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July 25, 2008 12:08:53 AM CDT

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Foreclosures Go Upscale

Posted May 15, 08 10:11 AM CDT in Business 

(Newser) – Luxury homes—once seemingly immune from the mortgage crisis—are starting to hit foreclosure lists across the nation, the Washington Post reports. And, real-estate agents predict, it’s just the beginning of a trend likely to grow as more buyers who bought beyond their means with adjustable-rate and interest-only mortgages are hit by the economic slowdown.

CNNMoney reports April foreclosure filings increased 65%, with bank seizures more than doubling from a year ago; in fact, one in 519 US households have received a foreclosure notice. Nationwide, filings against lux homes in the $1 million-plus range rose 50% from 2006 to 2007; actions against homes in the $500,000-$999,999 range rose 88%.

Sources Washington Post, CNNMoney

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A foreclosure sign is seen atop a sale sign for a house in Stockton, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A for sale sign stands in front of a house in San Francisco. Sales of existing homes fell in March, the seventh drop in the past eight months.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A realtor's sign is seen on the lawn of a foreclosed home in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans, file)
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housing market  • foreclosure  • mortgage  • credit market  • adjustable-rate mortgages


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