Foreclosure Activity Brings Both Good News and Bad

What more foreclosures and longer processing times may mean for the housing market

(map from RealtyTrac.com)

RealtyTrac® reported that foreclosure activity in the third quarter was up slightly (less than 1 percent) from Q2, and down 34 percent from the same period last year. September activity was down 6 percent from August, marking the 12^th month in a row that foreclosure activity has decreased from the previous month.

An Associated Press article (found on NPR.org) notes that “A pickup in foreclosure activity also means a potentially faster turnaround for the U.S. housing market. Experts say a revival isn't likely to occur as long as there remains a glut of potential foreclosures hovering over the market.”

Although foreclosure filings may be on an upward trend, the foreclosure timeline seems only to be lengthening. According to RealtyTrac, foreclosures were completed in an average of 318 days in Q2, while the process took 336 days on average to complete in Q3. New York state’s average for completing a foreclosure was the highest in the country at 986 days. Compare that to Tennessee, where a foreclosure process averages about 94 days from beginning to end.