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To get a current ListSource list, rerun the same targeting criteria instead of relying on an old download. ListSource’s Quick Tips FAQ says its database is updated daily, but it does not say that a CSV, XLS, DBF, or TXT file you previously purchased refreshes automatically. Save your search criteria, open it again, run the list, check the new count and fields, and purchase or export the resulting file only after confirming that it meets your needs.
What “up to date” means in ListSource
There are two different things people often mean by an up-to-date list:
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- A current database result: a new list built from the latest records available in ListSource when you run the search.
- A self-refreshing download: a file already on your computer that changes whenever ListSource changes its database.
ListSource’s official Quick Tips FAQ answers the database-cadence question with “Our database is updated daily.” That is a statement about the service’s database, not a promise that every property record, mortgage field, phone number, or county source changes every day. The same page does not describe previously exported files as live or automatically synchronized. In practice, you should treat each purchased or exported file as a snapshot and build a new result when you need newer data.
Daily updating also does not establish the age of an individual record. County offices can post, correct, or release information on different schedules, and ListSource does not publish a record-by-record freshness guarantee or service-level agreement on its Quick Tips FAQ or related pages. A newly built list is the best way to obtain the latest records ListSource has available, but “latest available” is more precise than “every record was updated today.”
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How to rebuild a list from saved criteria
The safest way to reproduce an earlier audience is to preserve the targeting recipe, not the old output file. Use this workflow whenever you need a refreshed list.
- Sign in or register. Start from ListSource’s account flow. The registration page also contains important restrictions on how the data may be used; read those terms before buying or distributing a list. You can reach it at ListSource’s registration page.
- Start a property search. ListSource’s Quick Tips material describes building a list by selecting a market and then refining the search. For residential real-estate work, begin with the property-search tools rather than trying to edit a previously downloaded spreadsheet.
- Set the geography first. Choose the locations that define the market, such as counties, ZIP codes, or other available geographic areas. The Quick Tips examples specifically mention lenders and ZIP codes as criteria that can be saved with a list recipe.
- Add the targeting filters. Apply the mortgage-related, property, demographic, foreclosure, or other criteria available for your account and selected market. Use the same values as the earlier search if your goal is a like-for-like refresh. If the original list was too broad or too small, change one filter at a time so you can explain why the result count moved.
- Save the criteria. ListSource describes saving criteria during list building and returning to them later. Save a descriptive name that records the geography and major filters, such as a county, ZIP group, or mortgage segment. The saved item is a set of instructions for rebuilding a list; it is not evidence that the old records are being updated in place.
- Open the saved search on your next run. Return to the saved criteria, verify the geography and filters, and run the search again. This asks ListSource to generate a fresh result set from the database available at that time.
- Review the count before purchasing. Compare the new count with the prior count, but do not assume that a difference means an error. Property transfers, new filings, corrections, changed eligibility fields, duplicate suppression, and source updates can all alter the population. A large change is a reason to inspect the criteria and output fields, not a reason to silently reuse the old file.
- Inspect the fields and output format. Confirm that the columns you need are present and that the geography and filters still match your campaign. ListSource says purchased data can be exported as CSV, TXT, DBF, or XLS and can also be delivered as reports or mailing labels.
- Purchase or export only after the review. Once the count, fields, and format are acceptable, complete the transaction and save the resulting file with the run date and criteria name. That naming practice lets you distinguish a new snapshot from an earlier download.
Keeping the saved criteria and the dated output together gives you a repeatable refresh process. If a colleague needs the same audience later, share the recipe and the run date rather than presenting an old file as current.
Which filters can be used for residential real-estate lists?
ListSource’s Residential Real Estate page describes a map-based search with filters covering several classes of information:
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- Property characteristics: attributes of the property itself.
- Location: geographic selection for the market or territory.
- Demographics and buying behavior: audience characteristics used to narrow a campaign.
- Mortgage data: financing-related criteria.
- Foreclosure-related criteria: records associated with foreclosure targeting where the selected market provides them.
The exact fields and availability can vary by geography and account. Do not assume that a filter shown for one county or product is populated identically everywhere. If a criterion is essential, verify that it appears in the search and in the previewed output before paying for the list.
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The residential page also describes duplicate suppression against lists purchased previously. That can help prevent buying the same records again when you are building a follow-up audience, but suppression changes the count by design. Record which prior list was suppressed and when so that a smaller result is not mistaken for a database problem.
What the daily update statement does—and does not—promise
| Question | What ListSource states | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| How often is the database updated? | The Quick Tips FAQ says the database is updated daily. | Rerunning a search is the way to request the latest result available at that time. |
| Is every record or field refreshed each day? | No record-level schedule or field-by-field timing is stated. | Some information may be newer or older than the run date. |
| Does an old export update automatically? | No automatic-refresh behavior is described. | Keep the old file as a dated snapshot and rebuild the list for a new one. |
| Is there a freshness SLA? | No service-level guarantee is stated in the cited FAQ. | Do not promise recipients that every row is current to a particular day. |
| Are source records synchronized on one schedule? | ListSource describes county assessor and recorder records, tax assessments, and other sources, without quantifying jurisdictional delays. | Availability and update timing can differ by county or source. |
This distinction matters for campaigns with a deadline. A list generated today can contain a mixture of recently updated and older source records. If a record’s exact recency affects a high-stakes decision, use the appropriate public agency or another authorized verification process rather than treating the ListSource run date as the date of every underlying event.
Why counts can change when you rerun the same search
A changed count is normal when the database or your account settings have changed. Check these explanations in order:
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- Duplicate suppression: determine whether a previously purchased list was excluded. Suppression can remove records even when the underlying search is unchanged.
