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Using Probate Data

Court-sourced probate data surfaces filing details related to probate

Updated over 2 weeks ago

What is Probate Data?

Probate Data, released as part of PropertyRadar 5.0, helps you find properties where a property owner has become the decedent in a probate case filed at the court, often long before any recorder document exists or traditional “probate lists” show up in other platforms.

It is designed for users who want to reach probate‑motivated decision‑makers (heirs, executors, administrators, attorneys) earlier, while having all the information they need to stay empathetic and sensitive to the life event.

By building lists around probate filings, timing, with access to relatives data, you can show up sooner with Good Neighbor Marketing and more relevant offers. If you’re wondering, “How do I use PropertyRadar to find and work probate leads?” this article answers that question step‑by‑step.

Note: Probate Data does not represent all probate filings

While new court‑sourced probate data is more complete and timely than traditional “pre‑probate” or deceased data, it still has important limitations:

  • Geographic coverage is limited to the states and counties where we currently receive probate court filings. Not every county is covered yet.

  • Matching to properties and contacts depends on successfully matching the decedent in the court record to a PropertyRadar owner and property. If we cannot confidently match a probate filing to a specific person or property, that case will not appear in the application.

  • Not all deaths result in probate. Many estates are handled via trusts, TOD deeds, or other private arrangements where no probate case is filed.

  • Not all probates require a property sale. Some heirs keep the property, refinance, or otherwise resolve ownership without selling.

For customers who serve and help families facing probate, we also recommend building relationships with estate and probate attorneys, who often know about sale decisions and timelines before they appear anywhere else.

Why court‑sourced Probate Data matters

Most “probate” data sold in the market is actually pre‑probate, or death flags from obituaries, credit headers, or other sources, not real probate filings.

Compared to those approaches, PropertyRadar’s court‑sourced Probate Data offers:

Earlier timing

  • Court‑sourced Probate Data appears when the probate petition is filed at the local probate court, not months or years later when (or if) some document hits the county recorder.

  • Death‑only / pre‑probate signals may appear long after death and often don’t tell you whether a legal probate ever occurred.

More real opportunities

  • We surface real court cases with case numbers and filing dates, limited to those probate filings where we can match the decedent to a PropertyRadar owner and their properties.

  • Many platforms that claim “probate” actually show only deceased‑owner flags, which:

    • Capture a different event (death), not the start of a legal process.

    • Often include many cases where the property will never be sold (e.g., living trusts).

Richer context you can verify

Each probate record includes court‑level details so you can confirm and tailor your outreach:

  • Case number

  • Filing date

  • Court / jurisdiction

  • Decedent name

  • Attorney of record (when available)

  • Relatives data tied to the decedent and their properties (see below).

For you, this means:

  • More probate‑driven sellers and estates to target.

  • The ability to engage closer to the actual legal event, when families and their advisors are actively deciding what to do with inherited property.

Tip:

Many county court systems allow you to search and view the status of the filing, including details related to important dates, like when an Administrator has been named, and the estimated value of the estate. Using workflows can be an effective way to organize your research and outreach activities.

How Probate Data connects to people and properties

Probate is legally tied to a person, not a property. Court records generally do not include property addresses.

To make these filings actionable inside PropertyRadar, we:

  1. Ingest court probate filings from courts, where available.

  2. Take the decedent name and location from the probate docket.

  3. Match the decedent to PropertyRadar owners and historical addresses using multiple data to find the likely property.

  4. When a match is confident, we set:

    • A Person Probate Flag on the contact.

    • A Property Probate Flag on any properties that person owned at or after the time of filing and still owns (or owned immediately prior to death).

If we cannot confidently match a probate case to a PropertyRadar person and property, that case is not shown in the application to avoid misleading results.

Using Probate Data in PropertyRadar

1. Confirm subscription and coverage

  1. Subscription
    Probate Data is included with current subscriptions (Solo, Team, Business, Complete, Complete Track) and is not available on legacy plans. If you’re on an legacy package, contact Support to discuss upgrade options.

  2. Coverage
    Verify that you are working in a state and county where probate data is available:

If you see no results where you expect probate activity, coverage or matching limitations are the most common reasons, not the absence of real probates.

2. Build probate‑driven audiences in Discover

To find properties where at least one current (now‑deceased) owner has a matching probate filing:

  1. Open Discover from the main navigation.

  2. Click Add Criteria

  3. In the left panel, expand Other Distress.

  4. Click Probate.

  5. You’ll see these key options:

    • Property Owner Has Probate?

    • Probate Filing Date (or Filing Date, depending on your view).

Common setups:

  • All current probate cases tied to owners:

    • Set Property Owner Has Probate? = Yes.

