You've probably seen the headlines: foreclosures are on the rise! Maricopa County was posting around 300-350 notices a month, and now we're seeing 450-500. That's a 60% jump, which makes for a great headline. No doubt about it.

Here's what it actually means for buyers.

Honestly? Not much. Agents are bumping into short sales a little more often than we did the last few years, but it's nowhere near as dramatic as those headlines make it sound. Our NEXT Real Estate Team is one of the top ten producing teams at HomeSmart in Arizona — and HomeSmart has over 7,000 agents. In all that business this year, we've had exactly ONE approved short sale. Not a foreclosure, a short sale. And we haven't had a single client recently foreclosed on.

But I get it. When we hear "foreclosures are up," our brains go right back to 2007-2010 — deals everywhere, people losing their shorts, and most of us look back thinking, "I wish I would've bought more houses when I had the chance." So let's put 2009 on the chart and see how today really compares.

The headlines aren't wrong. Foreclosures in Maricopa County are happening. But that little voice in your head telling you this feels like 2009 all over again? That's not the full picture.

That said — there are good buys out there right now. If you'd like help finding a few options beyond what's sitting on Zillow, Realtor, or Redfin, send me your must-haves and our award-winning marketing department will dig up some extras for you. Easy peasy.