What the heck? I step away from the computer for a few weeks to train for and participate in a couple of triathlons (Yes, you read correctly. And no, I did not find a way to do so from a seated position with a martini in my water bottle. But that’s a topic for another post….) and the foreclosure numbers get all farkocktah.

Looks like in Greensboro, while our foreclosure numbers continue to be less gruesome than many other parts of the country  – I’m looking at you, Las Vegas – the nice improvement we had been seeing up until the time I put on my running shoes has turned into a nasty little reversal.

To wit there were 118 foreclosures listed in the last 12 weeks in Greensboro. This is the highest number since the 12-week period ending April 12th. As recently as May 12th that number had gotten as low as 89.

In addition to the fact that there are more foreclosures that have been listed, they are more evenly spread across Greensboro’s residential zip codes.  Granted, 27405 and 27406 still have the lion’s share of listings, no corner of town is immune.

Why all this increase in activity? Undoubtedly moritoriums on foreclosures that have now expired have had an impact. And it seems that many homeowners who were able to have terms of their mortgages reset to fixed and lower rates have still struggled to keep their homes. Throw in an uptick in unemployment and we may see the current foreclosure trend get a bit worse before it turns back around.

The overall inventory of foreclosures still available on the market has increased and we’re going to need to get through those properties in order to have happier news to report.

Geeze. I never would have thought swimming, biking and running in 92 degree heat would be more pleasant than writing about Greensboro foreclosures. Hopefully both my tush and the market will be in better shape in a few months.

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

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If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and is only as good as the information entered, which is done by humans, who make errors. The information is only for those residential zip codes for Greensboro and does not include the surrounding communities

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro unemployment numbers, Multiple Listing Service, News & Record, Triad MLS

And the downward trend continues. In this case “downward” is awesome. For the 11th week in a row, the number of foreclosures listed in Greensboro over 12-week rolling periods has declined*. And of those listed that haven’t already closed, almost exactly the same number are pending (under contract) as are still available.

We likey.

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and is only as good as the information entered, which is done by humans, who make errors. The information is only for those residential zip codes for Greensboro and does not include the surrounding communities

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro zip codes, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. What a good week:

• the stock market is finishing up it’s 5th positive week
• economists are beginning to relax their sphincter muscles and say the worst may be starting to end
• the Tarheels won BIG in the NCAA tourney
• and foreclosures in Greensboro are disappearing faster than Michigan fans from Ford Field in the last 5 minutes of Monday’s game

Looky here:

This graph represents the total number of foreclosures listed in rolling twelve week periods in Greensboro. Clearly we are moving – dramatically – in the right direction. There simply is no good in having foreclosures in our market so the sooner they’re gone, the better for everyone.

Foreclosures listed during the week ending 4/5/09 totaled only 7. And all of them were in only 3 Greensboro zip codes. 5 were in 27505 and 1 each in 27407 and 27410. And looking at the last three weeks, several zip codes are really seeing a decline in foreclosure activity.

Indeed, the majority of foreclosures listed are in 3 zip codes (see pie chart below) That imbalance has been increasing lately. Not because more and more foreclosures are being listed in those 3 zips but because fewer and fewer are being listed in the other 6.

That’s because, just as North Carolina real estate was later to be impacted by the economic downturn than other states and Greensboro was later to be impacted than other places in the state, certain zip codes within town were impacted later and to a lesser degree than others. Consequently, rolling out of “the troubles” is following the logical path.

Last in, first out, so to speak.

Lastly, of foreclosures listed since early September ’08, the lowest number and percentage yet are still available. Fully 70% are either already closed or under contract.

What a great week.

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and is only as good as the information entered, which is done by humans, who make errors. The information is only for those residential zip codes for Greensboro and does not include the surrounding communities

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro zip codes, Multiple Listing Service, News & Record, Tarheels win NCAA, Triad MLS

The week that ended on 3/29/09 had 13* new foreclosure listings. This is the highest number since the week ending 3/1/09.

