Just two years ago, RealtyTrac was in some hot water over counting foreclosure filings multiple times for a single property and providing inflated foreclosure statistics to the media. Since then, the company has said to have changed its data collecting and reporting methods. However, as seen in last week’s articles, many of these duplicate listings are still appearing throughout the media.
On their statistics page, readers can see the different categories for filings; however, the actual numbers are not easy to come by. One would have to break out a calculator …

It looks like Foreclosure research isn’t the only website/researcher uncovering the discrepancies between foreclosure listings providers and the news publications that report their data.
According to a blog on The Washington Post, author Elizabeth Razzi voices her frustrations with foreclosure reporting. In an article posted on March 16, 2009, titled “How Many Foreclosed or Homeless?” Razzi writes, “One of the biggest frustrations in trying to report about this housing crisis and recession is the lack of reliable numbers on two of its most dire outcomes: foreclosures and homelessness.”
Razzi continues by stating, …

In the midst of foreclosure reports touting the worst of the real estate market meltdown, one article seemed to stray away from the pack. Published on March 2, 2009 on The New York Times Web site, the article headline reads, “Foreclosure Rates Aren’t Really That High…”
While many would say otherwise, the fact that the article was such a departure from the usual doom and gloom warranted a further look. According to the article by Catherine Rampell, a new study out of the University of Virginia states that foreclosures …

In parts I and II of “The Underbelly of an Online Listing Provider,” Foreclosure Research set out to uncover the truth behind Foreclosure Store’s deceptive façade. Beyond duplicitous listings and charging methods, every factor of the company seems to be wrought with deceptive or unethical tactics.
Take the sign-up page for the free trial for example. At meets the eye, it looks incredibly similar to a competing foreclosure listing site, Foreclosure.com (See photos 1 and 2). The layout and styles are the same and even the text is copied verbatim. In …