Foreclose Activity is DOWN in Georgia (except Atlanta)!

Mary Lynn's Note: This backs what I've been saying - that foreclosures are not what they used to be. Non-judicial states like Georgia have gone through their greatest inventory. It's like when a dam breaks, it's a deluge at first and then it's just a trickle. We are in the trickle time now and that means that are not as many foreclosures which is GOOD NEWS for the Sellers who don't have to compete with prices (they won't get bailed out for) and for the Buyers because they can go back to rational negotiations and still get great prices because the foreclosure deluge already lowered all the prices.
All this equals a stabilizing market so long as they don't mess it up again??? I'm trying to keep a watchful eye for my Clients. The glare in the face financial happening right now is JP Morgan???
Not in chronological order, just points:
1) Obama says JP Morgan Chase is one of the best managed banks
http://thehill.com/video/administration/227315-obama-says-jpmorgan-chase-one-of-the-best-managed-banks
2) JP head Perry resigns http://www.financialstandard.com.au/news/view/12357489/
3) Vatican has a bunch of money-laundering firings - this info which has all 450 resignations, firings, retirements, etc. http://politicalvelcraft.org/2012/03/26/450-resignations-from-world-banks-investment-houses-money-funds/

1. 2/09/12 (VATICAN) Institute for Religious Works (IOR aka “Vatican Bank”), 62 year oldMonsignor Emilio Messina, the Archdiocese of Camerino-San Severino Marche investigated on money laundering by Italian officials. http://goo.gl/uztVU
2. 2/09/12 (VATICAN) Institute for Religious Works (IOR aka “Vatican Bank”), 49 year oldFather Don Salvatore Palumbo of the socially popular parish of San Gaetano http://goo.gl/uztVU
3. 2/09/12 (VATICAN) Institute for Religious Works (IOR aka “Vatican Bank”), 37 year oldFather Horace Bonaccorsi of Catania, already tried and acquitted in Sicily for money laundering offenses recycling money through accounts at IOR http://goo.gl/uztVU
4. 2/09/12 (VATICAN) Institute for Religious Works (IOR aka “Vatican Bank”), 85 year oldFather Don Evaldo Biasini of Rome. Father Don Evaldo Biasini is known as the “Don of Cash”.http://goo.gl/uztVU

4) JP Morgan closes the Vaticans account  http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/03/19/uk-vatican-bank-idUKBRE82I0P820120319 
5) 5 days ago it comes out that JP Morgan has a $2 billion dollar loss that is then $20 billion dollars
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/jpmorgan-chase-2-billion_n_1514884.html
6) Two days ago - the latest is they are expecting 50% of their trading to fail...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgans-trading-loss-said-rise-100803486.html

Hang on and let's see who is going to swallow up JP Morgan or if this Administration will chant "too big to fail" and bail them out. Looks like there is another banking shift happening small and big. I HOPE IT'S A GOOD CHANGE FOR A CHANGE!

Regardless, it's a good time to buy - prices are down, interest rates are still down - there is still EXCELLENT INVENTORY and GREAT DEALS!! Call your favorite REALTOR today!

http://rismedia.com/rrein/8563/91376/4582391/36845 U.S. Foreclosure Activity Shifting Eastward

