How much does skip tracing cost?

The three pricing models

1. Per record

You upload a list and pay a set amount for each owner. There is no monthly bill. It is simple, but the cost grows in a straight line with your list. Double the list, double the bill.

2. Monthly plans

You pay every month and get a set number of traces, often bundled with other tools like lists or a dialer. The price per trace is usually lower, but unused traces may not roll over, and you pay even in a slow month.

3. Free options

County records are free: you can look up an owner's name and mailing address by hand. Some tools also offer a free allowance. Free works well for learning the process and for testing a tool before you commit a whole list to it.

The hidden costs

The price per record is only part of the story. Watch for these:

• Paying for misses. Some tools bill every record, even when no number comes back.
• Paying twice. Re-uploading the same owners next month can bill them again.
• Duplicates. The same owner on three lists can be billed three times.
• Minimums. Some tools have a minimum order or a minimum plan.
• Bad numbers. A cheap trace full of dead numbers costs you in wasted calls.

How to compare on a big list

Wholesalers trace hundreds of thousands of owners, so small differences add up. Do this math for each tool you look at:

1. Take the size of your list after you remove duplicates.
2. Multiply by the price per record, or divide by the traces in the plan.
3. Add what you would pay to re-trace the same list later.
4. Ask whether misses are billed, and adjust.

The tool with the lowest sticker price is not always the one that costs the least once you run the whole list through it.

Questions to ask before you pay

• Do you charge per record uploaded, or only when you find a number?
• If I upload the same owner again, am I billed again?
• Do unused traces roll over to next month?
• Is there a minimum order or contract?
• Can I test it on part of my list first?

The skip tracing software guide has a longer checklist.

Where Tracepoint fits

Tracepoint gives a new account 5,000 lookups one time, with no card. A lookup is only used when a new phone number comes back for an owner, so misses and re-traces of owners already in your workspace do not use any. The CRM, dialer and texting come with it. When you need more, book a call.

For named tools and their published prices, read the free skip tracing tools round-up. To see what a lead is worth before you trace it, try the wholesale deal calculator.