Nearly a tenth of homes with a mortgage in the United States were considered “seriously underwater” at the end of the first quarter of 2017, according to statistics from ATTOM Data Solutions.
These homes — all 5.5 million of them — are not physically flooded, though the situation is nearly as alarming: A property is seriously underwater if the amount owed on the loan secured against it is at least 25% higher than the value of the property.
The good news is that the number of seriously underwater homes is down from the same time in 2016, but up slightly from the fourth quarter.
Where Are the Trouble Spots?
“While negative equity continued to trend steadily downward in the first quarter, it remains stubbornly high in often-overlooked pockets of the housing market,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions.
These pockets exist in several Rust Belt cities, Las Vegas and central Florida, Blomquist said. And nearly a third of all homes nationwide valued at less than $100,000 are seriously underwater.
Using ATTOM data, we’ve compiled the ZIP codes where at least 65% of the properties are seriously underwater. They represent the worst areas in the country.
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15. Chicago ZIP Code 60636
Properties with loans: 7,875
Properties seriously underwater: 65.6%
14. Detroit ZIP Code 48227
Properties with loans: 7,825
Properties seriously underwater: 65.8%
13. North Chicago ZIP Code 60064
Properties with loans: 2,856
Properties seriously underwater: 65.9%
12. Milwaukee ZIP Code 53206
Properties with loans: 3,189
Properties seriously underwater: 66.2%
11. Detroit ZIP Code 48234
Properties with loans: 6,096
Properties seriously underwater: 66.6%
10. Maple Heights, Ohio ZIP Code 44137
Properties with loans: 7,694
Properties seriously underwater: 66.8%
9. Detroit ZIP Code 48205
Properties with loans: 7,574
Properties seriously underwater: 67%
8. Riverdale, Illinois ZIP Code 60827
Properties with loans: 5,391
Properties seriously underwater: 67.4%
7. Dolton, Illinois ZIP Code 60419
Properties with loans: 6,673
Properties seriously underwater: 68.2%
6. Detroit ZIP Code 48228
Properties with loans: 9,993
Properties seriously underwater: 68.2%
5. Detroit ZIP Code 48224
Properties with loans: 8,974
Properties seriously underwater: 69.4%
4. Las Vegas ZIP Code 89109
Properties with loans: 6,327
Properties seriously underwater: 69.9%
3. Detroit ZIP Code 48235
Properties with loans: 9,629
Properties seriously underwater: 70%
2. St. Louis ZIP Code 63137
Properties with loans: 5,954
Properties seriously underwater: 70.6%
1. Trenton, New Jersey ZIP Code 08611
Properties with loans: 4,426
Properties seriously underwater: 74.6%
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