You may have picked up the report from news media outlets that we've now hit the lowest level of foreclosures in the country since before 2006. Well, it's true. USA Today reports "Fewer U.S. homes entered the foreclosure process or were repossessed by banks in June, the latest sign that the nation is shaking off its housing bust hangover," in a recent report.
How that really matters to you is that in the Washington, D.C. area, except for Prince George's County, MD., most foreclosures and other distressed sales are nearly non-existent. The chart below rates the percentage that distressed properties make up of the available inventory in the D.C. metropolitan area.
As far as the housing pool (foreclosures as a share of all housing units) Virginia stands with one out of every 1,654 houses; D.C. with 1 out of every 42,216 houses; and Maryland is at 1 out of every 647 houses in a distressed situation, according to RealtyTrac.com, which tracks foreclosure rates nationally.
On a local level, 11.7% of all available homes on the market in the D.C. metropolitan area are distressed properties (short sale or bank-owned). The majority of them are in Prince George's County, MD where 30.5% of the available homes for sale are short sales or bank-owned properties. Montgomery County is down to 11.1%, with Alexandria City standing at 7.5%. Arlington County has 9 distressed houses on the market at this writing, which is 2.1% of their inventory. Fairfax County and D.C. are at 4.8% and 6.1% respectively.
The financial effect distressed properties have on your home is nearly non-existent today. Appraisals these days rarely use the foreclosed sale as a comparable, so the value of regular sale properties are no longer impacted by the distressed sale in the neighborhood.
Looking for sound real estate advice? Connect with me at Weichert Realtors in McLean, Virginia on Old Dominion Drive at (703) 821-8300 or leave a comment right here. 
Foreclosure Share Chart