The news may tout an economic recovery, but for struggling homeowners, the struggle to fight back from the recession is still on. Some states are seeing a drop in home foreclosure rates; yet others, including Florida, are still making their way toward recovery and seeing a rise in foreclosure rates. However, help for homeowners in Florida and knowledge about the process is still the best defense against losing their homes.
Nationally, foreclosure rates actually rose from June to July but were still markedly down from last year. In fact, even from 2010 to 2011, there was a dramatic decrease in foreclosures. While these figures are encouraging overall, the breakdown from state to state shows that some regions are still having serious after-effects from the recession.
Florida in particular is still far above the national average for foreclosures, reportedly three times that figure. When broken down into metropolitan areas, nine out of ten of the most ill-effected metro areas in the country are located in Florida. For half of the metro areas still struggling in the state, there are more foreclosures than one year ago also.
While some of the numbers pertaining to the home foreclosure rates in Florida may seem bleak, there is help for those still struggling. Having all the knowledge about the latest programs or options to avoid foreclosure is vital for making an informed decision. Homeowners may also want to inquire as to what the impact of home foreclosure may be on their credit and their ability to get another home.
Source: USA Today, Foreclosure activity down 32% year over year, Julie Schmit, Aug. 15, 2013