https://app.locatenext.com/mcp as a connector in Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, sign in with your Locate account, and ask. Searches that cost money run only after you say yes. BatchData, DealMachine and Tracerfy also publish MCP connections, each with its own pricing.1. What an MCP server is, in plain words
An AI assistant knows a lot of general information, but it does not hold current owner records or phone numbers. It cannot look them up unless you give it a tool that can. MCP is the common plug that assistant apps use to reach such tools.
Think of it as three parts. You talk to the assistant. The assistant decides which tool to call and with what details. The MCP server is the service on the other end that runs the actual search and sends a short answer back. The assistant then explains that answer to you.
For a real estate investor, the useful part is that you skip the menus. Instead of opening a search screen, setting filters and downloading a file, you can write one sentence such as “how many owners are in 44104?” and read the reply in the same chat where you plan the campaign.
2. How skip tracing and homeowner data work inside an assistant
Two jobs usually sit behind a property data MCP server. The first is building a list: who owns the homes in a place. The second is skip tracing: finding phone numbers and emails for the owners on a list.
With Locate Next, homeowner search covers a ZIP code, city or county. Each result carries the owner-of-record name, the property address and a separate owner mailing address, plus year built and value where the county record has them. Each account can pull up to 5,000 owners per ZIP per day. Results can be saved as a list and then skip traced.
Skip tracing works on a single address or on a saved or uploaded list. Duplicate properties are merged, and the maximum cost is shown before anything runs. You review who was found, then export a file for your CRM. The assistant only relays these steps. The searching, merging and exporting run on Locate’s own servers.
Keep one point in mind with any vendor: a skip trace result is a lead to check, not proof of who owns the property or who answers the phone. What a skip trace match proves explains why.
3. Connect Locate Next in three steps
- Add the server. In your assistant app, add a custom connector or MCP server with the address
https://app.locatenext.com/mcp. The menu names differ between Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex and Cursor; the Locate in AI apps page shows each one. - Sign in. The app opens a Locate sign-in. Use your Locate account and approve the connection. Get started at $49 a month.
- Ask. Start a new chat and type what you want. The assistant picks the Locate tool when your request needs one.
A longer walk-through of a full session, from list to CSV, is in how to skip trace in Claude or ChatGPT.
4. What to ask
Short, specific requests get the clearest replies. Some that fit what Locate does:
- “Find the homeowners in Summit County, Ohio, and show me a few rows so I can check them.”
- “Get me a homeowner list for ZIP 30310 with owner names and mailing addresses.”
- “Check my Atlanta list and tell me which rows can’t be searched and why.”
- “What would it cost to skip trace that list? Don’t run it yet.”
When the trace is done, you review who was found and export a file for your CRM from Locate, for example a Contacts CSV or numbered Phone 1 to 10 fields. If a reply looks off, ask the assistant to show you exactly what Locate returned. That keeps its summary honest and lets you catch a wrong ZIP or a misread column early.
5. Cost control: nothing paid runs without your yes
The worry with any assistant that can spend money is that it acts on a guess. Locate handles this by splitting each paid job in two. The assistant can ask for the price, and Locate replies with the maximum cost. The search itself runs only after you say yes in the chat. Many assistant apps also ask you to approve tool actions on their side, so you may confirm twice.
Locate Next costs $49 a month plus $0.17 per search with results, drawn from a prepaid balance. No results, no charge. A sensible routine is to ask for the price first, trim the list if it is larger than you planned, and only then approve.
6. Privacy and access
- You approve each app. A connection exists only after you sign in with your Locate account and approve it.
- The work stays on Locate. Searching, merging and exporting run on Locate’s servers. The assistant passes along what Locate sends back so it can answer you.
- Phone checks have limits. Do Not Call checks run in Export against the DNC dataset currently active on this site. The check compares phone numbers with the dataset currently active on this site. It does not promise a live connection to government records, identify the owner of a number, or establish consent to contact someone. DNC checks are included at no extra charge. A number without a current answer stays “Not checked” and is never treated as clear, and a “Not listed” result is not consent. See DNC scrubbing.
The assistant app’s own privacy terms still apply to what you type in the chat. Locate’s handling of your lists is set out on the security page and in the privacy policy.
