Foreclosure Activity Declines Hurting Investors April 2012 Foreclosure Starts declined across our coverage area wiping out the small gains in new foreclosure filings last month. In California, Notice of Default filings are down 69.8 percent from the peak in March 2009, and 15.8 percent from April 2011. Notice of Trustee Sale Filings, the start of [...]

If you have ever been in an auto accident, you know that insurance adjusters from both sides examine the accident to determine the comparative negligence. If the fault was fifty percent yours, you are responsible for 50 percent of the damage. Having tracked hundreds of thousands of foreclosures, we have yet to see a single [...]

For the second month in a row we’ve seen a dramatic drop in the number of properties sold at foreclosure, or “trustee sale”, auctions. Foreclosure sales in California are down 16.7 percent from February to March 2012 and down 53.1 percent from March a year ago. A total of 86,487 sales were scheduled to occur [...]

In February, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced the unprecedented $25 billion national mortgage settlement with the five largest banks in the US. One of the provisions of the settlement is a $2,000 payment to homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure. A month later, people are asking, “When am I going to get my [...]

Foreclosure Activity Continues to Fall The “foreclosure wave” many predicted at the end of last year is beginning to look more like a drought, as foreclosure sales dropped significantly in February. Although sales to 3rd Parties, typically investors, were down month-over-month, as a percentage of all sales 3rd Parties purchased a record 37.6 percent of [...]

Compare these two headlines: Case-Shiller Home Price Index Ends 2011 With New Lows (February 28, 2012) * Home Affordability Index Hits Record High (March 7, 2011) ** Throughout the housing crisis, the headlines have focused on the precipitous fall of prices and the resulting plight of homeowners who are underwater. There is no doubt that [...]

One of our real estate predictions will soon have an impact on your tax return. At the end of 2010, Sean O’Toole predicted that states would to look to property taxes to make up budget shortfalls. During 2011, the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) proposed a change to Schedule CA to require the information necessary [...]

Trustee Sale Investors Kickoff the New Year with Near Record Activity Real Estate investors started off 2012 with a bang. Sales to Third Parties, typically investors rose significantly in January throughout our coverage area, with the exception of Washington. California saw the most activity, with investors purchasing 3,964 properties for $766.2 million. Note that trustee [...]

2011 Foreclosure Activity Ends With a Whimper Foreclosure Starts dropped significantly throughout our coverage area with the exception of a modest increase in Oregon. Foreclosure Sales were mixed, and down far less than we expected given lender announcements of holiday moratoriums. California and Washington actually saw modest increases. Also surprising was a drop in the [...]