Foreclosure Homes Account for 25 Percent of All Q3 2010 Residential Sales: RealtyTrac

IRVINE, Calif. — RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its Q3 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report™, which shows that foreclosure homes accounted for 25 percent of all U.S. residential sales in the third quarter of 2010 and that the average sales price of properties that sold while in some stage of foreclosure was more than 32 percent below the average sales price of properties not in the foreclosure process — up from a 26 percent discount in the previous quarter and a 29 percent discount in the third quarter of 2009.

A total of 188,748 U.S. properties in some stage of foreclosure — default, scheduled for auction or bank-owned (REO) — sold to third parties in the third quarter, a decrease of 25 percent from the previous quarter and a decrease of nearly 31 percent from the third quarter of 2009. The average sales price of properties in some stage of foreclosure was $169,523, down 2.46 percent from the previous quarter and down 0.44 percent from the third quarter of 2009.

The average sales price of properties not in foreclosure was $249,721, up 6.42 percent from the previous quarter and up 4.36 percent from the third quarter of 2009. Sales volume of non-foreclosure properties decreased 29 percent from the previous quarter and nearly 31 percent from the third quarter of 2009.

“The expiration of the homebuyer tax credit in the second quarter created a substantial dip in overall buyer demand in the third quarter,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “Demand for foreclosures also dipped in the third quarter, but those who did purchase a short sale or REO during the quarter were able to get an average discount of more than 32 percent — the highest average foreclosure discount we’ve seen since the fourth quarter of 2005.

“The foreclosure-processing controversy, which was brought to light at the very end of the third quarter, could chill demand even further — particularly for foreclosure properties,” Saccacio continued. “A quick but responsible resolution to that issue would be ideal to help the market continue to properly clear out foreclosure inventory and get distressed properties into the hands of qualified buyers and investors who will likely add value to those properties and the neighborhoods they are in.”

Foreclosure sales by type

A total of 113,933 bank-owned (REO) properties sold to third parties in the third quarter, down nearly 26 percent from the previous quarter and down nearly 35 percent from the third quarter of 2009. REO sales accounted for 15 percent of all sales in the third quarter, the same as the previous quarter and slightly below the 16 percent of all sales reported in the third quarter of 2009. REOs sold for an average discount of nearly 41 percent, up from an average discount of 34 percent in the previous quarter and an average discount of nearly 35 percent in the third quarter of 2009.

A total of 74,815 pre-foreclosure properties — in default or scheduled for auction — sold to third parties in the third quarter, down nearly 24 percent from the previous quarter and down 24 percent from the third quarter of 2009. Pre-foreclosure sales accounted for nearly 10 percent of all sales, up slightly from 9 percent in the previous quarter and 9 percent in the third quarter of 2009. Pre-foreclosure sales, which are often short sales, sold for an average discount of 19 percent, up from an average discount of nearly 13 percent in the previous quarter and an average discount of 18 percent in the third quarter of 2009.

Nevada, Arizona, California post highest percentage of foreclosure sales

Foreclosure sales accounted for nearly 54 percent of all sales in Nevada in the third quarter, the highest percentage of any state but down from nearly 56 percent of all sales in the previous quarter and 62 percent of all sales in the third quarter of 2009. Both pre-foreclosure sales and REO sales in Nevada were down from the previous quarter and from the third quarter of 2009. Nevada properties in some stage of foreclosure sold for an average discount of 19 percent in the third quarter.

Arizona foreclosure sales accounted for nearly 47 percent of all sales in the third quarter, the second highest percentage of any state despite a decrease of 27 percent from the previous quarter and a decrease of 32 percent from the third quarter of 2009. Arizona properties in some stage of foreclosure sold for an average discount of 25 percent in the third quarter.

Foreclosure sales accounted for nearly 40 percent of all sales in California in the third quarter, the third highest percentage nationwide but down from 43 percent of all sales in the previous quarter and nearly 52 percent of all sales in the third quarter of 2009. California foreclosure sales were down nearly 27 percent from the previous quarter and down 43 percent from the third quarter of 2009. California properties in some stage of foreclosure sold for an average discount of nearly 39 percent.

Other states where foreclosure sales accounted for at least one-quarter of all sales were Florida (37 percent), Massachusetts (35 percent), Michigan (32 percent), Georgia (29 percent), Oregon (27 percent), Idaho (25 percent) and Illinois (25 percent).

Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee post highest foreclosure discounts

Ohio foreclosures sold for an average discount of nearly 45 percent in the third quarter, the biggest discount percentage of any state and up from an average discount of 42 percent in the previous quarter. Ohio pre-foreclosures sold for an average discount of nearly 21 percent, and Ohio REOs sold for an average discount of nearly 51 percent.

With foreclosures selling at an average price that was 44 percent below the average sales price of non-foreclosure properties, Kentucky posted the nation’s second highest average foreclosure discount in the third quarter. Kentucky pre-foreclosures sold for an average discount of nearly 31 percent, and Kentucky REOs sold for an average discount of nearly 51 percent.

Tennessee foreclosures sold for an average discount of 42 percent in the third quarter, the third highest average discount nationwide and up from an average discount of nearly 38 percent in the previous quarter. Tennessee pre-foreclosures sold for an average discount of 28 percent, and Tennessee REOs sold for an average discount of 43 percent.

Other states with average foreclosure discounts of more than 40 percent were Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Report methodology

The RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report is produced by matching national address-level sales deed data against RealtyTrac’s foreclosure database of pre-foreclosure (NOD, LIS), auction (NTS, NFS) and bank-owned (REO) properties. A property is considered a foreclosure sale if a sales deed is recorded for the property while it was actively in some stage of foreclosure or bank-owned. The foreclosure discount is calculated by comparing the percentage difference between the average sales price of properties not in foreclosure to the average sales price of properties in some stage of foreclosure or bank-owned. States without sufficient foreclosure sales data to calculate average prices are not included in the report.

About RealtyTrac Inc.
RealtyTrac (www.realtytrac.com) is the leading online marketplace of foreclosure properties, with more than 1.5 million default, auction and bank-owned listings from over 2,200 U.S. counties, along with detailed property, loan and home sales data. Hosting more than 3 million unique monthly visitors, RealtyTrac provides innovative technology solutions and practical education resources to facilitate buying, selling and investing in real estate. RealtyTrac’s foreclosure data has also been used by the Federal Reserve, FBI, U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee and Banking Committee, U.S. Treasury Department, and numerous state housing and banking departments to help evaluate foreclosure trends and address policy issues related to foreclosures.