Find the opportunity before the market notices.

Pencil finds the apartment owners most likely to sell in the next 12 months, shows you exactly why, and gets you to them before the deal ever hits the market.

Why Pencil

Public records hit Pencil within 24 to 48 hours.

The cheap data vendors are 4 to 5 months behind. You're calling the owner while the "why now" is still fresh, not after a broker already has the listing.

What Pencil reads

Five reasons an owner sells, read from the record.

What it tells youWhere it comes fromWhy it matters

I.The building

Units, year built, value, owner name and mailing address

County and town property assessor records

Know instantly if it fits your buy-box and who to reach before you pick up the phone.

II.Ownership and debt history

When it last sold, for how much, what loans are on it

Deeds and mortgages recorded with the county or registry

Long holds, old loans and past prices show you which owners are ready to cash out.

III.When the loan is due

Loan maturity and rate

National loan data (Fannie, Freddie, HUD, CMBS) plus estimates

A loan coming due in a high-rate market is one of the biggest reasons owners sell. Pencil shows you when.

IV.Trouble

Liens, lawsuits, unpaid taxes, code violations

Recorded liens and court filings, tax collector records, city code enforcement

Tired, stressed owners need a way out. You get to them before the foreclosure buyers do.

V.Location and risk

Flood zone, environmental sites, zoning and by-right potential, area rents, demographics, amenities, street and aerial photos

National government data (FEMA, EPA, Census, HUD) and city zoning maps

Spot deal-killers and hidden upside early, before you spend a dollar on diligence.

Every figure cites the record it came from.

A mortgage links to its book and page, an owner to the registry filing, a code case to the city's file. Missing data shows as missing.

How it works

From the record to the call.

ReadDeeds, mortgages, liens, code cases and tax rolls, within 24 to 48 hours of filing.
ResolveEvery record tied to one building, and the LLC to the people behind it.
PriceEach loan dated and weighed against today's rates.
RankEvery apartment building in your buy-box scored on how likely it is to sell.
Re-checkEach pick checked again so it isn't already sold or listed.
DeliverMonday morning, with the reasons to call today and the sources behind them.

1140 Hollis Creek Rd64 units · built 1986 · held since 2009

Sample

Owner: Hollis Creek Partners LLCState registry · annual report
Behind it: Dana Whitcombe, managing member · 3 other buildingsRegistry filing chain, 2 steps
Loan: Bridge loan, recorded 2023 · term ends about Q3 2026Recorded mortgage · term estimated
Trouble: 2 open code cases · claim of lien $18,400 · 2025 taxes unpaidCity code enforcement · tax collector
Risk: Flood zone X · no EPA sites within ¼ mileFEMA · EPA

Likelihood to sell, 12 months

An invented building, shown the way a real file reads.

In your market

Every apartment building, read and ranked.

Behind each building, Pencil reads the deed, the recorded loans, the owner behind the LLC, the zoning and the flood and environmental risk, prices maturing debt at today's rates and ranks what's left against your buy-box.

Engraving of a garden-style apartment community

Every week

The 8 owners in your buy-box most likely to sell.

Before anyone else knows. Each is re-checked so it's not already sold, and comes with the reasons to call today.

Next list lands in5d 12h 00m

1
1140 Hollis Creek RdBridge loan ends 2026 · 2 open code cases
84
2
41 Calloway Pine StTax certificate sold · owner holds 11 buildings
81
3
680 Tessaly Park BlvdBank loan matures January 2027
76
4
212 Alder RowCode lien recorded · held since 1984
72

What you get

Everything between the record and the close.

Map and ranked list

Every apartment building in your market, scored and fully updated every week, so you can dig deeper anytime.

The complete file

Ownership and sale history, loans and when they're due, trouble, risk, and the people behind the LLC.

Owner contact on demand

Phone and email, with do-not-call status where available. No more hunting for the decision-maker.

OM check

Upload a broker's offering memo and see what doesn't match the records, so you catch inflated numbers before they cost you.

Alerts within 48 hours

A new lien, code case, sale or loan on a building you're watching. Be the first call, not the fifth.

Pipeline

Track deals from first call to close, built in. No extra CRM needed to get started.

Pencil AI

Ask about any building and get a plain answer with the source, in seconds instead of hours of research.

See it on your own buy-box.

Questions

What desks ask first.

Anything else, the team will walk you through it.

What does Pencil find that existing data tools miss?

The overlap, and the timing. A data terminal shows you a parcel months after the fact; Pencil shows you the building whose loan comes due next year, whose city opened two code cases on it last week, and whose real owner is a person you can call.

Where do the debt and distress figures come from?

From the records themselves: recorded mortgages, assignments and lien filings, city code cases, the county tax roll, and national loan data from Fannie, Freddie, HUD and CMBS. Where a maturity isn't filed, Pencil estimates it and says so, with the inputs behind the estimate.

How far past the LLC does ownership go?

To the person who signs. Pencil follows the property's LLC through its managers and holding entities, with the filing at each step. Where the record is ambiguous, you see the trail rather than a guess.

Is a separate CRM needed?

No. The pipeline is built in, from first call to close. If you already run one, the team will talk you through moving your list over.