Twelve week trending, however, continues downward. And of all foreclosures listed since 9/8/08, only 30% are still available – the lowest percentage yet.

Interestingly, almost all of those new listings – 10 of the 13 – are located in 3 of the 9 Greensboro residential zip codes (27401 had 4, 27405 and 27407 have 3 each. And two zip codes, 27410 &and 27455, have had no new foreclosure listings in the last 3 weeks. As a matter of fact, 27455 hasn’t had a new foreclosure listed in the last 6 weeks. (All you readers living in that zip may want to take a moment to knock wood)

Indeed, nearly half of all foreclosures listed in Greensboro over the past 12 weeks have been in the 27405 and 27406 zip codes. Throw in 27407 and that accounts for fully 61% of the listings in that time frame.

When we begin to see numbers shrink in all zip codes we will truly know things are improving. Right now, things are better in many parts of town but remain challenging in others. And we want a tide rising sufficiently to raise all ships. In all zip codes.

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and is only as good as the information entered, which is done by humans, who make errors. The information is only for those residential zip codes for Greensboro and does not include the surrounding communities

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro housing statistics, Greensboro zip codes, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS

If  you’ve been itching to buy a foreclosure property in Greensboro, you may not want to delay much longer. They’re disappearing.

And, not for nothing, but I say ‘good riddance’.

They may be great for folks who get deals on these distressed sales  but foreclosures wreak havoc on neighborhoods where, if there are more than a couple, property values can be impacted. And those property value hits can impact homeowners who are not in distressed situations but who bear the brunt long after the original owners and banks are gone from the scene.

So, it’s great that this week finds us with continued better news. There were 8 new foreclosures listed in Greensboro during the week ending 3/22/09. And while that’s a couple more than the previous week, it’s lower than the weekly average of 12.5 since I started tracking in early September.

We also see that the 12-week rolling period is stable at last week’s number of 144. That’s well off the high 12-week number of 161 for the period ending 1/25/09.

But wait, there’s more.

Of those 144*, only 69 are still ‘active’, or on the market. That’s less than 50%. 37% are ‘pending’, or have contracts to sell and 15% are ‘closed’.

These are all the best these figures have been.

But wait. There’s more. (Who let Ron Popeil in here?)

Of all the foreclosure listings in Greensboro since 9/8/08, only 32% are still active. 27% ‘pending’. 41% closed.

So, act now on buying a foreclosure. Operators are standing by.

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and is only as good as the information entered, which is done by humans, who make errors. The information is only for those residential zip codes for Greensboro and does not include the surrounding communities

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro zip codes, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS

Okay, now. This is good. Foreclosures in Greensboro, listed the week ending 3/8/09 are down from the previous week – 11 compared to 14.

Big whoop? Maybe that’s just a medium whoop.

But for foreclosures listed in Greensboro for the rolling 12 week period ending 3/8/09, the number held steady at 145, same as the previous 12 week period. And that means that the number of new foreclosure listings in Greensboro has either fallen or remained the same for most of the intervals this year. The trend is right there in black and white, or orange and black in this case:

And of Greensboro’s 9 residential zip codes, only 4 had any new foreclosure listings…

…and look at 27455. No new foreclosure listings in the last 3 weeks. Congrats to you!

The rest you can see for yourselves. Another couple of weeks like this and it will really feel like a corner has been turned in the Greensboro foreclosure market.

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Weekly fluctuations of the numbers can happen as the data is impacted by the promptness of input by members, properties that are temporarily withdrawn from the market, etc.,

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro zip codes, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS

I’m happy to report that I’m happy. Not that my state of being is all that important to most people. But in terms if the raison d’être of this blog, me being happy must mean there’s some good news in the world of Greensboro real estate.

Specifically, the latest about new foreclosure listings is what’s putting a smile on my proverbial face.

Exhibit A:

Lots of crisscrossing bright colors, I know. But look at the numbers. Of all the Greensboro properties listed as foreclosures* since early December, fully 44% of them have either been sold or are under contract, pending sale. That is the best showing of 12-week rolling periods ever. Since the beginning of time.

