The first month of the year may be an indicator of better times to come. For the first time in a while all foreclosure listing companies reported a decline in January foreclosures.

As seems to be the norm, the percent by which foreclosures decreased continues to be up to debate. According to an article published in Ad Hoc News, ForeclosureS.com reported that nationwide foreclosure had decreased 25 percent. The company also reported a 12 percent decrease in foreclosure filings.

However, according to a separate series of articles, a different percent was reported. These conflicting articles were based on RealtyTrac’s January foreclosure report. Based on this report, nationwide foreclosures had decreased 18 percent and 7 percent respectively. While it seems the margin between competing foreclosure listing companies is narrowing, they still offer a wide disparity of information. In order to better understand the conflicting figures, below you will find a visual representation. Also note that while the percent differences are closer than usual, the actual figures in properties remain quite vast.

Foreclosure Breakdown:
RealtyTrac: REOs/Completed Foreclosures December 78,938
RealtyTrac: REOs/Completed Foreclosures January 66,777
18% change

RealtyTrac: Pre-foreclosure Filings December 224,472
RealtyTrac: Pre-foreclosure Filings January 207,622
7.5% change

ForeclosureS.com: REOs/Completed Foreclosures December 97,841
ForeclosureS.com: REOs/Completed Foreclosures January 72,694
25% change

ForeclosureS.com: Pre-foreclosure Filings December 190,467
ForeclosureS.com: Pre-foreclosure Filings January 166,860
12% change