The property database ATTOM Data Solutions released its 2018 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report earlier this month. Although it shows that the number of foreclosures nationwide dropped to a 13-year low in 2018, some cities in Michigan ended up having some of the highest rates of all American cities in 2018.
By the end of the year in 2018, there were 624,753 homes that were either repossessed by the bank, default notices sent out or auctions scheduled to sell them off. This marked a decrease of eight percent over the number of foreclosures in 2017. It was a 78 percent reduction from the 2.9 million homes that were repossessed by lenders in 2010.
The more than one-half of a million homes that are currently in foreclosure represent only 0.47 percent of all total housing units in the country. This is a .04 reduction from the 2017 number and nearly two percent less than what it was in 2010.
Researchers with ATTOM note that this consistent reduction in foreclosure numbers proves that the lingering distress that homeowners felt post-recession has been largely cleaned up.
While some of the higher-than-average foreclosure numbers in cities like Houston were caused by natural disasters like hurricanes, they note that this same excuse can’t be used to explain increased rates in other cities like Milwaukee, Detroit, Minneapolis and Flint.
Although 18 states saw a decline in foreclosures last year, in Michigan, the rate increased by 15 percent. One of the cities hit the hardest here was Flint. Of the 219 metropolitan areas with populations of 200,000 or more, Flint saw a 1.16 percent increase in foreclosures. This is a little less than half of what Atlantic City, New Jersey, saw. Trenton, New Jersey was the only other city of similar size to see more homes repossessed.
If you’re struggling to pay your mortgage, then you shouldn’t just sit idle because this could ultimately result in your home being foreclosed on. If you’re going through a financial hardship, then your bank may be willing to make alternate payment arrangements with you. A real estate transactions attorney can help you broker a deal with them to avoid a property dispute.