  • Recent probate filings:

    • Set Property Owner Has Probate? = Yes

    • Set Probate Filing Date to a range like Last 60 Days (default quicklist) or Last 30/90 Days.

Refine with any other criteria you need, such as:

  • Location: city, ZIP, county, Nearest.

  • Property type/characteristics: SFR, 2–4 units, lot size, beds/baths.

  • Equity/value: Estimated value, Equity %, loan balances.

  • Other distress signals: foreclosure, tax delinquency, liens, vacancy, etc.

Click Update Results to see the properties where a deceased owner has had a probate filing that we were able to match and flag.

Automation tip: use relative date ranges

When using Probate Filing Date in monitored lists and automations, choose relative ranges such as:

  • This Week

  • Last 30 Days

  • Last 60 or 90 Days

Relative ranges let your automation continuously capture new probate filings as they arrive, instead of locking you into static calendar dates.

Combine with:

  • Property Owner Has Probate? = Yes

  • Your usual filters (location, equity, property type, etc.)

…and keep a constantly updating pipeline of fresh probate opportunities.

Use Probate Signals to spot opportunities quickly

Probate Signals highlight probate‑related activity without requiring you to open every detail view.

Person Probate Flag and Signal

  • Indicates that a person has at least one probate filing (they are the decedent in a probate case we’ve matched to them).

Property Probate Flag and Signal

  • Indicates that at least one owner of the property is the decedent in a matched probate filing.

  • This is a property‑level signal that the property is tied to an estate and may be subject to sale, refinance, or other major change.

Where you’ll see Probate Signals

  • In Property Profiles, alongside other flags like Owner Occupied, In Foreclosure, Listed for Sale, Tax Delinquent, Divorce, Eviction, etc.

  • In Contact Cards, where the Person Probate Flag appears with other person‑level indicators.

How to use Probate Signals

  • Scan lists quickly and see which properties are linked to a probate case.

  • Prioritize follow‑up by combining Probate Signals with other indicators such as:

    • Foreclosure or pre‑foreclosure

    • Tax delinquency

    • Liens or code violations

    • Vacancy or absentee ownership.

For matched persons and properties, a Probate icon/flag will appear anywhere you see property or person signals.

The power of Relatives Data for decedent properties

One of the most powerful aspects of probate data in PropertyRadar is Relatives Data tied to the decedent and their properties.

What Relatives Data includes

For many probate cases, PropertyRadar can return up to five nearest relatives of the decedent, including:

  • Relative names

  • Addresses

  • Contact information (phone, email, mailing address), when available.

We identify relatives based on the decedent, not on a surviving joint owner of the property. This helps you reach the actual heirs and decision‑makers more effectively.

Why Relatives Data matters for probate leads

Probate leads are different: the titled owner is deceased, so the people who can say “yes” are usually heirs, executors/administrators, or attorneys. Relatives Data helps you:

  • Reach multiple decision‑makers, not just a single heir or personal representative.

  • Improve contact rates by providing more than one path to the family (mail, phone, email, etc.).

  • Understand the decision landscape, especially when there are multiple heirs who must agree on a sale.

Examples of how to use Relatives Data:

  • Stack Relatives Data with Probate Flags:
    Prioritize properties where:

    • Property Owner Has Probate? = Yes, and

    • There are fewer close relatives (simpler decision path) or specific relatives that match your target profile (e.g., heirs living out of area).

  • Contact relatives:
    Reach out to relatives with help‑first messaging, offering:

    • Options for selling or holding the property

    • Introductions to local service providers (clean‑out, repairs, estate sales)

    • Support in understanding timelines and next steps.

Paired with Probate Filings and Probate Signals, Relatives Data gives you a significant head start over investors who only see a property address and a deceased owner name.

Relatives Data - Included unlocks and overage pricing

Solo: 25 unlocks are included monthly, $0.20 for each additional unlock

Team: 50 unlocks are included monthly, $0.15 for each additional unlock

Business: 250 unlocks are included monthly, $0.10 for each additional unlock

A note on sensitivity and responsible use

Probate Data points to families going through a major personal and financial event. We strongly recommend using it as part of empathetic, Good Neighbor Marketing, not aggressive or exploitative outreach.

Key principles from our Good Neighbor Marketing Pledge:

  • Targeting is what you do, not what you communicate.
    Don’t tell people you contacted them “because they’re in probate” or lost a loved one.

  • Be smart and private with customer information.
    Avoid including distress details on mail pieces that could embarrass or upset someone if misdelivered.

  • Lead with empathy.
    Focus your message on helping and solving problems (options, clarity, timing), not “cashing in” on distress.

  • Honor opt‑out requests immediately.
    When someone says they don’t want to hear from you, stop marketing to them.

