Idaho Foreclosures Fall, but Improvement May Not Be Lasting

RealtyTrac

Click the map above to view RealtyTrac's county-by-county December foreclosure data.

Real estate data provider RealtyTrac has released its year-end report, and the news is mixed.  The numbers show Idaho’s foreclosure rate dropped to tenth in the nation, an improvement from last year’s eighth place ranking.  The total number of housing units with at least one foreclosure filing over the course of 2011 was 11,482, a nearly 40 percent reduction from last year.  Nationally, the number of foreclosure filings decreased by 34 percent from 2010 to 2011.

RealtyTrac’s analysts caution that what looks like improvement may not be.  They say the ongoing legal issues stemming from the robo-signing scandal have slowed down the foreclosure process, and they predict greater foreclosure activity this year than last.

Nationwide, December’s foreclosure activity was the lowest in four years.  One out of every 796 housing units in Idaho received a foreclosure filing last month, according to RealtyTrac’s count.