Alabama is the thirtieth largest state of the United States of America. It has a varied topography consisting mostly of gentle plains, with some mountains and valleys on the north and beautiful inland waterways connected to the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River. The increase in the number of Alabama foreclosed homes for sale in the market is largely attributed to the lenders taking back houses of people who have defaulted in their mortgage payments and putting them back in the market to recoup their investment. This situation has been caused by the rapid decline in home values in the housing market, as well as the rising unemployment rate across the country.

However, before looking into the reasons that have led to an increase in the number of foreclosed homes in the market, it is important to understand more about daily living in Alabama. The state is located on the southern end of the country and is bordered by Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico. The state has a large number of waterways and boasts of a population of over 4.6million. Alabama up to the World War II had primarily invested all its energies into agriculture. After the war, the state decided to diversify its output portfolio from agriculture to heavy manufacturing, mining, education, technology and an increased investment in military installations and bases.

Alabama has additionally invested heavily in core industries such as education, healthcare, banking and aerospace technology. The state also makes a significant contribution to the national GDP with over USD 160 Billion. Even though the state has diversified its portfolio, it still invests in agriculture and some of its main products include poultry, cattle, peanuts, cotton and grains like maize, sorghum and soybeans. On the industrial front, the state of Alabama has been making strides producing marketable products such as iron, steel, paper, mining and plastic products. The state is also said to be positioned in America’s growth corridor, with a recent increase in jobs available in the automotive industry.

Despite this rosy appearance, the state of Alabama has not escaped the knock-on effects in the real estate market created by the global financial crisis. The housing market is one of the hardest hit by the crisis with thousands of homeowners having their houses foreclosed by the banks because of defaulting on payments. One of the contributing factors is the rapid decline in actual home value. This leaves the homeowners paying for a house whose value is significantly less than the mortgage value. Another reason for the foreclosures is reduced access to credit. This makes renegotiating the mortgage even more difficult.