Failing to use Probate Data responsibly can damage your reputation, hurt your response rates, and may even violate laws or our terms of service.

FAQs

What is Probate Data in PropertyRadar?

Probate Data in PropertyRadar is court‑sourced probate information taken directly from state and local probate filings at the time of initial filing. PropertyRadar matches the decedent in the court record to property owners and their address history where possible, then sets Person Probate Flags and Property Probate Flags so you can search for properties where a current or recently deceased owner has had a qualifying probate filing.

This turns raw court data into actionable probate‑driven leads tied to real properties, complete with case number, filing date, court, attorney, and Relatives Data where available.

Why do my probate lead counts look different than before?

If you previously relied on death flags, pre‑probate data, or legacy criteria, your counts may look different because Probate Data is:

  • Court‑sourced at initial filing, not inferred from death notices or recorder‑only records.

  • Based on new criteria and matching logic that:

    • Requires a real probate filing.

    • Requires a confident match to a PropertyRadar owner and property.

    • Uses Probate Filing Date, not “date of death” or recorder dates.

This means:

  • Some properties that were flagged by death‑only or pre‑probate logic will no longer appear, because there is no confirmed probate case.

  • Many new properties will appear where real probate filings exist and can be matched to owners and their properties.

Why do I see no Probate Data results in my market?

If you see no Probate Data results where you expect probates to exist, consider:

  • Coverage: Probate Data is only available where we receive court filings from local probate courts. Your county or state may not yet be covered.

  • Matching: Probate records contain the decedent’s name and jurisdiction, but not property addresses. Some cases cannot be reliably matched to PropertyRadar owners and properties and are therefore excluded.

  • Filters: Very tight date ranges, property criteria, or distress stacking (e.g., combining probate with multiple other filters) can filter out valid cases.

  • No probate needed: Some markets use trusts or other mechanisms heavily, so fewer death events result in a formal probate filing.

Start with broad searches (Property Owner Has Probate? = Yes, wide date range) in your area. If those still return no results, coverage or matching are the most likely reasons—not a total absence of probate in your market.

Does Probate Data mean the property will definitely be sold?

No. Probate Data is a motivation signal, not a guarantee of a sale.

A probate filing often increases the likelihood that the property will be:

  • Sold to distribute proceeds among heirs

  • Refinanced to buy out other heirs

  • Transferred as part of a settlement

Note that some estates resolve without any transfer or sale of the property. Use Probate Data to:

  • Prioritize conversations and targets.

  • Shape more relevant, empathetic outreach.

  • Guide additional research (attorney contact, court records, property profile) before assuming the owner or estate is ready to sell.

How should I set Probate Filing Date ranges for automations?

For automations and monitored lists, use relative date ranges when you set Probate Filing Date, such as:

  • This Week – for high‑urgency campaigns.

  • Last 30 Days – for an always‑on pipeline.

  • Last 60 or 90 Days – for a deeper backlog of recent filings.

Relative ranges allow your automation to keep picking up new filings as they appear, instead of locking you into a past date window.

Combine this with:

  • Property Owner Has Probate? = Yes

  • Your normal filters (location, equity, property type, distress score)

How is Probate Data different from competitors’ “probate leads”?

Many competitors use pre‑probate (death) data or modeled “probate‑likely” signals and market them as “probate”:

  • They do not have actual court‑filed probate cases.

  • They often lack case numbers, filing dates, attorneys, and relatives.

  • Their data may be old, incomplete, or impossible to verify in court records.

PropertyRadar’s Probate Data is:

  • Court‑sourced at initial filing, not late‑stage recorder data.

  • Matched to owners and properties in PropertyRadar.

  • Enriched with case numbers, filing dates, court details, decedent, attorney, and Relatives Data for verification and outreach.

  • Integrated with 30+ other distress signals and our multi‑channel marketing tools, so you can go from lead to campaign in one platform.

This gives you more, earlier, and better‑documented probate‑driven opportunities than recorder‑only or pre‑probate‑only solutions, often at a fraction of the cost of probate‑only vendors

How does Relatives Data work with Probate Data?

When a probate filing is matched to a decedent and their properties, PropertyRadar can also surface Relatives Data:

  • Up to five nearest relatives with:

    • Names

    • Addresses

    • Contact information where available.

This is especially valuable for probate leads because:

  • The titled owner is deceased; you must reach heirs, executors, or attorneys.

  • Having multiple relatives and contact paths increases your chances of reaching the true decision‑maker quickly.

  • You can design campaigns that speak to heirs’ needs—clearing an estate, reducing carrying costs, or simplifying property decisions—rather than generic “motivated seller” messaging.

Use Relatives Data with Good Neighbor Marketing principles to build trustworthy, empathetic relationships that turn probate opportunities into long‑term referrals and repeat business.

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