Or, at least since I started writing about them on this blog. And before that time held little meaning, right?

Not only that, gentle reader, the number of foreclosure properties listed last week was only 9. That’s the lowest for a week since Christmas.

Now, all you Greensborotonians, scroll down and check out your zip code to see what’s happening in your area. Most had a better week this than last, or were at par. Sorry 27455 and 27410.

And 27408, you were due one. It had been a while…

Now the rest of the graphic parade:

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Weekly fluctuations of the numbers can happen as the data is impacted by the promptness of input by members, properties that are temporarily withdrawn from the market, etc.,

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro housing statistics, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS

There was one more foreclosure listed in Greensboro during the week ending 2/15/09 than the previous week. But again – and I see this as very good news – the number of foreclosed properties that have been listed since early December which are still available is the lowest its been. This is by both actual number and percentage. And those that are “pending” (under contract and set to close) are the highest.

Not only that, but the total number listed by 12-week rolling periods is 153 for this period. This is the lowest that number has been since the 12-week period ending 12/28/08.  (see 1st chart below)

We know that foreclosures in North Carolina in general are down. And we’ve been trending this way for a few weeks.

There are those who poo-poo the improved numbers by pointing out there is a  moratorium on foreclosures by some lenders. “The numbers are lower just because the foreclosures have stopped for a while. Not because things are actually improving.”

Ay yay yay! Isn’ t that like saying “The only reason the fire went out is because someone poured water on it?”

Who the devil cares why? The folks who are not facing foreclosure this month or next aren’t going to be complaining about why. The neighbors of those homeowners aren’t going to be picky about why the house next door doesn’t have the dreaded large white sticker on the front door, bringing their property value down.

So, why is this happening? My sense, based on the activity I’m seeing in my personal business, is that there is some increased interest on the part of buyers and banks holding off for now are both reasons. Not only that, but Greensboro simply is going to recovery sooner than other parts of the country.

You can see foreclosure listing activity by Greensboro zip codes specifically below . Looks like 27408 has had a good month or so…

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Weekly fluctuations of the numbers can happen as the data is impacted by the promptness of input by members, properties that are temporarily withdrawn from the market, etc.,

Tags: Foreclosure Moratorium, Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro housing statistics, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS

There is something really good going on with foreclosure listings in Greensboro. And you may sit, staring back at your monitor, skeptical.

I don’t blame you.  Seems almost weird to be writing the words.

But I stand by my opening statement: Something good is going on. And there are other reports that back me up.

For the 5th week in a row, the number of active foreclosure listings in Greensboro, looking at rolling 12-week periods, has declined and the number of pending & closed listings has increased.

A lot.

And this last set of numbers was the biggest change yet.

See? Told you.

Now, for all you haters out there, ready to point out that there’s another round of layoffs or adjustable mortgage rate adjustments or Bubonic plague coming our way, I’m too through with you. Seriously. I can’t take the pessimism anymore.

I’m no rose-colored-glasses wearin’ Pollyanna Cheerleader. But I tell you this: I see things inching their way up in the Greensboro area. Maybe next week the numbers be heading in another direction.

But by then we all might have Bubonic Plague, right?

Here’s the rest of the pictures:

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS). “Single-family” does not include Duplexes or manufactured homes.

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Greensboro housing statistics

Phooey.

I was hoping for better Greensboro foreclosure numbers.

I was also hoping that someone would have invented mashed potatoes that are good for you by now, but we’re going to have to wait at least another week on both counts.

The little bit of sunshine on an otherwise drab blog post is that, looking at numbers for rolling 12-week periods, the number of active foreclosure listings is as low a percentage of overall numbers as we’ve seen going back 5 periods. That means that while the total number of foreclosures on the market is relatively unchanged, a larger percentage of them are either under contract or have closed.

Small steps. Small steps..

Here you go:

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

_________________________________________________________

If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS). “Single-family” does not include Duplexes or manufactured homes.

Tags: Greensboro foreclosures, Multiple Listing Service, Triad MLS