Spokane County ranks low for foreclosures in 2009

The foreclosure rate last year in Spokane County ranked among the lowest in the United States, according to statistics released Thursday by RealtyTrac, which markets foreclosed properties nationally. Of the 203 markets surveyed by the company, Spokane ranked 181, with one of every 199 homes subject to some type of foreclosure action. The rate fell compared with 2008 and 2007. Coeur d’Alene was not included in the rankings, but with one home in 38 subject to a foreclosure notice, the city would have placed between No. 47 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif., and No. 48 Washington, D.C., and suburbs. The national rate was one home out of every 45, up 21 percent from 2008 and 120 percent from 2007. Las Vegas, with one home out of eight in foreclosure action, ranked No. 1. Burlington, Vermont, at one per 1,972 homes, was No. 203. Boise was ranked 24th, with one out of 21 homes receiving a notice. Portland-Vancouver ranked 61st, and Seattle 86th. The Northwest area with the lowest rate was the Tri-Cities, ranked 194th with one out of 372 homes in foreclosure.