# Skip Tracing Scraper Cheap (`data_api/skip-tracing-scraper-cheap`) Actor

The fastest way to find out who actually owns a house. This skip tracing actor takes any batch of addresses and returns the primary and secondary owner names attached to the asset. Ideal for real estate professionals who need to build high-quality lead generation lists at scale.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/data\_api/skip-tracing-scraper-cheap.md
- **Developed by:** [Data API](https://apify.com/data_api) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Real estate, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.99 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## Skip Tracing Scraper

![Skip Tracing Scraper](cover.jpg)

You have a property address but no idea who owns it. Public listing sites show the house, not the person behind it, and pulling owner names one address at a time through a paid lookup tool gets slow and expensive fast. This scraper closes that gap. Paste a US property address and it matches the parcel, returns the owner and any co-owner on record, and bundles a profile of the property plus an equity snapshot. Run a single address or drop in a whole list and let it work through them.

### What you get

Each address you submit comes back as one row with a steady shape. When a piece of data is missing it returns `null` rather than disappearing, so your columns line up the same way every time you load the results into a sheet or CRM. Each row carries:

- **Owner contacts** — `ownerName` and `coOwnerName` straight from the property record
- **Property profile** — `propertyProfile`, a nested object with the parcel's structural and address details
- **Equity snapshot** — `equitySnapshot`, a nested object with estimated value and equity figures
- **Run context** — the original `searchAddress`, a `collectedAt` timestamp, and an `errorMessage` field that tells you why a row came back empty

### Quick start

1. Hit **Try for free** and open the input form.
2. Add one or more US property addresses to **Property addresses**, one per line.
3. Pick a proxy type (the default is fine for most runs).
4. Press **Start**, then export as JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML once the run finishes.

![How it works](how-it-works.jpg)

### Use cases

- **Real estate investors** — turn a shortlist of target properties into a contact list of owners to approach directly
- **Wholesalers and flippers** — find the decision-maker behind a distressed or off-market house
- **Title and escrow teams** — confirm the owner of record before opening a file
- **Property service providers** — reach homeowners for roofing, solar, or renovation outreach
- **Market researchers** — pair owner and equity data with addresses to study a neighborhood's ownership mix
- **Lead generation** — build a clean owner-contact dataset from a list of addresses you already hold

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `propertyAddresses` | array of strings | Yes | US property addresses to trace, one per entry. Include house number, street, city, state, and ZIP for the best match. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | No | Proxies used for lookup requests. Defaults to Datacenter (Anywhere); switch to Residential if lookups get blocked. |

#### Example input

```json
{
    "propertyAddresses": [
        "812 Maplewood Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203",
        "27 Birchfield Ln, Austin, TX 78745"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
    }
}
````

### Output

Every address you submit produces one row. Every field is always present — values that could not be found come back as `null`, so your dataset stays rectangular and easy to parse.

#### Example output

```json
{
    "searchAddress": "812 Maplewood Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203",
    "ownerName": "Marcus T Holloway",
    "coOwnerName": "Diane R Holloway",
    "propertyProfile": {
        "bedrooms": 3,
        "bathrooms": 2,
        "livingArea": 1840,
        "yearBuilt": 1996,
        "propertyType": "Single Family"
    },
    "equitySnapshot": {
        "estimatedValue": 412000,
        "estimatedEquity": 268500,
        "lastSalePrice": 215000,
        "lastSaleDate": "2014-08-19"
    },
    "collectedAt": "2026-06-29T12:00:00.000000+00:00",
    "errorMessage": null
}
```

#### Output fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `searchAddress` | string | The property address you submitted for this lookup |
| `ownerName` | string | Name of the primary owner on record |
| `coOwnerName` | string | Name of a second owner on record, when the property is jointly held |
| `propertyProfile` | object | Structural and parcel details for the matched property |
| `equitySnapshot` | object | Estimated value and equity figures tied to the property |
| `collectedAt` | string | ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was captured |
| `errorMessage` | string | Reason the address failed; `null` on success |

### Tips for best results

- **Write addresses in full.** House number, street, city, state, and ZIP give the matcher the most to work with and cut down on wrong or empty results.
- **Start with a handful.** Run five or ten addresses first to confirm the output fits your pipeline before loading hundreds.
- **Switch to Residential if you get blocked.** Datacenter clears most lookups; residential helps when you see repeated failures in the `errorMessage` field.
- **Check `errorMessage` before assuming a miss.** A populated `errorMessage` tells you whether the address simply had no match or whether the request itself failed.
- **Expect nested objects.** `propertyProfile` and `equitySnapshot` come back as JSON objects, so flatten them if your destination needs one value per column.