RISMEDIA, Friday, May 18, 2012— RealtyTrac®, a leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, recently released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™ for April 2012, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 188,780 U.S. properties in April, the lowest monthly total since July 2007. April foreclosure activity decreased 5 percent from the previous month and was down 14 percent from April 2011. One in every 698 U.S. housing units had a foreclosure filing during the month. “Rising foreclosure activity in many state and local markets in April was masked at the national level by sizable decreases in hard-hit foreclosure states like California, Arizona and Nevada,” says Brandon Moore, CEO of RealtyTrac. “Those three states, and several other non-judicial foreclosure states like them, more efficiently processed foreclosures last year, resulting in fewer catch-up foreclosures this year. “In addition, more distressed loans are being diverted into short sales rather than becoming completed foreclosures,” Moore continued. “Our preliminary first quarter sales data shows that pre-foreclosure sales — typically short sales — are on pace to outnumber sales of bank-owned properties during the quarter in California, Arizona and 10 other states.” Non-judicial foreclosure activity down, judicial foreclosure activity up Combined foreclosure activity in the 24 states with a non-judicial foreclosure process and the District of Columbia decreased 7 percent from the previous month and was down 29 percent from April 2011. More populous states like Arizona, California and Nevada drove the overall decreases in non-judicial foreclosure activity, but 14 of the 24 states and the District of Columbia posted month-over-month increases in foreclosure activity. Still, only seven of the non-judicial foreclosure states posted annual increases, including Georgia, Tennessee and Minnesota. Combined foreclosure activity in the 26 states with a judicial foreclosure process decreased 3 percent from the previous month but was still up 15 percent from April 2011. Foreclosure activity decreased on a month-over-month basis in 14 of the judicial foreclosure states but increased on a year-over-year basis in 15 of the judicial foreclosure states. Foreclosure starts down nationwide, but up in more than half of states After three straight monthly increases, U.S. foreclosure starts — default notices or scheduled foreclosure auctions, depending on the state — decreased 4 percent from March to April. A total of 97,665 properties started the foreclosure process for the first time during the month, down 2 percent from April 2011. Despite the overall decrease in foreclosure starts, 26 states posted monthly increases in foreclosure starts, and 27 states posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure starts. States with the biggest annual increases in foreclosure starts included New Jersey (180 percent), Utah (179 percent), Indiana (49 percent), Pennsylvania (44 percent), Florida (43 percent), and Michigan (42 percent). Bank repossessions decrease for third straight month Bank repossessions (REOs) decreased on a monthly basis for the third straight month in April, down 7 percent from March. Lenders completed the foreclosure process on 51,415 U.S. properties during the month, down 26 percent from April 2011 — the 18th consecutive month with a year-over-year decrease in REOs. REO activity decreased on an annual basis in 37 states and the District of Columbia, while 28 states posted monthly drops in foreclosure activity. States with the biggest year-over-year decreases in REO activity included Nevada (71 percent), Arizona (70 percent), Washington (67 percent), California (52 percent), Virginia (47 percent), and Maryland (47 percent). 11 of 20 largest metros post annual increases in foreclosure activity Eleven of the nation’s 20 largest metro areas based on population documented annual increases in foreclosure activity, led by the Florida cities of Tampa (59 percent) and Miami (38 percent). Other cities with increases included St. Louis (29 percent), Chicago (26 percent), Philadelphia (24 percent), and Atlanta (21 percent). Among the 20 largest metros areas, cities posting the biggest annual drops in foreclosure activity included Seattle (54 percent), Phoenix (44 percent), San Francisco (34 percent), Washington, D.C. (30 percent), Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., (30 percent), and Los Angeles (28 percent). The metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates among the 20 largest were Riverside-San Bernardino (one in every 213 housing units with a foreclosure filing), Miami (one in every 273 housing units), Atlanta (one in every 298 housing units), Phoenix (one in every 313 housing units), and Tampa (one in every 315 housing units). The 11 cities with annual increases in foreclosure activity were all in the Midwest, South or on the East Coast, while six of the nine cities with annual decreases were in the western states of California, Arizona and Washington. Nevada, California, Florida post top state foreclosure rates A 15 percent month-over-month increase in foreclosure starts helped Nevada post the nation’s highest state foreclosure rate in April: one in every 300 housing units with a foreclosure filing. Despite the monthly increase in foreclosure starts, overall Nevada foreclosure activity decreased 67 percent from April 2011. California foreclosure activity decreased 30 percent from April 2011, but the state still posted the nation’s second highest foreclosure rate: one in every 351 housing units with a foreclosure filing. Florida foreclosure activity increased 26 percent from April 2011, boosting the state’s foreclosure rate to third highest in the nation. One in every 364 Florida housing units had a foreclosure filing during the month. The top 10 foreclosure rates among metropolitan statistical areas with a population of 200,000 or more were all in Nevada, California and Florida. Stockton, Calif., led the way, with one in every 213 housing units with a foreclosure filing during the month. Seven other California cities had foreclosure rates in the top 10, along with Las Vegas at No. 7 and Miami at No. 9. A 44 percent year-over-year decrease in foreclosure activity dropped Arizona’s foreclosure rate — one in every 377 housing units with a foreclosure filing — to fourth highest among the states, while a 21 percent year-over-year increase in foreclosure activity helped Georgia maintain the nation’s fifth highest state foreclosure rate — one in every 398 housing units with a foreclosure filing. Other states with foreclosure rates ranking among the top 10 were Illinois (one in 418 housing units with a foreclosure filing), Utah (one in 419), Michigan (one in 487), Ohio (one in 525), and Wisconsin (one in 547). For more information, visit www.realtytrac.com.