The foreclosure crisis may finally be nearing its end. According to the latest report from RealtyTrac, foreclosure proceedings dropped dramatically in November, representing a 32 percent decrease from 2012 and the lowest number since December 2005.
Total foreclosure filings — including homes already in default — decreased 15 percent in November from the month prior, and are down 37 percent from same month last year.
“While some of the decrease in November can be attributed to seasonality, the depth and breadth of the decrease provides strong evidence that we are entering the ninth inning of this foreclosure crisis with the outcome all but guaranteed,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “It is highly unlikely that there will be a foreclosure comeback that poses any major threat to the solid housing recovery that has now taken hold.”
According to the report, a total of 113,454 foreclosures were filed on U.S. properties in November, including default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions. The November decrease to 52,826 represents the largest month-over-month foreclosure decrease since November 2010, which came on the heels of the discovery of the robo-signing crisis in October 2010.
Fifteen states saw increases in foreclosure starts between November 2012 to November 2013, including Pennsylvania, with a 233 percent increase, Delaware, up 104 percent, and Maryland, up 74 percent. Meanwhile, only five states saw a year-over-year increase.
Kelle Clarke is a Contributing Editor with the National Notary Association.