I was interviewed by Danny Gallagher with the McKinney Courier Gazette as part of his story on the dramatic drop in foreclosures in June 2011.
According to the Foreclosure Listing Service (FLS), July 2011 foreclosure filings are down 28 percent across the Metroplex, the fifth straight month of decreased filings.
The real question is “What’s driving this change?” I agree with the FLS that while our numbers continue to decline, it’s hard to pinpoint the reasons.
As I dug into the MLS statistics, I note that North Texas continues to buck all the trends. Housing prices are up 3.5 percent year over year and Collin County prices are up 5.4 percent. Higher housing prices allow people to sell, if needed.
Additionally new listings are down 17 percent and home sales are down 14 percent. What these two numbers tell me is that the number of available homes is getting smaller since there are more sales than new listings. This has a positive impact on housing prices because the supply is actually getting smaller.
Other good news is that the North Texas economy is doing well. People who are working are far less likely to default on their mortgages.
Are we out of the woods yet? Perhaps–but there is still too much economic uncertainty at the national level. While some areas of the country are experiencing the “double-dip”, our housing market appears to be relatively stable.
If you are a homeowner having problems paying the mortgage, help is avaialable. Contract your lender or local real estate professional.
You must be logged in to post a comment.