How Intelligence Scoring Finds Hidden Deals Before Anyone Else
Every week, thousands of property filings hit county records across Texas — pre-foreclosures, tax delinquencies, code violations, building permits, and cash transactions. Most investors only see one signal at a time. Texas Signals combines them all into a single Intelligence Score that ranks every property by distress level, so you can focus on the deals with the highest probability of a motivated seller.
What Goes Into the Score
The Intelligence Score is a weighted composite of multiple distress signals, each pulled directly from public county records. Here's what we look at:
1. Pre-Foreclosure Status
When a homeowner misses mortgage payments, the lender files a Notice of Default or Notice of Trustee's Sale with the county clerk. This is the earliest public signal that a property may be heading to auction. Texas is a non-judicial foreclosure state, meaning the process moves fast — typically 21 days from the Notice of Sale to the courthouse steps.
Properties with active pre-foreclosure filings get a significant score boost, especially when the auction date is approaching. A property 7 days from auction scores higher than one 60 days out, because the owner's urgency to sell increases as the deadline approaches.
2. Tax Delinquency
Property owners who fall behind on property taxes are often in financial distress. We track amount owed and years delinquent — a property with $15,000 in back taxes over 3 years scores much higher than one with $2,000 owed for 1 year.
When tax delinquency overlaps with a pre-foreclosure filing, the score jumps significantly. That combination signals deep financial distress and a highly motivated seller.
3. Code Violations
Active code enforcement complaints — overgrown lots, structural issues, unpermitted work — indicate a property that's being neglected. Owners facing mounting violation fines on top of other financial pressure are often ready to sell at a discount rather than deal with remediation.
4. CAD Value Trends
We pull 3 years of assessed value history from the County Appraisal District (CAD) for every property. A declining appraised value — especially when the improvement value drops faster than land value — signals physical deterioration. Combined with other distress signals, this paints a clear picture of a property in trouble.
5. Equity Spread
The difference between what's owed (mortgage balance from the foreclosure filing) and the CAD appraised value determines the equity spread. High equity means the owner has room to negotiate a below-market sale and still walk away with something — which makes them more likely to deal.
Low or negative equity properties still score, but for a different reason: lenders holding underwater assets may approve short sales or accept reduced auction bids.
6. Entity Ownership
Properties held by LLCs, trusts, or corporate entities are flagged separately. Entity-owned distressed properties often indicate an investor who over-leveraged or a landlord who stopped managing — both scenarios where a quick sale is likely.
How Scores Are Calculated
Each signal contributes a weighted component to the overall score (0-100):
- Pre-foreclosure filing — up to 30 points (more points as auction date approaches)
- Tax delinquency — up to 25 points (scaled by amount and years owed)
- Code violations — up to 15 points (active violations count more)
- CAD value decline — up to 15 points (3-year declining trend)
- Equity spread — up to 10 points (higher equity = higher score)
- Entity/absentee ownership — up to 5 points
A property with an active pre-foreclosure, $20K in back taxes, two open code violations, and a declining CAD value might score 85+ — that's a high urgency signal that this owner is extremely motivated.
How to Use Intelligence Scores
For Wholesalers
Sort by highest score, filter to your target zip codes, and reach out to owners before the auction date. Properties scoring 70+ with 30%+ equity are prime wholesale targets — the owner wants out, and there's enough spread for you and your buyer to profit.
For Investors
Look at the CAD value history chart on each property detail page. If land value is stable but improvement value is dropping, you're looking at a property where the structure is deteriorating but the location holds value — a classic renovation play.
For Agents
Use the score to prioritize which distressed homeowners to reach out to for listing opportunities. A score of 55-70 (moderate urgency) often represents homeowners who haven't yet committed to letting the property go to auction — they may be receptive to a traditional listing if approached with empathy and a clear plan.
Start Finding Deals
The Intelligence Score tab in your Texas Signals dashboard ranks every property in our database by distress level, updated daily as new filings come in. Properties are scored across Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Worth — with more counties being added regularly.
Start your 7-day free trial to see scored properties across all five Texas metros. Every score is backed by real public record data — not estimates or models.