Florida now leads the nation in foreclosures. Here’s what Broward homeowners need to know.

By Damelecia, Inc. · Reviewed by Melecia Johnson, Broker/Property Manager · FL Lic. BK3251569 – Plantation, FL – last updated

If you’ve fallen behind on your mortgage this year, you’re not alone – and you’re not out of options. But new national data says one thing clearly: in Florida, the clock moves faster than it used to.

1 in 373 – Florida homes with a foreclosure filing – highest rate in the U.S.

+21% – U.S. foreclosure filings vs. first half of 2025

563 days – Average foreclosure timeline – shortest since 2013

The numbers, briefly

ATTOM’s midyear 2026 foreclosure report counted 227,548 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in the first half of the year – up 21% from the same period in 2025. Florida topped every state in the country, with roughly one in every 373 homes receiving a filing, more than 27,000 properties in six months.

Two other findings matter more than the headline:

It’s not the mortgage payment. Analysts point to rising property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and everyday costs as the pressure pushing borrowers over the edge – the payment itself often hasn’t changed, but everything around it has. Any Broward County homeowner who has opened an insurance renewal lately understands exactly how that happens.

Timelines are the shortest since 2013. The average foreclosure now completes in about 563 days nationally, and both starts and completed bank repossessions are rising. Translation: the window between your first missed payment and losing the home is narrower than it was for the past decade. Waiting is now the most expensive decision a homeowner in trouble can make.

Why Florida is at the center of it

Five Florida metros – Punta Gorda, Lakeland, Cape Coral, Jacksonville, and Ocala – rank among the nation’s ten worst foreclosure rates. The stress is heaviest on FHA and VA loans, where pandemic-era relief programs have ended or tightened, leaving fewer ways to lower a payment once a borrower falls behind. Broward County’s tax and insurance escalation sits on top of all of it.

Your options, in order

If you’re behind on payments in Broward County, here is the honest menu – roughly from “keep the home” to “leave on your terms”:

01. Call your servicer early

Reinstatement plans, repayment plans, and loan modifications exist, but they work best before a case is filed. A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through this for free.

02. Check refinance or partial-claim options

Depending on your loan type and equity, there may be a path – a counselor or attorney can tell you quickly whether it’s realistic.

03. Rent the home out

If your payment is manageable but your circumstances changed – job relocation, divorce, inherited property – Broward rents may cover the mortgage. Professional management makes this workable even from out of state.

04. Sell before the auction

Most Florida homeowners in foreclosure still have equity. Selling – on the open market or as-is for speed – lets you capture that equity instead of surrendering it. Once the auction happens, that choice is gone.

05. Short sale, if you owe more than it’s worth

Slower and lender-dependent, but far better for your credit and your future than a completed foreclosure.

One caution: be careful with anyone who cold-calls promising to “stop your foreclosure” or asks you to sign the deed over. Florida law regulates foreclosure-rescue services for a reason. Work with a licensed brokerage, a real estate attorney, or a HUD-approved counselor – people whose licenses are on the line.

Where we fit

An owner’s perspective on a hard decision.

Damelecia, Inc. is a licensed Florida brokerage based in Plantation. Melecia Johnson started in 2007 managing her own investment properties, so she knows the owner’s side of hard decisions. Today we manage rentals for owners across Broward County.

If selling quickly is the right move, we can tell you what your home would bring as-is versus on the market, in plain numbers, with no obligation. If renting it out makes more sense, we’ll tell you that instead – property management is our core business, so we have no incentive to push a sale that shouldn’t happen.

The data says Florida foreclosures are rising and moving faster. Your best defense is simply acting early, while every option is still on the table.

Explore your selling options ->

(954) 860-7493

Source: ATTOM Mid-Year 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, as reported by HousingWire (July 16, 2026). This article is general information, not legal or financial advice – for decisions about your mortgage, consult a HUD-approved housing counselor or a Florida attorney.