7. Other vendors with MCP or AI connections
Locate Next is not the only property data service you can reach from an assistant. The table below lists what three other vendors say on their own pages. Read November 5, 2026; details change often.
| Vendor | Assistant apps named | How you connect | What it costs, per its own pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| BatchData | Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code | One-time OAuth connection; an admin picks which datasets the tools return | Listed under Enterprise & Custom with custom pricing; no public MCP price |
| DealMachine | Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor | Custom connector with OAuth in Claude; a plugin in ChatGPT and Codex; an API key in Claude Desktop and Cursor | Plan data credits, one per unique record per billing cycle; counts and lookups free |
| Tracerfy | ChatGPT, Claude, any MCP client | A personal connector link from your Tracerfy profile, pasted as a custom connector | No subscription for MCP; same credits as its other tools, with a normal skip trace at 2 cents a hit |
| Locate Next | Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor | Custom connector at app.locatenext.com/mcp, then Locate sign-in | $49 a month plus $0.17 per search with results; no results, no charge |
Where each one fits
If the per-trace price decides it, Tracerfy is far cheaper: its pricing page (read November 5, 2026) lists a normal skip trace at 2 cents a hit, with misses free, and its MCP tools add DNC and litigator checks, list building and permits. Note that its FAQ describes web bulk uploads as billed per uploaded row, which conflicts with its pricing page, so test small first.
If you run a team that drives for dollars and mails postcards, DealMachine puts property search, owner lookup, comps and list building behind one subscription, and its MCP guide (read November 5, 2026) says assistant calls spend the same plan credits. Its pricing page shows plans from $119 a seat a month.
If you need very high volume or several datasets for an internal team, BatchData’s MCP page names tools for property search, skip tracing, investor profiles, comps and buy box. Its pricing page starts skip tracing plans at $2,000 a month for 100,000 traces and places the MCP server under custom Enterprise pricing (read November 5, 2026). Its two pages describe the hosting differently, so ask sales whether you need a particular plan.
If you want to build a homeowner list by ZIP, city or county, trace only what you approve and pay per search with results, Locate Next fits. More dated detail is in Locate Next vs Tracerfy, Locate Next vs DealMachine and Locate Next vs BatchData.
Common questions
What is an MCP server for real estate investors?
It is a connection that lets an AI assistant use a property data service. You ask in plain words, and the service runs owner searches or skip traces and sends the answer back to the chat.
Can Claude or ChatGPT skip trace without a connector?
No. The assistant has no current owner contact data of its own. It needs a connected service, such as Locate Next, to run the search.
What is the Locate Next MCP server address?
https://app.locatenext.com/mcp. Add it as a custom connector or MCP server in your app, then sign in with your Locate account.
Can the assistant spend money without asking me?
Not on Locate. The assistant can ask for a price, but a search that costs money runs only after you say yes, and charges come from a prepaid balance.
Where does the work happen?
On Locate’s own servers. Searching, merging and exporting run there, and your lists stay in your Locate account. The assistant passes along what Locate sends back.
Which other skip tracing companies have an MCP server?
On November 5, 2026, BatchData, DealMachine and Tracerfy each published an MCP page on their own sites. Their pricing and setup differ, so read each page before you connect.
Sources
- Locate Next, Locate in AI apps. Connector address and supported apps. Read November 5, 2026.
- Locate Next, pricing. Monthly price, per-search charge and prepaid balance. Read November 5, 2026.
- BatchData, MCP Server. Named clients, OAuth connection, admin dataset choice and tool list. Read November 5, 2026.
- BatchData, pricing. Skip tracing plan from $2,000 a month for 100,000 traces; MCP Server under Enterprise & Custom with custom pricing. Read November 5, 2026.
- DealMachine, MCP server guide. Server address, API key setup for Claude Desktop and Cursor, credit use per unique record. Read November 5, 2026.
- DealMachine, pricing. Basic plan at $119 a seat a month, billed monthly. Read November 5, 2026.
- DealMachine, Claude connection. Custom connector with OAuth and tool list. Read November 5, 2026.
- DealMachine, ChatGPT connection. Plugin for ChatGPT and Codex with OAuth. Read November 5, 2026.
- Tracerfy, MCP. Personal connector link, shared credits, no subscription, tool list. Read November 5, 2026.
- Tracerfy, pricing. Normal skip trace at 2 cents a hit, misses free. Read November 5, 2026.
- Tracerfy, FAQ. Web uploads described as billed per uploaded row. Read November 5, 2026.