Many homeowners in the U.S. are still dealing with the after-effects of the housing bubble and credit meltdown. However, the foreclosure market is starting to show signs of slowly improving.
The amount of completed foreclosures in December dropped 14% in comparison to December 2012. There were 45,000 foreclosures in December 2013, whereas there were 52,000 in December 2012. However, that’s still higher than the monthly average of foreclosures seen from 2000-2006 where there were only around 21,000 foreclosures per month.
Anand Nallathambi, president and chief executive officer of CoreLogic remarked that 2013 was a transitional year for residential property in the U.S. However, higher home prices, lower shadow inventory levels, and the slowly improving economy are positive signs. The housing market is expected to continue healing in 2014, but progress will remain slow.
There are presently 36 states that have a lower foreclosure inventory level than the national foreclosure inventory. These are the 12 States with the lowest foreclosure inventory level throughout the U.S.
1. Wyoming
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.4%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 854
2. Alaska
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.5%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 854
3. North Dakota
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.6%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 417
4. Nebraska
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.6%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 1,673
5. Colorado
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.6%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 9,652
6. California
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.7%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 39,149
7. Minnesota
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.7%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 9,364
8. Montana
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.7%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 1,006
9. South Dakota
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.7%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: N/A
10. Virginia
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.8%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 12,409
11. Missouri
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.8%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 13,811
12. Arizona
Foreclosure Inventory: 0.8%
Completed Foreclosures in 2013: 19,831