IRVINE, Calif. – March 10, 2011 — RealtyTrac®, the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™ for February 2011, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 225,101 U.S. properties in February, a 14 percent decrease from the previous month and a 27 percent decrease from February 2010 — the biggest year-over-year decrease since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in 2005. The report also shows one in every 577 U.S. housing units with a foreclosure filing during the month.  Click here for more

February figures show an early boomerang in total sales volume with 115 new properties going under agreement for sale in the shortest month of the year, rivaling December's 116 properties in 31 days and well above January's 99 mark.  February monthly statistics that cover the towns of Dartmouth, Fall River, Little Compton, RI, Somerset, Swansea, Tiverton, RI, and Westport reveal a respectable level of activity of residential properties that went under agreement from 02/01/2011 through to 02/28/2011.  New pending sales data for February indicate a median and average sale price of $204,900. and $237,600., respectively.  The median sale price measures a slight increase, up approximately 2.5% over February 2010 while the average sale price is up a total of 1.92%.  This is relatively good news on the local front.  Let's hope that this is the start to an early and sustained spring season in the local real estate market!