The numbers for new foreclosure filings in Southwest Florida go up and they go down — from year to year and month to month — with housing experts giving different reasons as to why that may be. Still, all seem to agree that the housing market is on its way back to a full recovery, despite fluctuations in new foreclosure filings, as lenders work with homeowners to avoid having homes sold at auction.

“The general consensus of everyone seems to be that the lenders are trying to not end up with the inventory in their portfolios by going through the foreclosure process,” said Kathy Roberts, chief executive officer of the Sarasota Association of Realtors.