From Score to Strategy
The Intelligence Score is the backbone of the [Austin Signals dashboard](/). It takes six categories of public data — foreclosure filings, tax delinquency, code violations, permit history, ownership signals, and market context — and distills them into a single number that tells you how likely a property owner is to sell at a discount, and how urgently.
But knowing the score exists and knowing how to use it effectively are two different things. This guide walks you through the practical strategies for turning Intelligence Scores into a daily outreach list that produces real conversations with motivated sellers.
The Three-Tier System
Most successful Austin Signals users organize their outreach around three tiers based on Intelligence Score ranges:
Tier 1: Critical (Score 70-100) — Contact Today
Properties in this range have multiple overlapping, high-urgency distress signals. You'll typically see:
•Active foreclosure filing (lis pendens or notice of trustee sale)
•Combined with one or more additional signals: tax delinquency, code violations, absentee ownership, or permit desert
•Often an approaching deadline (auction date within 30-60 days)
Action: These are your highest-priority leads. Contact them the day they appear. Call first (if phone number available), then send a letter, then follow up 3-5 days later. Speed matters enormously with Tier 1 leads — other investors with good data are seeing the same signals.
Expected response rate: 10-15% on first contact, 15-20% after three touchpoints.
Tier 2: Elevated (Score 40-69) — Weekly Outreach
Properties in this range have meaningful distress signals but lower urgency. Typical profiles include:
•Single foreclosure filing without additional signals
•Multi-year tax delinquency without a filed suit
•Multiple code violations on an absentee-owned property
•Significant permit desert (15+ years) combined with one other signal
Action: Add these to your weekly outreach campaign. Send direct mail on a three-touch schedule (letters every two weeks for six weeks). Follow up by phone where numbers are available. These leads convert more slowly but often with less competition.
Expected response rate: 3-5% on first contact, 5-8% after the full three-touch sequence.
Tier 3: Watch List (Score 20-39) — Monitor
Properties in this range have minor distress signals — perhaps a single code violation, one year of tax delinquency, or an absentee owner with no other red flags. They're not actionable today, but they might become actionable.
Action: Don't spend outreach resources on Tier 3 leads. Instead, add them to your watch list. The Intelligence Score updates dynamically — a property at 35 today could jump to 65 next month if a lis pendens is filed. When that happens, you'll see it in your daily alerts and can immediately promote it to Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Using Score Trends to Spot Emerging Opportunities
The Intelligence Score isn't static. It recalculates as new data comes in. This means you can spot properties that are trending toward distress before they reach critical levels.
On the [Austin Signals dashboard](/), you can view score changes over time for individual properties. Look for:
Rapid score increases: A property that jumped from 25 to 55 in the last 30 days has experienced a significant new distress event — probably a foreclosure filing or a tax suit. These fast-movers are often better leads than properties that have sat at 55 for months, because the owner is dealing with a new, acute problem.
Steady score climbs: A property that's moved from 20 to 30 to 40 over three months is experiencing compounding distress — perhaps accumulating code violations, falling further behind on taxes, and now entering the foreclosure process. These slow-build leads often convert well because the owner's situation has been deteriorating and they're increasingly ready for a solution.
Score declines: If a property drops from 65 to 40, something improved — the owner may have caught up on taxes, resolved code violations, or had a lis pendens dismissed. Remove these from your active outreach list and move them back to the watch list.
Building Your Daily Hit List
Here's a practical daily workflow for converting Intelligence Score data into outreach:
Morning (15 minutes)
1.Check your email alerts for new filings overnight
2.Log into the dashboard and sort by Intelligence Score (highest first)
3.Review any properties that entered the 70+ range since yesterday — these are your Tier 1 contacts for the day
Midday (30-60 minutes)
4.Contact Tier 1 leads by phone (aim for 5-10 calls per day)
5.For leads that go to voicemail, leave one message and note the follow-up date
6.Log all contact attempts in your CRM or tracking sheet
Afternoon (15 minutes)
7.Prepare Tier 2 direct mail for properties that entered the 40-69 range this week
8.Review any callback messages or responses from previous outreach
This routine takes roughly 60-90 minutes per day. Investors who follow it consistently report closing their first deal within 30-60 days of starting, with deal volume increasing to 1-3 per month by month three.
Combining Score with Other Filters
The Intelligence Score is most powerful when combined with other dashboard filters. Here are the filter combinations that produce the highest-converting lead lists:
The "Hot Lead" Filter
•Intelligence Score: 70+
•Foreclosure type: Notice of Trustee Sale
•Days since filing: Less than 14
This filter surfaces leads with an imminent auction and a fresh filing. These homeowners have the most acute urgency and the shortest window. If you can reach them quickly, the conversion potential is very high.
The "Equity Play" Filter
•Intelligence Score: 50+
•Estimated equity: $75,000+
•Owner type: Absentee
Absentee owners with significant equity and elevated distress signals are ideal targets for direct purchase offers. The equity means there's room for a deal that works for both parties — the owner walks away with cash, and you acquire the property at a discount that supports your investment strategy. For more on how to approach these conversations, see our [win-win approach guide](/blog/win-win-approach-distressed-properties).
The "Volume Wholesale" Filter
•Intelligence Score: 40+
•Price range: $200,000-$400,000
•Zip codes: [your target areas]
•Cash buyer activity: High
This filter is designed for wholesalers who want a steady pipeline of assignable deals. By focusing on price points where [cash buyers are active](/blog/cash-buyer-activity-austin) and Intelligence Scores are elevated, you're sourcing deals that both the seller and your end-buyer will find attractive.
Score Accuracy: What You Need to Know
The Intelligence Score is probabilistic, not deterministic. A few important things to keep in mind:
It predicts motivation, not deal quality. A score of 85 means the owner is very likely motivated to sell. It doesn't mean the property is a good deal. You still need to run comps, estimate repairs, and calculate your numbers.
Some high-score properties won't convert. Maybe the owner found money to catch up on payments. Maybe they're working with an attorney. Maybe they're just not ready to sell. A 15% response rate on Tier 1 leads means 85% won't respond — that's the business.
Score updates are only as fast as the data. We pull from county records daily, but some data sources (like code violations) may have a 1-3 day lag. The score reflects the best available data at any given moment, but it's not omniscient.
The Bottom Line
The Intelligence Score transforms a database of thousands of Travis County properties into an actionable daily outreach list. The three-tier system (Critical, Elevated, Watch) gives you a clear framework for allocating your time and resources. Score trends let you spot emerging opportunities before your competition. And combined with the dashboard's filtering capabilities, you can build precisely targeted lead lists for any investment strategy.
The key — as with everything in this business — is consistency. The data advantage only works if you act on it every day.
Ready to find your next deal? [Start your 7-day free trial](/trial) and access every distress signal in Travis County.