When it comes to real estate investing—especially wholesaling—there’s one truth too many people learn the hard way: not all skip tracing data is created equal. If you’ve ever felt like you were spinning your wheels, calling the same tired lists, hearing the same angry responses, and still not closing deals, it’s probably not your hustle that’s broken. It’s your data.
Unfortunately, a lot of investors fall into the trap of doing exactly what the gurus online say—buy a big absentee owner list, plug it into a dialer, and start making calls. But here’s what happens: You become the tenth call that homeowner got that day. They hang up, you feel defeated, and worse—you spent money on data that never had a real chance. So how do you fix it? You test your data like a professional. And more importantly, you give it enough time to actually work.
The 30-Day Myth
Too often, new investors want to “try out” a new skip tracing source or data set for a month. That sounds reasonable until you realize how this business really works. Deals don’t usually happen in 30 days. At least not when you’re working cold leads. The truth is, most conversations take time. A seller might not be ready now, but if you follow up consistently, they could be ready in 60 or 90 days. But if you give up after one campaign or one round of calls, you’ll never know what could’ve come from that list.
Faisal Morsi, an experienced investor and skip tracing expert, recommends a minimum of three months when testing a new data set. More importantly, you need to work at least 100 legitimate leads—real people you’re actually speaking to. Not just names on a spreadsheet.
What Success Really Looks Like
When you’re testing data, you’re not just hoping for a quick deal. You’re looking for movement—signs that your data is actually producing traction. Are you having real conversations with sellers? Are you making offers? Are people engaging and responding, even if they aren’t ready to sign yet?
The strongest sign that your data is working isn’t a signed contract—at least not immediately. It’s whether or not the data is leading you to opportunities. One of the best things you can do is track how many offers you’re making and how those offers are progressing. Faisal often sees one contract for every 50 offers made. That’s a tough ratio, but if you go into it knowing that, you can stay focused and persistent instead of discouraged. In fact, tracking those rejections can actually keep you motivated. If you know you get one deal for every 50 offers, then every “no” gets you one step closer to the “yes.” That’s what separates the investors who win from the ones who flame out early.
Why It Pays to Start Small and Think Long-Term
You don’t need a spreadsheet with 40 tabs. What you need is clarity: Are you having meaningful conversations? Are you consistently making offers? Are your costs per contract trending in the right direction?
When you track those three things over a 90-day period, you’ll know whether your data is helping you grow—or holding you back. At Wholster, we help real estate investors find data that actually delivers. We work with experts like Faisal to help you test smarter, track better, and ultimately close more deals. We don’t believe in selling you a magic list. We believe in helping you build a business.
Ready to Test Smarter?
If you’re serious about scaling your real estate business, it starts with better data—and the discipline to test it well.
Book a free consult with our data expert today and learn how to build a pipeline that actually performs.
