Foreclosure pain is not over

During the real estate bust, Lee County was the center of the foreclosure crisis in Florida.

But an improving real estate market doesn't mean the pain is completely over.

According to data compiled by Jeff Tumbarello, the director of the Southwest Florida Real Estate Investors Association, Lee County still has a backlog of 9,122 active foreclosure cases in the courts as of April 30. That's roughly the same number as one year ago, when the backlog was 8,850.

But put this in perspective: On April 30, 2009, the foreclosure backlog in the Lee County courts totaled 24,335 properties. Thanks to former Lee County Clerk of Court Charlie Green's efforts to enlist retired judges to clear cases, the backlog fell to 8,356 cases by April 30, 2011.

“There is no more rocket docket,” says Tumbarello, referring to Green's implementation of a speedy foreclosure process during the bust.

Of the current active foreclosures, 53.7% are for homesteaded properties. The remainders are non-homesteaded properties (43.8%) and commercial properties (2.5%).