### How can I use property owner data?

**How can I use the Skip Tracing Scraper to find a property owner from an address?**
Paste the address into **Property addresses** and run it. The scraper matches the parcel and returns the owner and any co-owner on record, along with a property profile and equity snapshot, so a bare address becomes a real contact you can act on.

**How can I skip trace a list of addresses for real estate leads?**
Load your whole list into **Property addresses**, one per line, and start the run. Each address comes back as a single row with owner names and property data, giving you a clean owner-contact dataset you can drop straight into a CRM or outreach sequence.

**How can I check who owns a house before reaching out?**
Submit the property address and read the `ownerName` and `coOwnerName` fields. You confirm exactly who holds the property, plus its estimated value and equity, before spending time on outreach to a wholesaling, listing, or service prospect.

**How can I enrich property records with owner and equity data?**
If you already keep a table of addresses, feed them in and the scraper returns matching owner names, a structural property profile, and an equity snapshot for each. Join the results back to your records by `searchAddress` to fill in the ownership and value picture.

### Is it legal to scrape data?

Our actors are ethical and do not extract any private user data, such as email addresses or private contact information. They only extract what the user has chosen to share publicly. We therefore believe that our actors, when used for ethical purposes by Apify users, are safe.

However, you should be aware that your results could contain personal data. Personal data is protected by the GDPR in the European Union and by other regulations around the world. You should not scrape personal data unless you have a legitimate reason to do so. If you're unsure whether your reason is legitimate, consult your lawyers.

You can also read Apify's blog post on the [legality of web scraping](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/).

### Support

Questions, feature requests, or a field you'd like added? Reach out at <data.apify@proton.me> and we'll get back to you.

# Actor input Schema

## `targetLocations` (type: `array`):

List of locations to trace

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Select proxies to use for requests. Helps avoid IP blocking and rate limits. Datacenter proxies are fastest; Residential proxies are harder to detect.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "targetLocations": [
    "3763 Waldrop Hills Dr, Decatur, GA 30034",
    "1323 Village Terrace Ct, Atlanta, GA 30338",
    "4132 St Germain, Stone Mountain, GA 30083"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "targetLocations": [
        "3763 Waldrop Hills Dr, Decatur, GA 30034",
        "1323 Village Terrace Ct, Atlanta, GA 30338",
        "4132 St Germain, Stone Mountain, GA 30083"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("data_api/skip-tracing-scraper-cheap").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "targetLocations": [
        "3763 Waldrop Hills Dr, Decatur, GA 30034",
        "1323 Village Terrace Ct, Atlanta, GA 30338",
        "4132 St Germain, Stone Mountain, GA 30083",
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("data_api/skip-tracing-scraper-cheap").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "targetLocations": [
    "3763 Waldrop Hills Dr, Decatur, GA 30034",
    "1323 Village Terrace Ct, Atlanta, GA 30338",
    "4132 St Germain, Stone Mountain, GA 30083"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call data_api/skip-tracing-scraper-cheap --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=data_api/skip-tracing-scraper-cheap",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Skip Tracing Scraper Cheap",
        "description": "The fastest way to find out who actually owns a house. This skip tracing actor takes any batch of addresses and returns the primary and secondary owner names attached to the asset. Ideal for real estate professionals who need to build high-quality lead generation lists at scale.",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "LIBN2yaLJdXGNULRK"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/data_api~skip-tracing-scraper-cheap/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-data_api-skip-tracing-scraper-cheap",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/data_api~skip-tracing-scraper-cheap/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-data_api-skip-tracing-scraper-cheap",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/data_api~skip-tracing-scraper-cheap/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-data_api-skip-tracing-scraper-cheap",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "targetLocations": {
                        "title": "Target Locations",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "List of locations to trace",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "Proxy configuration",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Select proxies to use for requests. Helps avoid IP blocking and rate limits. Datacenter proxies are fastest; Residential proxies are harder to detect."
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```