Why You Shouldn’t Fear Today’s Foreclosure Headlines

<article class="post-622748 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry" id="post-622748"><span class="entry-date">January 25, 2023</span><div class="entry-header center-block text-center"><h1 class="entry-title">Why You Shouldn’t Fear Today’s Foreclosure Headlines</h1><div class="shareBlock"><div class="shareTitle">Share</div><div class="shareIcons"><a aria-label="Twitter Share Link" class="twitter solid display-inline-block" data-tracking="Post,Social Post Link Clicked,Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/share?text=Why+You+Shouldn%E2%80%99t+Fear+Today%E2%80%99s+Foreclosure+Headlines&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fgilliggroup.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-you-shouldnt-fear-todays-foreclosure-headlines%2F" target="_blank"><span class="force-hidden">Twitter</span></a>
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<p>If you’ve seen recent headlines about foreclosures surging in the housing market, you’re certainly not alone. There’s no doubt, the <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2023/01/10/the-truth-about-negative-home-equity-headlines/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank?a=712984-fa409495d5d70154d03a25e81e9540e2">stories</a> in the media can be pretty confusing right now. They may even make you think twice about buying a home for fear that prices could crash. The reality is, the data shows a foreclosure crisis is not where the market is headed, and understanding what that really means is mission critical if you want to know the truth about what’s <a href="https://www.simplifyingthemarket.com/2023/01/11/todays-housing-market-is-nothing-like-15-years-ago/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank?a=712984-fa409495d5d70154d03a25e81e9540e2">happening today</a>. Here’s a deeper look.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/foreclosures/attom-year-end-2022-u-s-foreclosure-market-report/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Year-End 2022 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report</em></a> from <em>ATTOM</em>, <strong>foreclosure filings are up 115% from 2021, but down 34% from 2019. </strong>As media headlines grab onto this 115% increase, it’s more important than ever to put that percentage into context.</p>
<p>While the number of foreclosure filings did more than double last year, we need to remember why that happened and how it compares to more normal, pre-pandemic years in the market. Thanks to the forbearance program and other relief options for homeowners, foreclosure filings were down to record-low levels in 2020 and 2021, so any increase last year is — no surprise — a jump up. Rick Sharga, Executive VP of Market Intelligence at <em>ATTOM,</em> <a href="https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/foreclosures/attom-year-end-2022-u-s-foreclosure-market-report/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">notes</a>:</p>
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<blockquote><p><em>“Eighteen months after the end of the government’s foreclosure moratorium, and with less than five percent of the 8.4 million borrowers who entered the CARES Act forbearance program remaining, </em><strong><em>foreclosure activity remains significantly lower than it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems clear that government and mortgage industry efforts during the pandemic, coupled with a strong economy, have helped prevent millions of unnecessary foreclosures.”</em></strong></p></blockquote>
<p>Clearly, these options meant millions of homeowners could stay in their homes, allowing them to get back on their feet during a very challenging period. With home values rising at the same time, many homeowners who may have found themselves facing foreclosure under other circumstances were able to leverage their equity and sell their houses rather than face foreclosure, and that trend continues today.</p>
<p>And remember, as the graph below shows, <strong>foreclosures today are far below the record-high 2.9 million that were reported in 2010 when the housing market crashed</strong>.</p>
<p><a href="https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/24115205/us-foreclosure-activity-doubles-annually-but-still-below-pre-pandemic-levels-MEM.png" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="Why You Shouldn’t Fear Today’s Foreclosure Headlines | Simplifying The Market" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" height="488" src="https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/24115205/us-foreclosure-activity-doubles-annually-but-still-below-pre-pandemic-levels-MEM.png" width="650"/></a></p>
<p>So, while foreclosures are rising, keeping perspective in mind is key. As Bill McBride, Founder and Author of <em>Calculated Risk</em>, <a href="https://calculatedrisk.substack.com/p/the-housing-bubble-and-mortgage-debt-76d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">noted</a> just last week:</p>
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<blockquote><p><em>“The bottom line is there will be an increase in foreclosures over the next year (from record low levels), but there will not be a huge wave of distressed sales as happened following the housing bubble. </em><strong><em>The distressed sales during the housing bust led to cascading price declines, and that will not happen this time.”<span class="ql-cursor"></span></em></strong></p></blockquote>
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