Massachusetts Home Buyer Guide

The number of foreclosure deeds – the final step in the Massachusetts foreclosure process – peaked at 1,391 foreclosures in March 2010, but there were only 280 foreclosure deeds recorded in February 2014, The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported April 1, 2014. 

The number of foreclosure petitions, which is the first step in the foreclosure process, declined 48.7 percent in February compared to February 2013. February marked the 16th consecutive month that foreclosure petitions in Massachusetts have decreased on a year-over-year basis. There were 439 foreclosure petitions recorded in February compared to 856 petitions in February 2013. There were 364 petitions recorded in January 2014. Not all foreclosure petitions will result in a homeowner losing his or her home to foreclosure.  

The number of completed foreclosures in the United States declined 19 percent in January compared to January 2013, CoreLogic, a residential property data provider, reported February 27, 2014.

There were 48,000 completed foreclosures across the United States, down from 59,000 in January 2013. As a basis of comparison, before the decline in the housing market in 2007, completed foreclosures averaged 21,000 per month nationwide between 2000 and 2006.

Real estate industry pundits can argue about the reasons why, but there isn't any denying that the foreclosure crisis that gripped Boston for several years ended in 2013.

Lenders initiated 230 foreclosure petitions – the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts – in 2013 compared to 890 foreclosure petitions in 2012, a decline of 74.15 percent, The Boston Globe reported January 1, 2014. The foreclosure peitions were the fewest since 2003. 

Investors or first-time home buyers that were hoping to grab a foreclosure property to rehab in Massachusetts may only have a few opportunities left. 

The number of foreclosure deeds recorded statewide decreased from 6,491 foreclosure deeds in the first nine months of 2012 to 2,382 foreclosure deeds through September 2013, a 63 percent decline, The Warren Group reported October 29, 2013. Foreclosure deeds are the final step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts housing recovery, especially the increase in home prices, clearly has spared many homeowners from foreclosure. Other factors, such as loan modifications, have played a role in the decline in foreclosures, but the decline in foreclosure activity has coincided with the improved Massachusetts real estate market. 

August marked the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year foreclosure deed decreases in Massachusetts, The Warren Group reported October 1, 2013. Foreclosure deeds are the final step in a Massachusetts foreclosure. 

July 2013 marked the ninth straight month of year-over-year declines in foreclosure starts in Massachusetts, The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported September 10, 2013.

A total of 407 foreclosures were initiated in Massachusetts in July, a 66 percent decline compared 1,198 foreclosure petitions in July 2012. Foreclosure petitions are the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts. Through July 2013, there have been 3,350 petitions recorded, down more than 68 percent from 10,623 during the same seven-month period a year ago.

The foreclosure crisis that has plagued the U.S. housing market for more than six years seems to be wrapping up, with the number of completed foreclosures and potential foreclosures declining. 

There were 49,000 completed foreclosures in July 2013, down from a 65,000 the previous July, CoreLogic, Inc., a provider of residential real estate data, reported August 29, 2013. The 49,000 completed U.S. foreclosures represented a 25 percent decline from the previous year and an 8.6 percent decline from June. There were 53,000 foreclosures in June 2013, down from an originally reported 55,000.

Only 254 foreclosure petitions in Massachusetts were recorded in June 2013, an 84 percent decrease from the 1,548 foreclosure petitions recorded in June 2012, The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported July 30, 2013. 

Foreclosure petitions are the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts. From January through June this year, 2,943 petitions to foreclose have been filed statewide, a decline of almost 69 percent from 9,425 during the same period in 2012. The June petition numbers were the lowest since The Warren Group began tracking foreclosure data in 2006. 

An increase in home prices, lenders' willingness to modify home loans and a slightly improved economy have certainly rescued some homeowners from losing their home to foreclosure, and the decline of "shadow inventory" has played a role too. 

The following are brief summaries of the latest real estate news in Massachusetts and around the United States to keep home buyers informed. 

The number of Massachusetts foreclosure petitions – the first step in the Bay State foreclosure process – declined 86 percent in May compared to May 2012, leaving little doubt that the Massachusetts foreclosure crisis is history. 

The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported June 20, 2013 that there were only 248 foreclosure starts, the first time the number of foreclosure petitions fell below 250 since The Warren Group started collecting foreclosure data in 2006.  

The number of advertised auction notices in Massachusetts plunged 75 percent in April, as well as other types of foreclosure activity, The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported June 5, 2013.

There were 348 auction announcements in April, down more than 75 percent from 1,403 in April 2012. Auction notices through the first four months of the year are down 74 percent to 1,450 from 5,577 during the same period in 2012. It appears that the chance to buy a foreclosure is about over for most Massachusetts home buyers. Investors will pounce on anything halfway decent, and properties that need substantial work are not usually a good fit for first-time home buyers. 

For many Massachusetts home buyers interested in purchasing a foreclosed property time may have run out. 

The number of foreclosure petitions – the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts – plunged by 82 percent in March, declining to 284 foreclosure petitions compared to 1,621 petitions in March 2012, The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, reported May 13, 2013.