There were 177,431 properties with foreclosure filings in the first half of this year, according to the Midyear 2024 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report from Attom.

That figure is down 4.4% from the first half of 2023, though it’s up 7.8% from the same period in 2022. Aside from 2021 (when the COVID-era foreclosure moratorium was fully in effect), the count of properties with foreclosure filings during the first six months of the year have hovered between 164,000 and 186,000 since 2020.

Foreclosure activity remains down sharply from pre-pandemic levels. During the first half of 2019, for example, there were nearly 300,000 properties with foreclosure filings. In the first half of 2015, there were nearly 600,000.

Foreclosure starts are down, too, falling to 130,369 properties from January to June, a drop of 3.5% year over year. Notably, starts are down 32% from the first half of 2020.

“In contrast to the first half of 2023, foreclosure activity across the United States experienced a decline in the first half of 2024,” stated Rob Barber, CEO for ATTOM. “In addition, U.S. foreclosure starts also decreased by 3 percent in the first six months of 2024.  These shifts could suggest a potential stabilization in the housing market; however, monitoring these evolving patterns remains crucial to understanding the full impact on the real estate sector.”

One out of every 794 properties had a foreclosure filing in the first half of the year. New Jersey, where 0.21% of all housing units carried a foreclosure filing, had the highest foreclosure rate, followed by Illinois (0.21%), Florida (0.20%), Nevada (0.19%) and South Carolina (0.19%). Among major metros, Cleveland had the highest foreclosure rate at 0.27%, followed by Jacksonville (0.25%) and Orlando (0.24%). Among metropolitan statistical areas with at least 200,000 people, Lakeland, Florida, had the highest foreclosure rate at 0.32%. In the second quarter alone, the number of properties with foreclosure filings was down 6% quarter over quarter and 8% year over year.