Do long, drawn-out foreclosures really help homeowners prepare?

The rate of foreclosures in July was down 32 percent from a year earlier, according to RealtyTrac. That sounds like good news, but it masks a stubborn reality.

More than 5 million homes have been lost to foreclosure since 2006. That's a lot of real estate, and con artists are determined to put it to good use.

Some cities with high foreclosure rates actually have housing shortages now, not a glut of foreclosed houses on the market. President Obama's mortgage-relief plan has helped, but another factor is hedge funds investing in houses to rent out.

Housing prices continue to firm up, but banks still aren’t confident in the housing or job markets to loan to anyone but the safest borrowers.

We're getting some new data this morning about the housing market. The foreclosure listing company RealtyTrac says there was an uptick in foreclosure activity last month, but it's down compared with a year ago. Which brings us to the eternal question: Has the housing market finally hit bottom?

The stress of foreclosure is causing ill health for some.