Foreclosures continue to decline in Jeffco

Jeffco’s housing market continued its upward trend in 2013, as the county saw the largest year-to-year drop in foreclosures. 

The county had 1,303 foreclosures start in 2013, a 51 percent drop from the 2,650 foreclosures started in 2012. Jeffco’s 2013 foreclosure numbers were down by 2,724 since the height of the foreclosure crisis in 2009.

Jeffco Public Trustee Margaret Chapman said during a Jan. 28 briefing that while deferment programs across the country have been widely touted, they’ve had a limited impact in Jeffco. 

Since the deferment program began in Colorado in 2009, only 164 properties in Jeffco have qualified. 

Chapman said the main benefit of the program has been sending people to free counselors who helped them find an alternative to foreclosure on their homes.  

While 2013’s numbers were strong, foreclosures declined even more toward year’s end. From January to August, the county averaged about 126 foreclosures a month, but from September through December, the county averaged about 73 per month.

Contact Ramsey Scott at ramsey@evergreenco.com or 303-933-2233, ext. 22, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyColumbine. Check back at www.columbinecourier.com for updates.