Cool LA Times Tool

Along with a very depressing story about record foreclosures (which I’m going to let our other bloggers tackle while I remain uncompromisingly optimistic in the face of disaster), the LA Times has linked in their real estate data tool, which lets you search by zip or city to find median sale prices for the year, the amount it’s changed over last year, and current foreclosure data. Here’s an example from the 90027:

Median sale price: $870,000

Change from 2007: -22.7%

June 2008 sales: 15

Q2 Foreclosures: 7

Q2 2007 Foreclosures: 4

Percent change year-over-year: 75%

While I can’t put any kind of good spin on a 75% increase in foreclosures, I do like the tool. It’s a great, quick way to get a snapshot of a zip and see what kind of activity is going on.

The story also has a 16 photo spread of homes in foreclosure from “Glendale to Redondo Beach.” (the pic above is the first in the series, credited to Leo Nordine Realtors). It’s really interesting to take a look at it and get an idea of the breadth of homes that are in foreclosure. I truly feel sorry for people facing losing their home, regardless of the financial decisions that got them to this point. Whether its the banks fault, the borrowers fault, or some combination, it’s a tough place to be and I feel for them.