacant Ones!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f4f4f4; border-left:4px solid #aaaaaa; border-radius:4px; padding:8px 14px; margin:0 0 24px 0; font-family:Arial, sans-serif; font-size:13px; color:#666666;\"><strong>Updated:<\/strong> March 16, 2026<\/div>\n<p>Knowing how to find property owners for free is one of the most valuable research skills a real estate investor can develop, because the ability to identify and contact distressed property owners before their situations become public knowledge creates off-market acquisition opportunities that most buyers never access.<\/p>\n\n<p>We all have that image of a vacant home etched in our minds, whether it was from a scary movie you watched or a favorite book. They have a specific feeling to them ,  haunted, forlorn. Maybe you imagine overgrown weeds, broken windows, and boards all over the place. Well, that\u2019s not quite what \u201cvacant\u201d means today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of times when people leave in a hurry, it\u2019s more subtle than boards across the windows and doors left open. You might notice the lights have been off for a while or that all the toys are gone from the lawn. Regardless, each vacant home has one thing in common: the owner is out of the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do you do when you\u2019re interested in a property and the owner is nowhere to be found? You have a couple of options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In this Article:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-find-the-owners-of-any-property-even-vacant-ones\/#Find_the_Owners_Contact_Information\" >Find the Owner\u2019s Contact Information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-find-the-owners-of-any-property-even-vacant-ones\/#Best_Ways_to_Contact_the_Owner_of_a_Property\" >Best Ways to Contact the Owner of a Property<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-find-the-owners-of-any-property-even-vacant-ones\/#Best_Methods_to_How_To_Find_Property_Owners_For_Free\" >Best Methods to How To Find Property Owners For Free<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-find-the-owners-of-any-property-even-vacant-ones\/#Why_Knowing_How_To_Find_Property_Owners_For_Free_Is_Such_a_Competitive_Advantage\" >Why Knowing How To Find Property Owners For Free Is Such a Competitive Advantage<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_the_Owners_Contact_Information\"><\/span>Find the Owner\u2019s Contact Information<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this day and age, there is a lot you can do from the comfort of your own home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Use Public Records<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>County records are a good place to start. You can find a surprising amount of information from <a href=\"https:\/\/publicrecords.netronline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Netronline.com<\/a> about properties all across the US. Once there, <strong>you can find details on the structure and age of the property as well as a complete purchase history<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This could give you good insight into how long the current owner has had the property. Most of these records are online. However, if you prefer going in person, you can check the local county tax office instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a caveat; not everybody updates their information with the county, and if there is an owner that left in a hurry, chances are they didn\u2019t have time to fill out those forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Buy Their Information Online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another option is to buy contact information online. This is called a skip trace, and it is surprisingly easy to do. If you know the owner\u2019s name, you can get all sorts of information about them for just a few dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of these companies will give you email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and even the names of relatives. Nowadays, several companies offer monthly memberships that include unlimited searches. These range anywhere from $9.95\/month for limited monthly searches to $199\/month for unlimited searches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most popular sites are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.familytreenow.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Family Tree Now<\/a> (genealogy site to find records, has associated names, emails, phone numbers, and current and past addresses for free)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/clearskip.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clear Skip<\/a> ($0.25\/lead or lower prices with paid monthly membership)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.delvepoint.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Delvepoint<\/a> (offers a free week trial to test it out and costs $1\/standard person search)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use that information to contact them whether you prefer sending an email or leaving a voicemail. If you don\u2019t get an answer from the owner, you could then start trying relatives to get ahold of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Search Engine Stalking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t want to go that route, you could simply search the owner online. Type their name into a search engine and you could be looking at pages of digital history. Maybe you\u2019ll even find their latest Instagram post about their new home!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Adding the physical address of the property you are interested in or the name of the town can narrow down the search enormously.