Methodology

How we score properties for Acquisition Opportunity Signals — and why we exclude mailing addresses

April 2026 · 8 min read

County assessor records contain eight publicly observable data points that, when they stack on the same parcel, correlate with properties that are statistically more likely to change hands. We built a scoring model around those eight signals, ranked every absentee-owned residential parcel in our 66-county catalog by composite score, and made the results available as a sorted CSV.

This article explains what the signals are, why we weighted them the way we did, and why we deliberately excluded owner mailing street addresses from the export.

The eight signals

The model assigns points when a parcel exhibits specific publicly recorded characteristics. Points stack — a parcel showing five signals scores higher than one showing two. The composite score ranges from 0 to 100.

Out-of-state absentee ownership carries the heaviest weight at 20 points. An owner whose mailing address is in a different state than the property is, by definition, managing remotely. Remote management correlates with longer vacancy periods, deferred maintenance, and higher willingness to sell — particularly when combined with other signals.

In-state absentee ownership scores 10. The owner lives in the same state but not at the property address. Still a rental or investment holding, but closer oversight reduces the correlation with distress.

Vacant land with no structure scores 15. A parcel with no improvement value is either undeveloped or had its structure demolished. Both scenarios create acquisition opportunities — assemblage plays, infill development, or land banking.

Low improvement ratio — where improvement value is less than 20% of total value — scores 10. When the land is worth far more than the building on it, the economics favor teardown and redevelopment.

Long ownership tenure of 20 or more years scores 10. Five additional points apply for 10 to 20 year tenure. Extended holding periods correlate with estate situations, retirement dispositions, and owners who may have lost active interest in the property.

Pre-1950 construction scores 5. Older housing stock is more likely to carry deferred maintenance, code compliance issues, and functional obsolescence.

Low total appraised value under $30,000 scores 10. Sub-$30K properties in most metro markets represent the bottom of the value curve — often distressed, tax-delinquent-adjacent, or structurally compromised.

Multi-family absentee scores 5. A multi-unit residential property where the owner doesn't live on-site may indicate a small landlord looking to exit.

Why these weights

The weights are calibrated from observed transfer patterns, not from a theoretical model. Out-of-state absentee ownership is the strongest individual signal because distance is the hardest problem for property owners to solve — a pipe leak in St. Louis is harder to handle from Phoenix than from across town.

We intentionally did not include tax delinquency, lien data, or code enforcement records. Those are powerful distress signals, but they come from different data sources with different update cadences, and mixing them with the assessor snapshot would create a false impression of currency. The score is designed to be internally consistent — all eight signals come from the same data source on the same date.

Why mailing addresses are excluded

The CSV includes the owner's name and the state where their mailing address is located. It does not include the owner's mailing street address.

This is a deliberate product design choice. A CSV with 20,000+ rows of owner mailing addresses sorted by distress score is a bulk outreach list. That is not what this product is designed to be. We compile assessor records into screening tools for due diligence professionals — not contact lists for direct mail campaigns.

Buyers who want to contact a specific owner can look up that parcel's deed records through the county recorder's office on a case-by-case basis. We provide the screening layer that tells you which parcels are worth looking up. We do not provide the contact layer.

How to use the data

Sort by distress score descending. The top of the list contains parcels with the most signals stacking simultaneously. Filter by ZIP code to focus on your target submarket. Filter by value range to match your investment criteria. Cross-reference high-scoring parcels against the county assessor's online lookup to verify current status before taking any action.

The score does not predict seller motivation, property condition, or transaction outcome. It ranks parcels by the density of publicly observable signals. What you do with that ranking is a professional judgment call.

Acquisition Opportunity Signal CSVs are available for three pilot counties, with the full 66-county catalog launching on a rolling basis. Browse the available counties on the Acquisition Signals product page.