INGHAM COUNTY - The Ingham County Register of Deeds Office recently released the new first-half numbers of 2014 showing the improvement of the housing market. The county experienced 2,055 recorded warranty deeds during this first half of 2014 in comparison to 2,116 during the same time in 2013.

The housing market has improved as the number of foreclosures in Ingham County so far this year has decreased significantly while home sales remain steady.

Meridian Township has seen a 35% decrease in foreclosures, a significant drop compared to previous years. Overall as a county, there has been a drop, a good thing for home values.

"Overall in the entire county we’ve seen a 33 percent drop, so actually the recovery is happening a little faster in Meridian Township," said Curtis Hertel Jr., Ingham County Register of Deeds.

"For every foreclosure that happened in your neighborhood, we lost $2,500 of value from your home, that’s a congressional budget office number. So to see that those foreclosures are lessening, that means the housing markets are going to go up, values are going to go up, and we can get onto the recovery in our housing market," he said.

If you are experiencing any difficulty or feel that there could be foul play while facing foreclosure, homeowners can call the foreclosure fraud hotline through the Register of Deeds Office at 517-676-7210.