<\/strong> For example, if I type myself into Google, I receive 456,000 results in less than a second. If I type my name and town into the search bar, that narrows it down to 40,600 results. That\u2019s better, but still a lot to sift through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Ways_to_Contact_the_Owner_of_a_Property\"><\/span>Best Ways to Contact the Owner of a Property<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe you want to be more hands-on, or you don\u2019t feel like taking the time to sort through pages of results online. Or maybe you couldn\u2019t find anything online. It happens occasionally. Either way, you have a few options left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Ask Around About the Owners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask the neighbors. It\u2019s not always a guarantee, but if you check in with the surrounding neighbors, they might know where the owner went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I recommend checking the residents on either side of the property you are interested in and those living across the street. <\/strong>They\u2019re more likely to know who owns the place than the person living at the end of the block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019ve surely noticed that no one is living in the vacant property already, and that\u2019s never good for the neighborhood. <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-make-money-with-zombie-foreclosures\/\" target=\"_blank\">Vacant homes<\/a> can drop home values in an area, especially if they aren\u2019t maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Leave a Letter On the Door<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You could post a big colorful note on the door with something simple like, \u201cHi, my name is Jane Jones and I need to talk to you. Please call me back ,  my number is (123) 456-7890.\u201d Check back in a week or so to see if your note is still there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of owners will ask someone they trust to keep an eye on their property when they aren\u2019t able to themselves. They\u2019ll notice your note and chances are you\u2019ll get a phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your note is gone and you haven\u2019t received a call, try leaving a bigger and brighter note. After another week or so, if you still haven\u2019t heard anything, you might want to explore other options for contacting the owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Try Calling the Owner Cold<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You could try calling them if you get a phone number. This isn\u2019t for everyone. Personally, I feel a little awkward calling someone out of the blue. Some people don\u2019t mind getting calls, and some people do. If you opt for this route, be prepared for anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re concerned about that opening icebreaker and the possible rejection, try out something a little more old-fashioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Write The Owner a Letter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do have a current address for the owner, <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-to-systemize-real-estate-investing-with-small-goals\/\" target=\"_blank\">send them a letter<\/a>. It may seem a little dated, but sending a handwritten note or postcard can get you noticed. A lot of companies send out generic marketing materials to dozens of abandoned properties, <strong>so making yours personal is bound to get you more attention<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some companies that can make your letter-writing process more streamlined:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Standard marketing postcards from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postcardmania.com\/postcard-printing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PostcardMania<\/a> ($0.05-$0.12\/each)<\/li><li>Autopen letters from <a href=\"https:\/\/openlettermarketing.com\/products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Open Letter Marketing<\/a> ($0.63\/each)<\/li><li>Personalized postcard from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellowletterhq.com\/product\/postcards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yellow Letter HQ<\/a> ($0.378\/each)<\/li><li>Pen-inked door hangers from <a href=\"https:\/\/ballpointmarketing.com\/product\/door-hangers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ballpoint Marketing<\/a> ($0.35-$0.40\/each)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It can take a while for an owner to understand that you are serious about buying their property. By reaching out and making contact over time, they will begin to think about you more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It takes an average of 6+ touches over a period of months to get in touch with a person just to see if they are willing to sell the property at a discount. <\/strong>That means postcards, calls, texts, letters, and even posters taped to their front door like mentioned above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not give up if you don\u2019t hear back after your first, second, or fifth attempt. Persistence pays off ,  after all, the tortoise won the race against the hare by keeping a steady pace. The same goes for all good things in life, even real estate investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Properties are abandoned for a whole slew of reasons. You will never know why this one was until you ask. Odds are the owner is already looking to offload the property, and it will greatly simplify their life once they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could provide them with the resources to start a new chapter of their life through purchasing their property and eliminating any stress they might have about overgrown weeds and dusty windows. The neighbors will thank you too. It\u2019s a win-win-win for everybody.