Home Foreclosures WAY Down Across SW Florida, Sunshine State

According to a report released today by ATTOM Data Solutions, most of today's foreclosures in SWFL and across the Sunshine State are on loans made before the housing bust -- not on loans made in recent years.

While prices have rebounded in most areas and there are often bidding wars for properties (though not in this region at the moment), a review of foreclosure activity for the first six months of 2017 shows a steady decline in foreclosures in Florida. The same examination shows eight states have seen such activity rise during the same period.

The Naples Daily News this morning reminded readers that in this region eight to 10 years ago: After a housing boom, foreclosures in Lee County bottomed out in October 2005 when 127 were filed. They reached a high of 2,665 in October 2008, when the county represented one of the nation's foreclosure capitals.

Fast forward to today: Foreclosures are down in Collier County 32 percent during the first six months of this year compared to the first six months of 2016. In Lee County, the number of foreclosures are down 31 percent during the same period. In Charlotte County, foreclosures are down 44 percent year over year (for the first six months). This compares to the nation, which is down 20 percent during the first six months of 2017 when compared to a year ago.