Texas Real Estate Data/Lead Sources

[Johnie Hopkins]

Through another recent post, a BP member introduced me to Real Acquisitions.  This is a pretty robust service that provides a grand amount of information properties (legal / homeowner / tax / title), including some county-filed documents and file numbers for others.  The polygon mapping, wide range of built-in criteria (vacancies/owner-resident/probates), custom/keyword search capability, and yellow letter generation all seem worth the cost as multiple services and websites would normally be needed to manage so much.

Subscription to the service would be an investment :), though I see real potential for its return to my pocket very soon.

Has anyone in Houston, San Antonio or Dallas / Fort Worth used other similar sources for data and searches; maybe even those focused entirely on Texas markets as is Real Acquisitions?  I need to make a decision on which service to use, but have not found one comparable enough to weigh in beside RA.

Thanks for your feedback.

[Johnie Hopkins]

Hi @Christopher Mongeon,

I subscribed to Real Acquisitions over the weekend and it was immediately helpful.  Excuse the delay [and length] of my update; I responded to another thread with my initial review, but should have done it here.

So far...

Using its 'title information' and 'motivation %' searches, I found out just how motivated the seller of a property was prior to seeing it.  I was also able to compare the realtor's sales and rental comps to those produced by RA. That, too, was very good to have as I considered multiple rehabbing options after walking the property with a contractor.

Title Information lists all found documentation (deeds, liens, releases, etc.) while Motivation % lists potential owner motivations (delinquent taxes, suits, judgments, cancelled/expired MLS listing, orders). Many documents are directly available for viewing. For those that are not, the number can be used to find them on the County Clerk's website.

Looking forward...

I have created two Pipelines, each with its own search criteria, that update automatically and show the total quantity of applicable leads.  From pipelines, I am able to add properties listed to my named Campaigns (properties are, then, removed from the pipeline) from which addressed and property-specific mailings can be created for printing by a separate service or individual.

In summary, RealAcquisitions is truly a one-stop service in which I see real potential benefits.  I will continue to check out their weekly webinars and 'RA Academy' to learn how to use it more effectively.

Let me know if you decide to subscribe and what you find most helpful.