A few months ago, while performing some web searches on Google for ‘Foreclosure related’ keywords, I found some interesting things.
I found Reply.com advertisements all over the place. Reply.com now has foreclosures? Further investigation showed that they apparently have found a little loophole in Google’s double ad showing policy.
Google Adwords prevents individual companies from having multiple ads appear at the same time for the same keywords. This is called ‘double ad serving.’ This halts companies with deep pockets from buying up all the ad space for their niches. Makes …

Over the last few years foreclosure and its distressing effects on the human psyche have been blamed for some unfortunate incidents and behaviors by homeowners. From the more recent bulldozing escapade by disgruntled owner Terry Hoskins to more bleak reports of suicide, foreclosures seem to have been pegged at the root of the problem.
The latest foreclosure blame-game report may be a stretch though. A recent opinion column in the Wall Street Journal implicates foreclosure as one of the causes for the recent attempted terror plot in New York City’s Time …

On the upside, while foreclosures are up from previous years, many states have seen consecutive months of decreased foreclosure rates. Some experts say recent legislation, specifically the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable Program, has played a significant role in the latest figures.
The program offers homeowners with mortgages guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac the option to refinance at more affordable rates or more affordable payment schedules. The program is back by $75 billion in tax payer funds.
However, the billion dollar question may be “is it working?” According …

More Q2 reports of apparent foreclosure records are hitting the media, with some of the most misguided reporting seen yet. Surprisingly, the particular article under scrutiny comes from Reuters, one of the most respected news wires in the world.
The article titled, “U.S. foreclosures jump to record high,” written by Lynn Adler, is a prefect example of the media’s tendency to report on “doom and gloom” or worse yet, give heed to more dramatic suppositions.
The headline, “U.S. foreclosures jump to record high” leaves out a rather important fact. According to the …

Yet another economically depressing article has made its way into the media and with an aptly named title, “And Now For This Morning’s Gloom…” The article, written by Henry Blodget and published in The Business Insider on May 5, 2009 offers more insight into foreclosures, job loss, and the economy.
However, there was one noticeable red flag where there was a reference to an unlikely source when discussing the implications of foreclosures on job loss. The following is a snippet from the article:
“According to RealtyTrac, job losses result in …

It looks like the foreclosure fishermen are at it again. There is no telling just how big… the foreclosure crisis is getting. The size and method of catch all depend on which statistical fisherman you ask.
RealtyTrac is just one purveyor of such foreclosure fish stories. Their figures have been up for debate for several years now. In the most recent press release the foreclosure rate per household left out one major piece of information. According to the release titled, “Foreclosure Activity Increases 9 Percent in First Quarter,” the company …

Throughout Foreclosure Research’s endeavor to find the truth behind foreclosure data, many different avenues have been explored to help demystify foreclosure statistics. Some of the more obvious causes of these untruths so to speak, came from the inaccuracies of several foreclosure listing providers, and from faulty reporting in the media.
However, the underlying truth behind the economy, foreclosures, and the housing market downturn are unarguably complex. Yet many factors are identifiable and some more pertinent than others.
One interesting perspective that has yet to be noted comes from Jay Brinkmann, a …

It looks like the December foreclosure figures were overshadowed by reports of an 81 percent increase in 2008. Just a quick analysis shows that those figures should have been given a little more priority by media outlets as many states reflected a decrease or very slight increases in filings for the month, a great sign in the midst of a bedraggled economy.
In fact, there was only a trickle of articles mentioning a decrease for the month of December, at least according to recent headlines. Most continued to report increases …

Some more conflicting numbers are out this week along with a sprinkle of blatantly wrong information. Foreclosure statistics for 2008 continue to make national headlines. Last week’s Foreclosure Research article focused on foreclosure fillings while this week’s article will take a glimpse at actual foreclosures across the country in 2008.
One article out of BusinessWeek offered some foreclosure statistics from ForeclosureS.com. According to the article, “the foreclosure process was begun on 2 million” homes but there were “over one million lost homes,” or actual repossessions.
However, according to an Associated …

On the plus side, foreclosures dropped in California in October all across the board. While the state still reflects some of the highest rates in the country, signs that foreclosures may be decreasing or even plateauing are a welcome report.
As far as by what percent foreclosures in California fell, it is unknown. As the norm, there were some conflicting numbers reported by varying foreclosure data companies.
According to an article in HousingWire titled, “Foreclosures Drop in California, as Lenders Boost Workout Attempts,” foreclosures dropped by 39.1 percent from September to October. …