- Source updates: assessor, recorder, tax, and other contributing sources may add, correct, or reclassify records at different times.
- Availability by jurisdiction: a county may provide a field or update that another county does not, changing the number of qualifying records.
- Account or product changes: verify that you are using the same list type and output options as before.
Take a screenshot or export a criteria summary before purchasing if your process requires an audit trail. Record the run date, geography, filters, suppression choice, count, and output format. Those details make it possible to explain a later discrepancy without guessing.
Choosing an output format
ListSource identifies four downloadable formats and two presentation-oriented outputs. Select the format that matches the system receiving the data.
| Output | When it is useful | Check before ordering |
|---|---|---|
| CSV | Import into spreadsheets, databases, and many marketing systems. | Confirm delimiter handling, column names, and whether leading zeroes in ZIP codes are preserved by your software. |
| TXT | Plain-text workflows or systems that require delimited text. | Verify the delimiter and encoding expected by the destination system. |
| DBF | Legacy database and geographic-information workflows that support dBase files. | Check field-name and character-length limits in the receiving application. |
| XLS | Spreadsheet-based review and manual processing. | Confirm that the workbook opens correctly and that large lists do not exceed the receiving program’s limits. |
| Report | Readable presentation for review or recordkeeping. | Make sure the report includes the fields needed for the campaign; a report may not be as convenient for system import. |
| Mailing labels | Print-oriented direct-mail preparation. | Check address formatting, postal requirements, and whether your mailing operation needs additional cleansing. |
The format choice does not change the underlying freshness. A newly exported XLS and a newly exported CSV are both snapshots of the result generated during that run.
Licensing and one-time use
ListSource’s FAQ states that each purchased list is for one-time use under the ListSource User License Agreement. “One-time use” is a contract term, not a suggestion to keep circulating the file. Before sharing a list with a contractor, uploading it to another platform, using it for a second campaign, or combining it with another database, read the current agreement attached to your account and purchase flow.
Keep a simple usage record containing the order or list identifier, purchase date, intended campaign, recipients or system supplied, and any suppression applied. If the agreement is unclear about a proposed reuse, ask ListSource directly through its Contact Us page before proceeding. Do not infer permission from the fact that a file can technically be copied.
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Data sources and jurisdiction limits
ListSource says its property records, tax assessments, property characteristics, and parcel maps come from tax assessors and county recorders and are combined with other sources. That description explains why freshness can vary by location: the service can only incorporate information made available by the contributing jurisdiction and source.
ListSource does not quantify a delay for any particular county, recorder, assessor, mortgage source, or demographic field on the pages that describe these sources. If timing matters, identify the counties in your search and ask ListSource what coverage and update behavior apply to those locations. Avoid translating the general daily database statement into a claim that a deed, tax assessment, foreclosure filing, or mortgage event appears within a fixed number of hours.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compliance notice for financial and marketing use
The registration page states that ListSource data is not a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and must not be used for purposes contemplated by that Act. This is a service restriction, not a legal opinion about your entire campaign. Do not use a ListSource audience to make eligibility, credit, insurance, employment, housing, or other decisions that require a consumer report. If your project touches a regulated purpose, obtain advice from qualified counsel and use data authorized for that purpose.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFor ordinary marketing, you are still responsible for following applicable federal, state, local, postal, telecommunications, privacy, and platform rules. A newly generated list is not automatically permission to contact every person or business in it. Document your lawful basis, suppression practices, opt-out handling, and vendor instructions before launch.
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Troubleshooting a list that still looks stale
The count is unchanged
An unchanged count does not prove that nothing changed. Compare the actual rows and relevant fields, confirm that you reran rather than reopened an old export, and verify that duplicate suppression was not applied differently. If the rows and fields are identical and freshness is important, contact ListSource with the saved-search name, geography, run date, and output identifier.
The count dropped unexpectedly
Recheck geography and every filter, then inspect duplicate suppression and any date or status condition. A source correction or a newly excluded previously purchased record can reduce the result without indicating a technical failure.
The count increased unexpectedly
Look for a broadened geography, removed suppression, newly available source records, or a changed filter value. Save the current criteria before making another edit so you can reproduce the comparison.
A needed field is missing
Check whether the field is offered for the selected market and output type. ListSource’s general descriptions do not guarantee identical field coverage in every jurisdiction. If the field is essential, pause the purchase and ask support whether it is available for that geography.
The downloaded file will not import
Try the format best supported by the destination system, then verify delimiter, encoding, column names, ZIP-code formatting, and field-length limits. Keep the original download unchanged and work from a copy so that troubleshooting does not alter the purchased snapshot.
A repeatable refresh checklist
- Sign in to the correct ListSource account.
- Open the saved targeting criteria, not the old output file.
- Confirm geography, property, mortgage, demographic, foreclosure, and date filters.
- Record whether duplicate suppression is enabled and which prior list it references.
- Run the search again and note the date and result count.
- Preview the fields and confirm that the required columns are available for that market.
- Select CSV, TXT, DBF, XLS, report, or mailing-label output based on the receiving workflow.
- Read the current User License Agreement before reuse, redistribution, or a second campaign.
- Store the new file with its run date and keep the earlier file labeled as an older snapshot.
- Contact ListSource if a material discrepancy remains after the criteria and suppression checks.
Bottom line
ListSource says its database is updated daily. To obtain a newer list, save and rerun the targeting criteria, review the new count and fields, and export a fresh snapshot. Do not expect an old download to update itself, do not treat the run date as the age of every underlying record, and confirm the one-time-use license and FCRA restriction before using the data.
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