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Durham County, North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence

Live court-record analysis of property-related filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship). Data sourced direct from Durham County court dockets. Updated 2026-08-03. See methodology.

Investor takeaway

About Durham County

Durham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 324,833, making it the sixth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Durham, which is the only incorporated municipality predominantly in the county, though very small portions of cities and towns mostly in neighboring counties also extend into Durham County. The central and southern parts of Durham County are highly urban, consisting of the city as well as several unincorporated suburbs. Southeastern Durham County is dominated by the Research Triangle Park, most

Source: Wikipedia

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At a glance

3897 property-related court filings tracked across 41 months (Aug 2020 to Jul 2026).

89 typical monthly filing volume.

0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (1 of 3897 filings).

$394,097 median estimated property value across the 1147 filings with property-enrichment data (29% coverage).

3.5% North Carolina unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-05). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.

Filing type breakdown

Filing typeFilingsShare
Other 2886 74.1%
Divorce 570 14.6%
Probate 246 6.3%
Pre-Foreclosure 195 5.0%

Each row is a distinct case as recorded on the county docket.

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Monthly filing activity

MonthFilingsvs prior
Aug 2020 4
Sep 2020 18 +14
Oct 2020 13 -5
Nov 2020 3 -10
Dec 2020 9 +6
Jan 2021 4 -5
Mar 2021 25 +21
Apr 2021 13 -12
May 2021 17 +4
Jun 2021 15 -2
Jul 2021 15 0
Aug 2021 17 +2
Sep 2021 14 -3
Oct 2021 14 0
Nov 2021 16 +2
Dec 2021 18 +2
Jan 2022 14 -4
Feb 2022 17 +3
Mar 2022 16 -1
Apr 2022 14 -2
May 2022 18 +4
Jun 2022 17 -1
Jul 2022 2 -15
Sep 2023 1 -1
Aug 2024 1 0
Apr 2025 1 0
May 2025 1 0
Jun 2025 2 +1
Jul 2025 72 +70
Aug 2025 263 +191
Sep 2025 301 +38
Oct 2025 293 -8
Nov 2025 253 -40
Dec 2025 273 +20
Jan 2026 274 +1
Feb 2026 291 +17
Mar 2026 283 -8
Apr 2026 350 +67
May 2026 272 -78
Jun 2026 330 +58
Jul 2026 319 -11

Each row reflects new filings entering the dataset that month, after ownership verification. Most recent month may be partial.

Geographic concentration by ZIP

Top 6 ZIPs in Durham County account for 0.4% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.

ZIPCityFilingsShare
27703 Durham 4 0.1%
27713 Durham 4 0.1%
27707 Durham 2 0.1%
27704 Durham 2 0.1%
27712 1 0.0%
27705 Durham 1 0.0%

Based on filings with a parseable property address (0% of Durham County filings).

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Property value distribution

Estimated valueFilingsShare
Under $75k 1 0.1%
$75k - $150k 6 0.5%
$150k - $250k 72 6.3%
$250k - $400k 513 44.7%
$400k+ 555 48.4%

Source: third-party property enrichment (29% coverage on Durham County filings). Median $394,097; mean $428,870.

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Day-of-week filing pattern

DayFilingsShare
Sun 504 12.9%
Mon 711 18.3%
Tue 736 18.9%
Wed 715 18.4%
Thu 883 22.7%
Fri 344 8.8%
Sat 0 0.0%

Filings show some weekend activity, suggesting after-hours electronic filing. Computed for 3893 filings with a parseable date.

Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 149150 Durham County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Durham County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)7.1%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage70.6%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock4.9%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock54.9%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older14.0%17.3%

Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS 2023 5-year). National reference values are ACS 2022 5-year US totals. Why these matter: vacancy rate is the strongest single proxy for distressed inventory; mortgage-carrying share defines the risk pool exposed to rate environment; pre-1940 stock signals deferred maintenance and renovation opportunity; senior population correlates with probate pipeline depth.

Rent benchmark (HUD Fair Market Rent)

HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the metro area level — the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Durham County sits within the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor for buy-to-rent underwriting.

Unit size Fair market rent / month
Efficiency / studio$1,417
1-bedroom$1,507
2-bedroom$1,711
3-bedroom$2,117
4-bedroom$2,527

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (None). 40th-percentile gross rent including utilities. Why this matters: Section-8-eligible tenants are a baseline demand floor for rental inventory at these price points; FMR is the official ceiling for voucher-eligible rents.

New construction (market momentum)

Annual building permits filed in Durham County from the US Census Building Permits Survey. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting in this market.

Indicator Value
Total housing units permitted (2025)4,772
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)+64.3%
Single-family share of permits (2025)58.5%
Single-family units permitted2,790
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)1,982

Source: US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual cumulative data. Why this matters: permits trending up signals strong demand for new inventory; permits contracting at the same time foreclosure activity rises indicates broader market softening (deals price differently). Multifamily share shows whether the market is densifying or holding to single-family stock.

