Over the years I’ve been at RealtyTrac my education in real estate investing has been vast and varied. From the professional investors I’ve interviewed, to the books I’ve read on the subject, I’ve learned that it’s one thing to decide to get into the game and completely another thing to actually become a player. Complete Story

Foreclosure filings were reported on 572,928 properties during the first quarter of 2012, down 2 percent from the previous quarter and down 16 percent from the first quarter of 2011, according to the RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. The first quarter total was the lowest quarterly total since the fourth quarter of 2007, when 527,740 properties with foreclosure filings were reported. The report shows one in every 230 U.S. housing units with a foreclosure filing during the quarter. Foreclosure filings were reported on 198,853 U.S. properties in March, a 4 percent decrease from February and a 17 percent decrease from March 2011. Complete Story

An important shift is occurring in the real estate market: Short sales are outnumbering foreclosure sales in many markets. In Q4 2011, there were 88,303 short sales, also known as pre-foreclosure sales, accounting for 10 percent of all sales during the fourth quarter, according to the latest RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report. Short sales increase 15 percent from year ago. Meanwhile, bank-owned (REO) sales decrease 12 percent from year ago. While third parties purchased a total of 115,777 REO homes in the fourth quarter, that share was down 10 percent from the previous quarter. Complete Story