Foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies drop in February; good news for the real estate market

st-louis-realtor-dennis-norman-mortgage-delinquency-foreclosure-rateForeclosure starts and foreclosure sales were down in February 15 and 19 percent respectively from January according to the latest Mortgage Monitor report released by Lender Processing Services, Inc. today. The report also showed that mortgage delinquencies continue to decline as well with 7.57 percent of the homes in the U.S. with a mortgage being delinquent which is down 5.0 percent from the month before.

As reported in LPS’ First Look release, other key results from LPS’ latest Mortgage Monitor report include: Continue reading “Foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies drop in February; good news for the real estate market

St Louis Foreclosures and Mortgage Delinquencies show no change from a year ago

dennis-norman-st-louis-real-estate-foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rate was 1.7 percent for February 2012, the same rate as a year before according to newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.4 percent in February 2012. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosures and Mortgage Delinquencies show no change from a year ago

New home sales slip in February; still up double digits from a year ago though

dennis-norman-st-louis-realtor-real-estate-new-home-salesToday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau released new home sales data for February 2012 showing a decrease of 1.6 percent from the month before, and an increase of 11.4 percent from a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted new home sales rate for February was 313,000 homes, down from an adjusted rate of 318,000 homes the month before. This is the second consecutive month new home sales have declined. Continue reading “New home sales slip in February; still up double digits from a year ago though

Mortgage delinquencies continue to decline; good news for the real estate market!

dennis-norman-st-louis-realtor-mortgage-delinquenciesThe U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 7.57 percent of all home loans in February, down 5.0 percent from the month before and down 14.0 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure presale inventory rate was 4.13 percent in February, a 0.5 percent decrease from the month before and a 0.3 percent decrease from a year ago. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies continue to decline; good news for the real estate market!

Report shows For Every Two Homes Available for Sale, There Is One in the "Shadow"

st-louis-realtor-dennis-norman-shadow-inventory-corelogicA report released this morning by CoreLogic shows that the current residential “shadow” inventory as of January 2012 was 1.6 million units, equivalent to a 6-months’ supply, and approximately the same level last reported in October 2011. The shadow inventory is down from a year ago though, when it was at 1.8 million units, or an 8-months’ supply. Currently, the flow of new seriously delinquent (90 days or more) loans into the shadow inventory has been offset by the roughly equal flow of distressed sales (short and real estate owned), according to the report.

“Almost half of the shadow inventory is not yet in the foreclosure process,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. “Shadow inventory also remains concentrated in states impacted by sharp price declines and states with long foreclosure timelines.” Continue reading “Report shows For Every Two Homes Available for Sale, There Is One in the "Shadow"

New home sales decline slightly in January; Inventory of new homes to lowest level in over a year

dennis-norman-st-louis-realtor-real-estate-new-home-salesToday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau released new home sales data for January 2012 showing a decrease of 0.9 percent from the month before, and an increase of 3.5 percent from a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted new home sales rate for January was 321,000 homes, down from an adjusted rate of 324,000 homes the month before. This is the first month new home sales have declined after four consecutive months of increases. Continue reading “New home sales decline slightly in January; Inventory of new homes to lowest level in over a year

Foreclosures in 2011 down 24 percent from 2010

dennis-norman-foreclosures1.4 Million Homes in the Foreclosure Inventory at the End of 2011

According to a report just released by CoreLogic, there were 830,000 foreclosures completed during the year in 2011, a 24 percent decrease from 2010 when there were 1.1 million. For the month of December, there were 55,000 foreclosures, down 3.5 percent from November when there were 57,000 and down 17.9 percent from December 2010 when there were 67,000 foreclosures completed. Continue reading “Foreclosures in 2011 down 24 percent from 2010

St Louis Foreclosures decline in November after four months of increases

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rate was 1.69 percent for November 2011, down from 1.75 percent the month before and only up slightly from a year ago when the rate was 1.67 percent, according to newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.41 percent in November 2011. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosures decline in November after four months of increases

New homes sales fall in December and make 2011 worst year on record

dennis-norman-st-louis-realtor-real-estate-new-home-salesToday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau released new home sales data for December 2011 showing a decrease of 2.2 percent from the month before, and a decrease of 7.3 percent from a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted new home sales rate for December was 307,000 homes, down from an adjusted rate of 314,000 homes the month before.  This is the first month new home sales have declined in four months and unfortunately ends the year with the lowest number of new homes sold since the Commerce Department began keeping track of sales in 1963. Continue reading “New homes sales fall in December and make 2011 worst year on record

Mortgage Delinquences Increase in December but are Down over 25 percent from a year ago

