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FORECLOSURE DATA
This foreclosure data is provided by Foreclosure Radar's monthly report. Be sure to check back to this page regularly to get the latest updated information on foreclosures in the Long Beach area. If you are interested in receiving information about other states or other areas in California please call me at 562-243-5244.
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 Arizona's foreclosure process, are down 59.4 percent from the peak in March 2009, and down 8.0 percent year-over-year.
Foreclosure Sales also declined, however, foreclosure investors purchased a record percentage of the limited inventory that was actually sold. Nevada investors purchased more than 50 percent of foreclosure sales for the first time at 50.7 percent. Arizona followed with 44.6 percent and California at 41.3 percent. The low number of sales, combined with record percent purchased on the courthouse steps left very little to become Bank Owned (REO). This further depletes the inventory of Bank Owned homes as REO sales continue to outpace the addition of new inventory.
Despite investors purchasing a higher percentage of foreclosure sales, margins have rapidly declined in recent months. In both Arizona and Nevada winning bids on the courthouse steps on average equal the current estimated value of those properties. In California the discount between market value and winning bid have on average declined to 12.3 percent. This leaves investors who intend to resell their purchases with record low profits after eviction, repairs, and closing costs.
Foreclosure declines would be wonderful news if they were being driven by a true market recovery in which hundreds of thousands were no longer unable to make payments, and millions were no longer upside down. That is not the reality today. Instead we are seeing unprecedented government intervention into the foreclosure process leaving underwater homeowners in limbo, while stealing opportunity from investors and first time buyers.
California's pending legislation, which is similar to laws we previously saw enacted in Nevada, will almost certainly bring foreclosure activity to a near halt there if passed. The reality is that these laws don't solve anything as they fail to address the real problem - negative equity - while instead they punish real estate professionals, homebuyers, and investors far more than the banks they were aimed at.
Foreclosure Filings—Notice of Default filings are the first step in the foreclosure process. Notice of Trustee Sale filings set the date and time of an auction, and serve as the homeowner's final notice before sale.
Foreclosure Outcomes—After the filing of a Notice of Trustee Sale, there are only three possible outcomes. First, the sale can be Cancelled for reasons that include a successful loan modification or short sale, a filing error, or a legal requirement to re-file the notice after extended postponements. Alternatively, if the property is taken to sale, the bank will place the opening bid. If a 3rd party, typically an investor, bids more than the bank's opening bid, the property will be Sold to 3rd Party; if not, it will go Back to the Bank and become part of that bank's REO inventory.
 Foreclosure Inventories—Preforeclosure inventory is an estimate of the number of properties that have had a Notice of Default filed against the property, but have not yet been Scheduled for Sale. The Scheduled for Sale inventory indicates those properties that have had a Notice of Trustee Sale filed, but have not yet been sold or had the sale cancelled. The Bank Owned (REO) inventory indicates the number of properties that have been sold Back to the Bank at the trustee sale, and which the bank has not yet resold to another party.
Foreclosure Bids—The Published Bid is the amount listed in the Notice of Trustee Sale and is typically the balance due at the original date of sale. The Opening Bid is the bank's starting bid at auction, and is often discounted from the Published Bid. The Winning Bid is the highest bid received at auction and reflects the amount at which the bank or 3rd party purchased the foreclosure.
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