Foreclosure Sales Dip in Murrieta, County

Year-end foreclosure sales in Murrieta and the county as a whole dipped and were down sharply compared to a year ago, a real estate tracking firm reported Thursday.

Bay Area-based ForeclosureRadar.com's monthly "Foreclosure Report" showed a total of 1,091 repossessed properties were sold in Riverside County in December, compared to 1,185 in November—an 8 percent drop.

In Murrieta, 52 repossessed properties were sold in December, compared to 78 in November—a decrease of 33.3 percent. 

The county's foreclosure sales were down 19 percent from a year ago, when 1,359 homes ended up on the auction block.

Foreclosure sales in Murrieta were down 23.5 percent from a year ago, when 68 homes went to auction.

The month-to-month activity contrasted with the state as a whole, with total foreclosure sales in California increasing 3 percent in December, according to data.     

However, the 11,097 sales of distressed properties statewide last month was 3 percent below the volume of December 2010, when 11,447 foreclosure sales were recorded throughout the state.

ForeclosureRadar.com founder Sean O'Toole said lenders in many locations suspended sales for the holidays.

Meantime, Irvine-based RealtyTrac released data today indicating aggregate foreclosure activity in Riverside County during 2011 was 25 percent below the 2010 level, while statewide filings were down 21 percent year-to-year.

Maggie Avants contributed to this report.