Warren Group

A significant decline in foreclosures during the month of March signals an end to the foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts, The Warren Group said Monday.

As home values have ticked upward and unemployment has fallen over the past year, Timothy Warren, chairman of real estate tracking firm The Warren Group, figured owners who had been waiting for better conditions to sell would finally come off the sidelines.

A shrinking inventory was blamed for the second consecutive month of declining single-family home and condominium sales, according to The Warren Group of Boston.

Citing improving economic conditions and a revitalized real estate market, the Warren Group said Massachusetts foreclosures continued to decline in February.

A drop in inventory pushed down sales of single-family homes in Massachusetts last month, halting more than a year of monthly gains, according to two reports released today.

Massachusetts foreclosures posted double-digit decreases in January, in both petitions and completions, according to The Warren Group, a sign last year's backlog in foreclosures stemming from 2011 banks' legal and documentation issues has subsided.

Home sales in Massachusetts continued their upward climb in January with median prices rising for the fourth straight month, helped in part by low inventory that's inspiring more homeowners to sell, according to two reports released today.

The number of completed foreclosures in Massachusetts fell almost 13 percent in 2012, reflecting a nationwide trend that could continue through this year if the real estate market becomes more robust, according to The Warren Group of Boston.

Home sales in Massachusetts reached their highest level in at least six years, according to two industry organizations.

Personal bankruptcies in Massachusetts fell more than 18 percent in 2012 from the previous year, according to The Warren Group.