WHAT WERE THE ACTUAL NUMBERS?

The numbers for December (the last complete month available) are as follows:  The total number of sales was 2,572.  That was a 12% increase in volume over November but still 6% down from December 2010.  There were 1,621 single-family resale, 750 condos and 201 new homes sold.  1,066 of the 1,621 were equity sales and the rest were distressed, either short sales or bank owned properties.  Condos were split 50/50 equity to distressed.  There were 1,019 Notices of Default (a 22% decline from the previous year) and 535 foreclosures trustee sales.  Of those, 382 went back to the banks and the rest sold to investors who attended the auctions.  A more interesting number is the 1,700 Notices of Trustee Sale recordings.  Conceivably, all these should go to auction.  And yet that number is few than 600.  Where are the other 1,100 preforeclosures?  The bottom line?  Short sales.  The banks would far rather sell short, than foreclose, for many reasons.  If a person is in a distressed property in the process of foreclosure, they likely can get a postponement and sell the property short.  The average monthly payment has decreased to $1,948, thanks to low interest rates, a 5% decrease from the previous year.