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Methods_to_How_To_Find_Property_Owners_For_Free\"><\/span>Best Methods to How To Find Property Owners For Free<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The county property appraiser database is the most reliable public resource to how to find property owners for free in Florida. This database is updated regularly with ownership information derived from recorded deeds and contains mailing addresses that are often more current than the physical property address. Searching by property address or parcel number returns the owner of record along with their mailing address and the assessed value of the property.<\/p>\n<p>The county tax collector records are another powerful tool to how to find property owners for free, particularly for identifying owners of tax-delinquent properties who may be motivated sellers. Properties with unpaid taxes are listed publicly in Florida, and the owner information in these records can be cross-referenced against the property appraiser database to build a targeted contact list for your outreach campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Skip tracing services allow investors to how to find property owners for free who have moved from the property address without updating public records. These services search multiple databases simultaneously to locate current contact information for property owners, and the cost per search has dropped significantly with the growth of online skip tracing platforms that serve the real estate investing market.<\/p>\n<p>Court records including probate filings, divorce proceedings, and foreclosure lis pendens filings are another avenue to how to find property owners for free who are likely motivated sellers. These records are public in Florida and are accessible through the county clerk of court website, allowing investors to identify distressed ownership situations before they reach the auction market.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Knowing_How_To_Find_Property_Owners_For_Free_Is_Such_a_Competitive_Advantage\"><\/span>Why Knowing How To Find Property Owners For Free Is Such a Competitive Advantage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Investors who learn to how to find property owners for free for pre-foreclosure situations can approach distressed owners months before their properties reach <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/understanding-foreclosure-auctions-in-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">florida foreclosure auctions<\/a>, creating the opportunity to negotiate a direct purchase that benefits both parties.<\/p><p>Once you how to find property owners for free and identify a potential seller, conducting a quick <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/try-and-do-your-own-free-property-lien-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free property lien search<\/a> gives you the encumbrance information needed to calculate whether the deal has enough equity to support a profitable acquisition before you invest significant time in the negotiation.<\/p><p>Understanding the <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/what-is-the-foreclosure-timeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">florida foreclosure timeline<\/a> helps investors who are trying to this approach through lis pendens filings determine how much time remains before the property reaches auction, which directly affects the negotiating leverage and timeline of any outreach campaign.<\/p><p>Investors who this approach consistently as part of their deal sourcing strategy should understand how <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/real-estate-farming-with-county-foreclosure-auctions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">real estate farming foreclosure auctions<\/a> works as a complementary approach that combines property owner identification with systematic pre-foreclosure outreach.<\/p><p>Properties identified by learning to this approach through public records often have title complications. Always conduct a thorough <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/florida-title-search-101-how-to-uncover-hidden-liens-encumbrances-and-red-flags-before-you-bid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">florida title search<\/a> before making any offer to ensure you understand the full encumbrance picture before committing to any acquisition price.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color:#eef6fd; border-left:5px solid #1a73b8; border-radius:6px; padding:24px 28px; margin:32px 0; font-family:Georgia, serif;\"><p style=\"font-size:20px; font-weight:bold; color:#1a3a5c; margin:0 0 10px 0;\">Get Complete Florida Auction Coverage at PropertyOnion<\/p><p style=\"font-size:15px; color:#2c4a6e; margin:0 0 14px 0;\"><strong>PropertyOnion.com<\/strong> gives you real-time Florida auction listings, property research tools, and free downloadable eBooks that walk you through every step of the auction investing process from research to closing.<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/?&#038;reference_member_id=wpposts45&#038;ref2=wpposts45\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"display:inline-block; background-color:#1a73b8; color:#ffffff; font-family:Arial, sans-serif; font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; padding:12px 24px; border-radius:4px; text-decoration:none;\">Claim Free Trial Access<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated: March 16, 2026 Knowing how to find property owners for free is one of the most valuable research skills a real estate investor can develop, because the ability to identify and contact distressed property&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":3433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[34,358,356,357],"class_list":["post-3430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-investing-articles","tag-distressed","tag-seller-marketing","tag-skip-trace","tag-vacant-property"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3430"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13963,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3430\/revisions\/13963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}