---
title: Skiptracing Overview
description: Learn how to use Smarter Contact's built-in skiptracing tool to turn a raw property list into verified, reachable contacts — without leaving your CRM.
---
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June 16, 2026
# Skiptracing Overview
## Turn Raw Data Into Reachable Contacts
A campaign is only as good as the data feeding it. Smarter Contact's built-in skiptracing tool turns a raw property list into a set of real, reachable contacts — verified phone numbers, emails, addresses, and more — without ever leaving the platform or paying a separate provider.
### What Is Skiptracing in Real Estate?
**Skiptracing** is the process of finding current contact information for a person using identifying data like their name and property address. For real estate investors, it's how you turn a list of property owners or landlords into a callable, textable lead list. Smarter Contact runs skiptracing directly inside the CRM, so the results land in your database and are ready to contact immediately.
### What Data Does Skiptracing Return?
When a record is successfully matched, Smarter Contact returns up to five data categories per lead:
- **Phone numbers** — multiple numbers associated with the individual, sorted by Mobile and Landline
- **Email addresses**
Where available, results also include **APNs (Assessor Parcel Numbers)** and **parcel details** for the properties you submit. Your results dashboard shows a full breakdown — total contacts returned, hit rate, and every number categorized by type.
A successful match is counted as a "Hit" when at least one of these data points is returned.
### How to Skiptrace a File
#### Step 1: Upload Your File
Navigate to the **Skiptrace** tab and upload your lead list. You can drag the file directly into the upload box or browse your device to find it.
##### File requirements:
- Format: .csv only
- Maximum file size: 50 MB
- Required fields: First Name, Last Name, and at least one address (Property or Mailing) — including City, State, and Zip
💡 **Pro tip:** If your file has both a Property Address and a Mailing Address, map both. Using both consistently improves your hit rate.
#### Step 2: Map Your Fields
Once your file is uploaded, map the columns in your spreadsheet to the corresponding fields in Smarter Contact. The three required fields — First Name, Last Name, and Address — must be mapped before you can proceed.
A few things worth knowing at this step:
- **Map both Property and Mailing addresses** when available — using both consistently returns more matches than either address alone
- **Keep your data clean** — each column should contain exactly what it says. A First Name field with a full name, an LLC, or anything other than a first name will produce an invalid match
- **Remove blank rows and bad data before uploading** — LLCs, trust names, or corrupted entries won't match against real people and will count against your results
- **Toggle Exclude the first row** if your spreadsheet's first row is a header rather than a lead record
- **Edit or delete individual rows** directly in the mapping view if you spot issues before submitting
- Minimum list size is **5 records**
#### Step 3: Review Pricing and Confirm
Before the skiptrace runs, a payment summary shows you the number of records, the price per record, and your estimated total. Enable **Dedupe previously skiptraced records** to automatically remove anyone you've already traced — the system cross-references your entire history and skips the duplicates. The more you skiptrace over time, the more this saves you.
One important detail on billing: the upfront charge is based on your total list size, but **you're only billed for successful hits**. Any record the system can't match is returned to your balance automatically — so you never pay for data you don't receive.
Once you confirm, the skiptrace runs and a progress bar tracks the process in real time. When it's done, a confirmation email with your results file and payment receipt lands in your inbox, and your final cost is deducted from your Smarter Contact balance.
#### Skiptracing Pricing
Pricing scales with your plan — the higher your tier, the lower your per-record cost.
| Plan | Price per Record |
| --- | --- |
| No plan / Inactive | $0.20 |
| Starter | $0.15 |
| Pro | $0.12 |
| Elite / Elite Plus | $0.10 |
Skiptracing is available during the 7-day free trial at the rates above. Note that trial users are charged real costs for skiptracing — it is not included as part of the free trial experience.
#### Managing Your Skiptraced Files
Once your skip trace is complete, you have three options:
- **Push to Contacts** — send the entire enriched list to your Smarter Contact database in one click and move straight into a campaign
- **Export the file** — download your results if you need them elsewhere
- **Run a new upload** — start another skip trace whenever you're ready
The **All Files** tab shows every list you've previously skiptraced, including a breakdown of total phone numbers returned, how many are mobile, and how many are landline. You can delete any file from this view when you no longer need it.
### Frequently Asked Questions
- **Can I avoid being charged twice for the same lead?**
Yes — enable **Dedupe previously skiptraced records** at checkout. Keep your column mapping consistent across uploads, because the system identifies duplicates based on the data points you map. A different column mapped for the same lead means a new charge.
- **What happens after the skiptrace is complete?**
A confirmation email with your results file and payment receipt lands in your inbox automatically. Your final cost — hits only — is deducted from your balance.
- **Is skiptracing available during the free trial?**
Yes, but real charges apply. A warning appears before you confirm any run during your trial period.
### What's Next?
Once your list is skiptraced and your leads have verified phone numbers, the next step is putting them into a campaign. Learn how to build drip sequences that reach out automatically — at the right time, with the right message.
[Explore Drip Campaigns →](https://support.smartercontact.com/drip-campaigns-overview?hsLang=en)
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#### Comparison
- [Launch Control vs Smarter Contact](https://smartercontact.com/launch-control-vs-smarter-contact/)
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