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - mortgage delinquency ratesMortgage delinquencies in December increased to 2.24 percent of all mortgages, a slight increase from the month before when delinquencies were at 2.22 percent but a decrease of over 25 percent from a year ago when the rate was 3.01 percent. The mortgage delinquency rate is something I pay close attention to because it is the “leading indicator” of foreclosures and foreclosures and REO’s are one of the major hurdles to a recovery in the housing market. Declining delinquency rates are our first clue that the housing market is headed to a recovery. Continue reading “Mortgage Delinquences Increase in December but are Down over 25 percent from a year ago

Mortgage delinquencies increase in November;   Foreclosures decline from month before

The U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 8.15 percent of all home loans in November, up 2.7 percent from the month before and down 9.6 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure rate, on the other hand, was 4.16 percent in November, a 3.0 percent decrease from the month before and a 2.0 percent increase from a year ago. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies increase in November;   Foreclosures decline from month before

St Louis Foreclosure Rate Increases In September;  Up 9.5 percent from a year ago

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.72 percent for September 2011, up from 1.67 percent the month before and increased 9.6 percent from September 2010 when the rate was 1.57 percent, according to a newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.48 percent for September 2011. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosure Rate Increases In September;  Up 9.5 percent from a year ago

Mortgage delinquencies decline in October;   Foreclosures on the rise

The U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 7.93 percent of all home loans in October, down 2.0 percent from the month before and down a whopping 14.6 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure rate, on the other hand, was 4.29 percent in October, a 2.5 percent increase from the month before and a 9.4 percent increase from a year ago. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies decline in October;   Foreclosures on the rise

Mortgage delinquency rate increases for first time since 2009

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorThis morning, Trans Union released a report showing the national mortgage delinquency rate (the rate of borrowers 60 or more days past due) increased to 5.88 percent (from 5.82 percent in the 2nd quarter) during the third quarter of 2011, after falling in the previous quarter by the largest rate in two years. This is the first time mortgage delinquency rates have increased since the end of 2009. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquency rate increases for first time since 2009

St Louis Foreclosure and Mortgage Delinquency Rates Rise in August

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.67 percent for August 2011, up from 1.64 percent the month before and up from August 2010 when the rate was 1.53 percent, according to a newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.43 percent for July 2011. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosure and Mortgage Delinquency Rates Rise in August

Mortgage deqlinquencies decline in September; Foreclosures on the rise

The “first-look” report from Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows mortgage delinquencies decreased 0.5 percent in September from the month before and decreased 12.7 percent from the year before. On the other hand, and perhaps part of the reason for the decline in the delinquency rate, the foreclosure rate increased in September by 1.7 percent from the prior month and was up 8.9 percent from the year before. Continue reading “Mortgage deqlinquencies decline in September; Foreclosures on the rise

Mortgage delinquencies on the rise but down significantly from a year ago

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - mortgage delinquency ratesMortgage delinquencies in September increased to 2.10 percent of all mortgages, a 2.9 percent increase from the month before when delinquencies were at 2.04 percent but a decrease of over 33 percent from a year ago when the rate was 3.14 percent. The mortgage delinquency rate is something I pay close attention to because it is the “leading indicator” of foreclosures and foreclosures and REO’s are one of the major hurdles to a recovery in the housing market. Once we see delinquency rates decline, we’ll see the impact of foreclosures and REO’s lessen on the housing market and give it a chance to move into a recovery. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies on the rise but down significantly from a year ago

St Louis Foreclosure Rate Increases in July

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.64 percent for July 2011, up from 1.62 percent the month before and up from July 2010 when the rate was 1.48 percent, according to a newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.44 percent for July 2011. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosure Rate Increases in July

Housing market not out of the woods yet

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorMark Fleming, Ph.D., Chief Economist for CoreLogic, in a presentation yesterday, said the housing market is not out of the woods yet as the potential of a double-dip in our economy increases and as 30 to 40 percent of economists feel there is a chance of another recession. The economy’s “stall speed” was another issue Fleming said was a concern, describing it as similar to the stall speed of an airplane; that speed at which is still fast enough for the plane to be flying, but just on the edge of stalling and no longer able to maintain flight. Fleming said, for the economy, a 1 percent growth rate is historically the “stall” point and that is right about where we are presently. Continue reading “Housing market not out of the woods yet

Mortgage delinquencies decline in August; down almost 12 percent from year ago

I keep saying that, until the foreclosure rate gets back down closer to a “normal” rate and the REO inventory is absorbed to the point where they are no longer putting such immense downward pressure on home prices, we are not going to see any sort of sustainable recovery in the housing market. It all starts with mortgage delinquencies, and as those go so go foreclosures and REO inventory ultimately. Having said that, we have some good news: A “first-look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows mortgage delinquencies decreased 2.5 percent in August from the month before and decreased 11.8 percent from the year before. According to the report, the U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate increased 0.1 percent from the month before and was up 8.2 percent from the year before. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies decline in August; down almost 12 percent from year ago

