Last time, we saw that "releases of deeds of trust" spiked in Mesa County. That suggests some strong demand for for-sale housing in the GJ metro area.
So, not surprisingly, we also find that foreclosures in the area fell to a 12-year low in the area. In fact, these numbers may be lower than anything we've seen in much more than 12 years, but I only have data going back to 2008. In other words, there were fewer new foreclosures in December 2019 than in any other month during which I collected this data.
Specifically, during December, there were 11 notices of election and demand. The "NED filing" is the first step in the foreclosure process. That's down from 17 in November 2011, and it's down from December 2018 when 19 NEDs were filed. As the blue line shows below, the NED filings total is even down from where it was in 2008.
The other measure of foreclosure activity "auction sales" has not dropped off quite as much. The "sale" step of the process is the end of the foreclosure process when the property is auctioned off to a new owner.
During December, a total of five properties were foreclosed and sold at auction. That's a low number, but not the lowest we've seen over the past 12 years. Sales totals have been largely flat over the past year, and have returned to what we saw back in early 2008. Nonetheless, foreclosure auction sales can be said to be at historic lows.
This follows a general statewide trend. Most Colorado counties have seen big decreases in foreclosure activity with combined statewide totals also dipping near 12-year lows.
Moreover, keep in mind the population of both Mesa County and the state have increased over the past decade, so on a per capita basis, foreclosure activity has fallen well below where they were before 2008.