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Reuters | “There were 51,000 completed foreclosures last month, down from 84,000 in September, 2012. Foreclosures are completed when a home is either seized by the lender or sold at auction. There were also 51,000 foreclosures in August. Between 2000 and 2006 and before the housing market’s downturn in 2007, completed foreclosures averaged 21,000 perRead more

Staff | Tampa Bay Business Journal | “Home flipping dropped in the third quarter of 2013 in Tampa Bay, a sign that there are fewer bargain basement properties on the market. Between July and September, 575 homes were flipped in the area, about 50 percent lower than the rate during the same time in 2012, the TampaRead more

Jann Swanson | Mortgage News Daily | “Foreclosure activity in September was up 2 percent from August, RealtyTrac said today, but the third quarter saw the lowest level of foreclosure related filings since the financial crisis began.  The company’s U.S. Foreclosure Market ReportTM covering the two periods showed 131,232 filings in September including default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions orRead more

Michael Sasso | Tribune Staff | “An encouraging jump in home prices in the Sunshine State belies a more troubling fact below the surface: the number of foreclosed homes in banks’ possession keeps rising. RealtyTrac, a national firm that lists foreclosed homes for sale, estimates that 83,238 homes in Florida currently are classified as “real estateRead more

Celia Watson Seupel, Special to CNBC | “When real estate agent John Lebron opened EZ Investments in Tampa, Fla., he may have already been planning fraud. His very first EZ Investments transaction involved selling a distressed property to his sister, then to his brother-in-law, the kind of “non-arms-length” flopping that tips authorities to collusion. LebronRead more

By John Hielscher |  “In 2009, nearly half of all Sarasota and Manatee county homeowners with mortgages owed more money on their loans than their properties were worth. Thanks to rising home prices and an improving economy, the percentage of so-called “underwater” homeowners regionwide has dropped significantly. But the Sarasota-Manatee region still has one of the nation’sRead more

Linda Hersey | SaintPetersBlog | “More homes sold in St. Petersburg than any other Pinellas County city in July. But Florida overall tops the nation in the percentage of underwater homes and short sales, according to new statistics. RealtyTrac, which monitors homes in foreclosure, reports that in August the Sunshine State was No. 2 in theRead more

Mary Shanklin | Orlando Sentinel | “Florida led the nation last month with what one expert called an “astounding” rate of all-cash home sales: 66 percent, a new report shows. Investor groups, international buyers, landlords and those in the market for vacation homes are fueling a cash-only market that has virtually shut out entry-level homebuyers, who can’tRead more

Les Christie  @CNNMoney | “States like Maryland, Oregon and New Jersey, which maintained relatively stable markets after the housing bubble popped, saw new foreclosure filings climb by double- and triple-digit percentages in July, according to RealtyTrac. In Maryland, for example, new foreclosure filings skyrocketed 275% compared with a year earlier. When it came to overall foreclosure activity, includingRead more

ILYCE GLINK | Moneywatch | CBS News | “Throughout the housing crisis, short sales have generally been praised as a good deal for everyone: distressed homeowners get a chance to avoid foreclosure, banks recoup more money from the sale and buyers get a great deal. But it’s not all roses. In fact, in some areasRead more