Buyer’s Guide & Knowledge Base

To use EstateTrace you need:

• A modern web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge)
• A payment method: a credit card or a USDC digital wallet

No account creation is required. No login. No stored user profiles. Each session starts completely fresh and independent.

When you first visit EstateTrace, a Terms of Service modal appears and blocks access to the chat until you scroll through it and click “I Understand and Agree.”

This is a legal requirement. The Terms define your rights as a buyer, your compliance obligations when contacting heirs, the 15-minute claim window, geographic restrictions, and the arbitration process. By clicking agree, you enter into a binding commercial agreement on behalf of your business.

By agreeing to the Terms of Service, you represent that you are a real estate professional, investor, attorney, lender, or business entity purchasing reports for commercial business purposes — not as a consumer for personal, family, or household use. EstateTrace does not sell to consumers.

When the chat loads, you will see starter chips with suggested queries. You can click any chip or type directly in the chat box.

You can search by:

• City: "Huntsville", "Tampa", "Dallas"
• 5-Digit ZIP Code: "35801", "33602", "75201"
• County: "Jefferson County", "Hillsborough County"
• Metro Area or Alias: "DFW", "NOVA", "Emerald Coast", "Birmingham metro"

Yes. EstateTrace supports bidirectional voice interaction:

• Voice Input: Click the microphone icon to speak. Your words populate the input field automatically.
• Voice Output: Search results are summarized aloud using your browser’s speech synthesis. A Stop Audio (🛑) button appears during playback to halt speech at any time.

No. Statewide queries (e.g. "show me Texas") return a guardrail message asking you to narrow your search. EstateTrace requires a local scope — city, county, metro, or ZIP code — to protect data freshness and precision.

EstateTrace enforces a strict 14-day pre-probate alpha window. Signals older than 14 days are never served to guarantee exclusivity before public filings. You can also specify tighter recency: “reports from the past 7 days” or “past 24 hours.”

Final price = tier base price × a value multiplier (0.75×–2.0×) driven by the property's AVM band — tier reflects motivation/deal certainty, the multiplier reflects economic upside. Tier 3 at the top value band tops out at $298 per report.

Each report teaser and delivery panel displays calculated financial context — not underwriting conclusions:

• AVM: Automated Valuation Model estimate of property value (not an appraisal).
• Mortgage / Debt Estimate: Estimated outstanding encumbrances and liens.
• Wholesaler Fee Spread: Estimated assignment spread (5%–10% of AVM).
• Agent Revenue: Estimated commission if listed traditionally (3%–6%).
• Equity Indicator: Visual badge (e.g. "High Equity / Free & Clear Pre-Probate").

EstateTrace deliberately does not calculate a Maximum Allowable Offer or a projected flip profit. Those are underwriting outputs that depend on each buyer's own cost basis, financing, and risk tolerance — we surface the raw signal and valuation inputs, not a synthetic recommendation.

In non-disclosure states (TX, UT, NM, AK, ID, KS, MS, MO, MT, ND, WY), recorded sale prices are not public record. Valuation estimates in these states are labeled Estimated Equity (AVM — Non-Disclosure) and carry increased statistical variance. Never represent these estimates to owners or heirs as a formal appraisal.

Promotional Pricing: EstateTrace may run time-windowed promotional discounts (advertised in advance, or offered as a surprise) that apply automatically at checkout — no code required.

After payment confirms, you have 15 minutes to claim your data by clicking:

📋 Copy Full Report Data & Confirm Receipt

This button unblurs the sensitive fields (heir names, contact phone/email, full address), copies plaintext data to your clipboard, marks the report as permanently SOLD, and triggers immediate deletion of living heir PII from EstateTrace servers.

No. EstateTrace operates a strict Zero-PII-at-Rest architecture. There are no buyer accounts, no purchase history databases, and no wallet links. Once your session ends, the report cannot be retrieved again from the platform. Save your clipboard data immediately upon delivery.

During active rebate windows, EstateTrace automatically awards a 25% cash rebate on qualifying purchases. The rebate credit is processed back to your original payment method automatically.

When active, an emerald green Surprise Rebate Banner appears on your delivery screen displaying your sequence number (e.g. “Customer #1 of 100”) and the credit amount.

EstateTrace operates in 44 states plus Washington D.C. The following six states are strictly excluded due to regulatory data restrictions: CA, OR, WA, CT, NJ, and MD.

Buyer Location vs. Property Location: Restrictions apply to the property's physical location, not where the buyer lives. An investor located in California or New York can freely purchase reports for properties in Texas, Florida, Alabama, etc.

Yes, fully. You are solely responsible for compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing outreach:

• TCPA: Prior express written consent is required before using automated dialers or text systems to mobile numbers.
• FCRA: EstateTrace report data is NOT a consumer report and may never be used for credit, employment, or tenant screening.
• CAN-SPAM: Commercial email must include valid sender identification and opt-out mechanisms.
• Fair Housing Act: Prohibits any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.