What Does The Recent Uptick In Foreclosures Mean For The Housing Market Now?
What Does The Recent Uptick In Foreclosures Mean For The Housing Market Now?
Foreclosure Filings Are Up 132% From A Year Prior. Here’s What That Means For The Housing Market (And It’s Not What You Might Think)
Updated: May 1, 2022 By Alisa Wolfson
Plus, what to know if you are considering buying a foreclosure.
What Does The Recent Uptick In Foreclosures Mean For The Housing Market Now?
When we were reading through real estate data this month, three stats caught our eye. The first: That the number of active foreclosures (this is when the foreclosure process has begun on a seriously delinquent loan, but it has yet to be completed and liquidated) edged up by more than 7,000 in March — the first year-over-year increase in almost 10 years, according to mortgage technology, data and analytics provider Black Knight.
Secondly, more than 78,000 U.S. properties had a foreclosure filing during the first quarter of 2022, which is up 39% from the previous quarter and up 132% from a year ago, according to real estate analytics company ATTOM.
And third, serious mortgage delinquencies — those 90 or more days past due — are 70% higher than they were pre-pandemic, according to Black Knight.
While those numbers seem grim, pros say the reality isn’t as bad as it looks: Though active foreclosures are up year-over-year, the number of loans in active foreclosure is still way below historic norms. On average, prior to the pandemic, the country saw about 30,000 to 40,000 foreclosure starts per month. But the foreclosure moratoria that were put in place as part of the CARES Act in response to COVID-19 drove all of that normal activity to a halt.
And for the most part, the continued low foreclosure starts are because the vast majority of folks who had taken advantage of forbearance have come out of such plans and returned to performing on their mortgages. And those who remain in forbearance may still have protection against foreclosure until they reach the maximum allowable forbearance period.
As for foreclosure filings, Rick Sharga, executive vice president of market intelligence at ATTOM, says that though “foreclosure activity increased significantly in the first quarter of 2022 … that doesn’t indicate a sudden weakness in the housing market, or the U.S. economy.
To continue reading, please go to the original article here: