Canyon County defaults rise 70 percent in January

Canyon County’s home defaults had dropped off in the last few months of 2009, but they came back with a vengeance in the first month of 2010.

The county’s foreclosures hit a high in January, rising from 214 filed in December to 365 filed in January for a total increase of 70.5 percent, according to IdahoDataProviders.com.

“What this all means is that you should brace yourself for a double dip in the housing market in 2010,” Charlie Nate, president of the foreclosure-tracking company, said in a release. “Look for local prices to still fall another 7% to 10% starting in the next few months. A bottom to the housing market and the beginning of a real recovery is unfortunately still at least one year away.”

Ada County’s number of foreclosures filed dropped 8 percent to 408 in January this year, a 19 percent increase from January 2009.

Short sales dropped 1.3 percent in the two counties in January, a lull which Nate calls the “calm before the storm.” He expects a new flood of short sales this year caused primarily by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, which must be implemented by April 5, 2010. The program requires each distressed property to first be considered for a loan modification, and then evaluated for a short sale or deed in lieu before a foreclosure can be initiated.

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