Welcome to Austin Signals
You've made a smart decision. The [Austin Signals dashboard](/) gives you access to the most comprehensive distressed property intelligence platform in Travis County — real-time foreclosure filings, tax delinquency data, code violations, building permits, owner contact information, and our proprietary Intelligence Score that ranks every property's distress level from 1-100.
But data alone doesn't close deals. What you do with the data in your first seven days will set the foundation for your entire investment pipeline. Here's a day-by-day guide to getting maximum value from Austin Signals from the start.
Day 1: Set Up Your Workspace
Define Your Buy Box
Before you start browsing properties, get clear on what you're looking for:
•Property type: Single-family? Duplex? Condo? Most beginning investors focus on single-family homes because they're the easiest to evaluate and exit.
•Price range: What's your maximum acquisition cost? If you're wholesaling, this depends on your buyer's list. If you're flipping, it depends on your rehab budget and target ARV. If you're buying and holding, it depends on your capital.
•Zip codes: Where do you want to invest? Start with 2-3 zip codes where you know the market. If you're not sure where to start, our [zip code distress analysis](/blog/austin-zip-codes-most-distressed) will show you where the highest concentration of opportunities exists.
•Intelligence Score threshold: We recommend starting with properties scoring 50 or above. This ensures you're focusing on genuinely motivated sellers, not just properties with minor signals.
Configure Your Filters
On the dashboard, set up saved searches that match your buy box. This way, every time you log in, you'll see a curated list of properties that match your criteria — not the entire Travis County database.
Set Up Email Alerts
Enable daily email alerts for new filings that match your criteria. This is one of the most valuable features of the platform — you'll know about new filings within hours of recording, before most of your competition even knows the property exists. See our guide on [setting up email alerts](/blog/email-alerts-foreclosure-filings) for details.
Day 2: Learn the Intelligence Score
Spend 30 minutes reviewing how the [Intelligence Score](/blog/distress-score-explained) works. Understanding what drives the score — foreclosure filings, tax delinquency, code violations, permit history, ownership signals, and market context — will make you a better evaluator of leads.
Key things to understand:
•A score of 50 doesn't mean a 50% chance of closing a deal. It means the property has a moderate concentration of distress signals.
•The score changes over time. A property at 35 today might jump to 65 next week if a trustee sale notice is filed.
•Higher scores don't always mean better deals. A property at 90 might have so many problems that the repair costs make it unprofitable. Use the score to prioritize outreach, but always run your own numbers.
Day 3: Review Your First Leads
By day 3, you should have your first set of filtered results. Go through the top 10 properties by Intelligence Score and, for each one:
1.Review the property details: Beds, baths, square footage, year built, lot size
2.Check the distress signals: What combination of signals created this score?
3.Estimate the equity: What's the estimated market value versus the outstanding mortgage?
4.Look at the timeline: When was the most recent filing? How far along is the foreclosure process?
5.Check the neighborhood: What are comparable properties selling for? What's the average days on market?
This review process will become second nature. After a few weeks, you'll be able to evaluate a lead in 2-3 minutes.
Day 4: Prepare Your Outreach Materials
Before you contact any homeowner, have these ready:
Phone Script
Use the phone scripts from our [first contact guide](/blog/first-contact-scripts-pre-foreclosure). Practice them out loud until they sound natural. The key elements: introduce yourself honestly, state your purpose clearly, ask permission to continue the conversation, and listen.
Direct Mail Letter
Draft your letter using the template in the same guide. If you're sending physical letters, get them printed on professional letterhead with your company name and contact information.
Follow-Up System
Set up a simple tracking system — a spreadsheet, a CRM, or even a notebook — where you'll log every contact attempt, the outcome, and the next follow-up date. Consistency in follow-up is what separates investors who close deals from those who just browse data.
Day 5: Make Your First Contacts
This is the day that separates browsers from investors. Pick your top 5 leads and make contact:
•For leads with phone numbers: Call first. A phone conversation is the fastest way to gauge motivation and build rapport. If you get voicemail, leave one message and follow up with a letter.
•For leads without phone numbers: Send your direct mail letter. First-class mail with a handwritten envelope.
Don't overthink it. Your first five contacts won't be perfect. They don't need to be. What matters is that you start the process. Every successful investor will tell you that their first outreach was awkward and imperfect — and they closed deals anyway because they showed up.
Day 6: Analyze and Adjust
Review the results of your first outreach:
•How many people answered the phone? Typical answer rates for cold calls to distressed homeowners are 15-25%.
•How did the conversations go? Were the homeowners receptive? Hostile? Confused?
•Did your scripts feel natural? What would you change for next time?
•Are your filters producing good leads? Do the properties in your saved search feel like realistic opportunities?
Based on this analysis, adjust your approach:
•If response rates are too low, try different times of day for calls
•If the properties aren't matching your buy box, refine your filters
•If your scripts feel awkward, modify the language to match your natural voice (but keep the structure)
Day 7: Build Your Routine
The most important thing that happens in your first week isn't closing a deal — it's building a routine that you'll execute consistently going forward.
Your daily routine should include:
1.Check email alerts for new filings that match your criteria (5 minutes)
2.Review new leads on the dashboard, evaluating the top 3-5 by Intelligence Score (15 minutes)
3.Make outreach contacts — calls, letters, or follow-ups (30-60 minutes)
4.Log all activity in your tracking system (5 minutes)
Your weekly routine should include:
1.Review your pipeline — how many active leads, how many follow-ups due, how many conversations ongoing
2.Analyze your zip code performance — are certain areas producing better responses than others?
3.Update your buyer's list — if you're wholesaling, continuously build relationships with cash buyers in your target areas
4.Read market updates — the Austin Signals blog publishes regular [trend analyses](/blog/austin-pre-foreclosure-trends-may-2026) that keep you informed about what's happening in the market
Common First-Week Mistakes
Mistake 1: Analysis paralysis. You spend all week studying properties and never make a single contact. Data is only valuable when you act on it. Imperfect action beats perfect analysis.
Mistake 2: Too broad a focus. You try to monitor all of Travis County across every property type and price range. Start narrow — 2-3 zip codes, one property type, one price range. Expand once you've found your rhythm.
Mistake 3: Giving up after one "no." The average pre-foreclosure deal requires 5-7 contact attempts across multiple homeowners before one closes. If your first five calls all result in "not interested," that's normal, not failure.
Mistake 4: Skipping follow-up. The first contact rarely closes a deal. The third, fourth, and fifth contacts do. Build follow-up into your routine from day one.
What to Expect in Your First Month
Realistic expectations for your first 30 days with Austin Signals:
•Leads reviewed: 50-100 properties
•Contacts made: 20-40 outreach attempts (calls, letters, texts)
•Conversations with motivated sellers: 3-8
•Offers made: 1-3
•Deals under contract: 0-1
Yes, closing a deal in your first month is possible but not guaranteed. The pipeline you're building now is what produces deals in months 2, 3, and beyond. Pre-foreclosure investing is a marathon, not a sprint.
The investors who succeed with Austin Signals are the ones who show up every day, work the data consistently, treat homeowners with empathy and respect, and trust the process. The data advantage is real — the [Intelligence Score](/blog/distress-score-explained) and real-time alerts put you ahead of 90% of investors who are still working stale lists. But the advantage only materializes if you use it.
Ready to find your next deal? [Start your 7-day free trial](/trial) and access every distress signal in Travis County.