Foreclosure rate in St Louis decreases in June from month before but still up from a year ago

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosures

The St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.62 percent for June 2011, down from 1.71 percent the month before and up from June 2010 when the rate was 1.44 percent, according to a newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.46 percent for June 2011. Continue reading “Foreclosure rate in St Louis decreases in June from month before but still up from a year ago

HUD Report says housing market continues to remain fragile

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis NormanHUD released its U.S. Housing Market Conditions report for the 2nd quarter of 2011 which stated “housing data for the second quarter of 2011 indicate that the recovery in the housing market continues to remain fragile.” This did not come as a surprise, but what I did find a little surprising was the report showed that the market for new homes performed better than that for existing homes. The number of new homes sold rose in the second quarter and the year-over-year median sales price of new homes was up slightly. In contrast, the number of existing homes sold in the second quarter fell and the year-over-year median sales price of existing homes was down. Continue reading “HUD Report says housing market continues to remain fragile

Mortgage delinquency rate continues to fall in July

A report released this morning by Standard & Poor’s and Experian show a decrease in monthly default rates on first mortgages from 2.02 percent to 1.93 percent and a decrease in default rates on second mortgages from 1.40 percent to 1.25 percent in July. A continuing decline in mortgage delinquencies is one of the things we need to help move the real estate market into a recovery. As the delinquencies come down, so do the foreclosures eventually back to a point where they are not negatively impacting home prices to the extent they are presently. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquency rate continues to fall in July

Mortgage delinquency rate declines by largest rate in two years

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorThis morning, Trans Union released a report showing the national mortgage delinquency rate (the rate of borrowers 60 or more days past due) decreased for the sixth consecutive quarter, dropping to 5.82% at the end of the second quarter in 2011 which is a 5.98 percent from the prior quarter, the largest quarterly decrease in 2 years. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquency rate declines by largest rate in two years

Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure inventory increase in June

A “first-look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows mortgage delinquencies increased 2.4 percent in June from the month before and decreased 14.7 percent from the year before. According to the report, the U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate declined 0.2 percent from the month before but increased 12.8 percent from the year before. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure inventory increase in June

2011 Real Estate Market Performing about as Poorly as Predicted Thus Far

Radarlogic, real estate data and analytics company that frequently disagrees with the National Association of REALTORS® view of the housing market, released their RPX Monthly Housing Market Report for May 2011 yesterday and in it had a scorecard showing how their rather bleak predictions they made at the end of 2010 for the 2011 housing market were holding up. Unfortunately, as you will see below, it seems many of their predictions have been accurate and the housing market is performing as poorly as they expected in many areas. Continue reading “2011 Real Estate Market Performing about as Poorly as Predicted Thus Far

REO’s and Shadow Inventory are Roadblock to Recovery of Housing Market

Dennis Norman St LouisA report issued yesterday by Equifax reveals just how severe the impact of shadow inventory (homes that have been, or should be, foreclosed on but have not been put back on the market for sale yet) and REO’s (properties owned by lenders after acquiring through foreclosure) are on a housing market recovery. Continue reading “REO’s and Shadow Inventory are Roadblock to Recovery of Housing Market

Report shows declining foreclosure rate; lenders showing delay in foreclosing

A report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows that while mortgage delinquencies continue to decline, lenders are taking longer to foreclose resulting in a drop in foreclosure sales. In fact, there are still significantly fewer foreclosure sales than there were before foreclosure moratoriums were put into place, and foreclosure sales are declining. Continue reading “Report shows declining foreclosure rate; lenders showing delay in foreclosing

St. Louis Foreclosure Rate Declines in April; Mortgage delinquencies down significantly

Dennis Norman

The St. Louis foreclosure rate in April was 1.66 percent, down slightly from 1.71 percent the prior month, but up almost 17 percent  from a year ago, according to a report published by CoreLogic. The report shows that the St. Louis Mortgage Delinquency rate (Serious delinquency, 90+ days delinquent) decreased to 4.72 percent in April, down from 4.83 percent the month before and down 13.4 percent from a year ago.

Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosure Inventory Decrease In May

A “first-look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows mortgage delinquencies decreased 0.1 percent in May from the month before and down over 18 percent from the year before. Other good news in the report is the U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate declined 0.7 percent from the month before. Continue reading “Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosure Inventory Decrease In May