The incidence of foreclosures is cyclical, based on national and regional economic trends.

People can get a rough estimate of the number of foreclosures in a target area by dividing its population by 2,500, according to John T. Reed of Reed Publishing, Danville, Calif.

New England had so many foreclosures that newspapers added foreclosures-only sections to their real estate classified advertising section. But these states recovered in the mid-1990’s.

Buying directly at a legal foreclosure sale can be risky and dangerous. The process has many disadvantages. There is no financing so purchases require cash. The title needs to be checked before the purchase or the buyer could buy a seriously deficient title. The property’s condition is not well known and generally, an interior inspection of the property is not possible before the sale.

Additionally Estate (probate) and foreclosure sales are exempt from some states’ disclosure laws. The law protects the seller (usually an heir or financial institution) who has recently acquired the property through adverse circumstances and may have little or no direct information about it.