THURSDAY'S CUP: Do you remember September?

Here's some interesting perspective on the real estate market from Lee County, one of the hardest-hit areas during the bust: Foreclosure cases there are down to 2007 levels.

As of Sept. 30, there were 7,262 foreclosures winding their way through the Lee County court system, according to the Southwest Florida Real Estate Investment Association.

By contrast, during the depth of the real estate collapse in September 2009, there were 23,475 foreclosure cases making their way through the courts in Lee County. By September 2012, that number had declined to 9,612.

“More and more it's evident that this part of the correction is over and we're now just mopping up,” says Jeff Tumbarello, director of the association.