Washington foreclosure filings down, sales up in April

April foreclosure filings were down in Washington, Arizona, California, and Nevada, with Oregon being the sole West Coast exception where filings were up, according to ForeclosureRadar.com.

California filings were down to levels not seen since late 2008, when governmental intervention caused a temporary but massive drop in activity. Foreclosure sales saw similar declines throughout our coverage area except Washington.

Cancellations were up significantly across the board, leaving fewer propeties scheduled for trustee sale.

“The drop in filings, and the rise in cancellations, is surprising,” says Sean O’Toole, CEO and Founder of ForeclosureRadar.com. “Banks have had time to resolve robo-signing issues, so we should be seeing exactly the opposite results, with lenders starting to catch up from recent delays.”

Washington saw a 12.1 percent slip in Notice of Trustee Sale filings from March, and were down 25.4 percent year-over-year.

Sales on the courthouse steps, the traditional site of Trustees Sales, were active with properties sold back to the bank up 38.7 percent, and those sold to third parties up 40.5 percent from March.