RISMEDIA, July 30, 2010—RealtyTrac, a leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties released its Midyear 2010 Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report, which shows 154 of the 206 U.S. metropolitan areas with a population of 200,000 or more posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity even while foreclosure activity decreased in nine of the 10 metros with the highest foreclosure rates.
Four states—Florida, California, Nevada and Arizona—accounted for all top 20 metro foreclosure rates. Florida led the way, with nine of the top 20 metro foreclosure rates, followed by California with eight, Nevada with two and Arizona with one.
“While we’re seeing early signs that foreclosure activity may have peaked in some of the hardest-hit markets, foreclosures continued to rise in three-quarters of the nation’s metropolitan areas in the first half of the year,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “The fragile stability achieved in many local housing markets hinges on improvements in the underlying economy, specifically job growth. If unemployment remains persistently high and foreclosure prevention efforts only delay the inevitable, then we could continue to see increased foreclosure activity and a corresponding weakness in home prices in many metro areas.”
Top 10 metro foreclosure rates
Las Vegas continued to post the nation’s highest metro foreclosure rate in the first half of the year, with 6.60% of its housing units (one in 15) receiving a foreclosure filing—more than five times the national average. A total of 53,525 Las Vegas properties received a foreclosure filing during the six-month period, a decrease of nearly 15% from the previous six months and a decrease of nearly 9% from the first half of 2009.
Foreclosure activity in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., metro area decreased nearly 22% from the previous six months and was down nearly 30% from the first half of 2009, but the metro area still documented the nation’s second highest metro foreclosure rate—4.98% of its housing units (one in 20) received a foreclosure filing during the six-month period. Other Florida cities in the top 10 were Orlando-Kissimmee at No. 8 (4.15% of housing units) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach at No. 10 (3.89%).
With 4.59% of its housing units (one in 22) receiving a foreclosure filing, Modesto, Calif., posted the nation’s third highest metro foreclosure rate. Other California cities in the top 10 were Merced at No. 4 (4.47% of housing units); Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario at No. 5 (4.37%); Stockton at No. 6 (4.37%); and Vallejo-Fairfield at No. 9 (3.91%).
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area in Arizona posted the nation’s seventh highest metro foreclosure rate, with 4.28% of its housing units (one in 23) receiving a foreclosure filing in the first half of 2010.
Metros with highest foreclosure totals
More properties received a foreclosure filing in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro area during the first half of 2010 than any other metro area with a population of 200,000 or more. A total of 94,466 properties in the Miami area received a foreclosure filing during the six-month period, a decrease of 8% from the previous six months, but up nearly 11% from the first six months of 2009.
A total of 93,263 properties in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metro area received a foreclosure filing in the first half of 2010, the second highest total of any metro area nationwide and 2.11% of all housing units (one in 47)—ranking No. 35 in terms of foreclosure rate.
A total of 78,022 properties in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metro area received a foreclosure filing in the first half of 2010, the third highest total and 2.07% of all housing units (one in 48)—ranking No. 37 in terms of foreclosure rate.
Other metro areas with the 10 highest foreclosure totals were Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (73,352), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (63,717), Las Vegas-Paradise (53,525), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta (52,381), Detroit-Warren-Livonia (47,563), New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island (44,522) and Orlando-Kissimmee (37,352).
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