Pre-Foreclosure, Probate, and Distressed Real Estate Leads: FAQ

Definitions and cited state law. Checked October 2026.

Authored by Carson Nordmann, Founder of Keystone Court Data. See our editorial standards.

Direct answers to the questions investors ask most when looking for court-record-sourced real estate leads. Every answer below is also marked up as Schema.org FAQ data so AI assistants can quote it cleanly.

What is a pre-foreclosure lead in Indiana?

Foreclosure in Indiana is judicial: the lender files a foreclosure complaint in the circuit or superior court of the county where the property is located (Ind. Code § 32-30-10), and the property is sold at a sheriff's sale only after the court enters judgment. The time between the complaint and the sale is when the owner can still sell, refinance, or work out a deal with the lender. Keystone Court Data delivers these filings matched to the owner and property, the same day they're filed, county by county.

General information about Indiana law, checked October 2026. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Talk to an attorney licensed in Indiana before relying on it.

What is a probate real estate lead?

A probate lead is a property owned by someone who has died, where the estate has opened a probate case in court. The court appoints a personal representative (an executor or administrator), who has authority over the estate's property, including a sale.

Heirs often prefer a quick, simple sale, especially when the property is vacant, out of state, or shared among several heirs. Keystone delivers probate filings the same day they're filed (pre-probate: from public death notices, before any court filing), along with pre-probate signals (recently deceased homeowners whose estates have not yet entered probate).

What is pre-probate and how is it different from probate?

Pre-probate is the window between a property-owning homeowner's death and the formal opening of a probate case in court. Whether anyone can sell the home before probate depends on how it was titled (for example, joint ownership or a transfer-on-death deed); otherwise a sale usually waits for the court to appoint a personal representative.

Once a probate case is filed, the court appoints a personal representative, who typically retains a probate attorney. Pre-probate comes before the probate filing, so it is an early window.

What filing types create real-estate leads?

The main court-filing types that create distressed-property leads:

• Foreclosure complaints: homeowner default
• Probate petitions: deceased homeowner
• Divorce or dissolution filings: jointly-owned property needs to be split or sold
• Partition actions: co-owners forcing a sale
• Guardianship petitions: incapacitated owner whose property may be sold to fund care
• Tax-sale notices: owner behind on property taxes
• Pre-probate signals: a homeowner has died, before any probate case is filed

See the glossary for full definitions.

How fresh is the data Keystone Court Data publishes?

New filings are delivered every business day. Each public report states the month it is current as of.

What does "non-resident owner" mean in your reports?

Non-resident owner means the property owner's mailing address on the tax record differs from the property address. It does NOT necessarily mean the property is a rental. The owner may have moved temporarily for work, inherited the property and not occupied it yet, kept the property as a second home, or simply maintained a separate mailing address. We use "non-resident owner" deliberately rather than "absentee landlord" for that reason.

Where does Indiana foreclosure activity concentrate?

It varies by county and changes over time. The Indiana county breakdown and the Indiana Court Filings Intelligence report compare the counties.