Macro context: state home prices and national delinquency

Durham County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. North Carolina state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.

IndicatorValuePeriod
North Carolina home price index (year-over-year)+2.4%2026-01-01
North Carolina home price index (cumulative since 2020)+72.0%2026-01-01
National mortgage delinquency rate (30+ day, single-family)1.89%2026-01-01

Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series NCSTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.

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Filing velocity by case type

How each distress category is trending — are foreclosures accelerating while divorces cool, or vice versa? This breakdown is only possible with direct court-record data.

Case type Total Share Trend
Lien 2814 72.2% -2.9%
Divorce 570 14.6% +24.8%
Probate 246 6.3% -40.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 191 4.9% -3.4%
Contract 28 0.7% -20.0%
Other 26 0.7% +0.0%
Negligence 12 0.3% --

Trend = recent 2-3 month volume vs prior 2-3 months (current partial month excluded). Positive = accelerating; negative = cooling.

Seasonal filing patterns

Court filings peak in Feb and are lowest in Aug. The 2.2x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Feb can reach more distressed homeowners.

Month Avg filings Relative
Jan 97.3
63%
Feb 154
100%
Mar 108
70%
Apr 94.5
61%
May 77
50%
Jun 91
59%
Jul 102
66%
Aug 71.2
46%
Sep 83.5
54%
Oct 106.7
69%
Nov 90.7
59%
Dec 100
65%

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Feb), with a 2.2x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed across 6 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.

ZIP Area Filings Share Median value
27703 Durham 4 0.1% $438,348
27713 Durham 4 0.1% $380,021
27707 Durham 2 0.1% $500,058
27704 Durham 2 0.1% $346,115
27712 1 0.0% $465,668
27705 Durham 1 0.0% --

Top 6 of 6 ZIP codes with filings.

Non-resident owner analysis

Most filings (100%) involve owner-occupied properties. The relatively low absentee rate suggests distress is primarily hitting homeowners, not institutional investors.

0.0%
Non-resident owners
Case type Total filings Non-resident %
Lien 2814 0.0%
Divorce 570 0.0%
Probate 246 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 195 0.5%
Contract 28 0.0%
Other 26 0.0%
Negligence 12 0.0%

Non-resident = owner's mailing address differs from the property address. Could indicate out-of-state landlords, inherited estates, second homes, or in-transition properties.

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Distress composition and shifts

Lien share is rising. Probate share is declining. Low diversity — distress is dominated by one or two case types, suggesting a concentrated driver.

Case type Recent share Earlier share Shift
Lien 79.4% 70.9% +8.5pp (rising)
Divorce 15.9% 14.4% +1.5pp
Pre-Foreclosure 2.5% 5.4% -2.9pp
Other 0.8% 0.6% +0.2pp
Negligence 0.6% 0.2% +0.4pp
Contract 0.6% 0.7% -0.1pp
Eviction 0.2% 0.0% +0.2pp
Probate 0.2% 7.6% -7.4pp (falling)
Custody 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Alimony 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Personal Property 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Child Support 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp

Distress diversity score: 1.0 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $393,719. Probate filings involve the highest-value properties (median $484,936), while Pre-Foreclosure filings trend lower (median $376,325). The largest segment (70.1%) falls in the $250K - $500K range.

$393,719
Median assessed value
$428,139
Average assessed value
1149
Properties with values
Value range Properties Share
Under $100K 3 0.3%
$100K - $250K 78 6.8%
$250K - $500K 806 70.1%
$500K - $1M 248 21.6%
Over $1M 14 1.2%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value Properties
Lien $390,178 $419,631 962
Divorce $440,938 $482,886 115
Pre-Foreclosure $376,325 $393,910 37
Probate $484,936 $543,072 29

Based on county assessor records for 1149 properties with court filings (29.5% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Distress Capital Analysis

$491,932,141 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 1149 court-filed properties. Lien filings represent the largest capital pool ($403,684,997 across 962 properties).

$492M
Total Value at Risk
1149
Properties Valued
$393,719
Median Value

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Filing Type Total Value Properties Avg Value High Equity %
Lien
$403,684,997
962 $419,631 --
Divorce
$55,531,929
115 $482,886 --
Probate
$15,749,082
29 $543,072 --
Pre-Foreclosure
$14,574,658
37 $393,910 --

Based on 1149 properties with assessor valuations (29.5% of 3897 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.

Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis

3,893 court filings tracked with 0 resolved (0.0% absorption rate). The court system is accumulating cases faster than they resolve, creating a growing backlog of 3,893 active cases.

0.0%
Absorption Rate
3,893
Active Case Backlog
Month New Filings Resolved Net Inflow Absorption
Aug 2020 4 0 +4
0.0%
Sep 2020 18 0 +18
0.0%
Oct 2020 13 0 +13
0.0%
Nov 2020 3 0 +3
0.0%
Dec 2020 9 0 +9
0.0%
Jan 2021 4 0 +4
0.0%
Mar 2021 25 0 +25
0.0%
Apr 2021 13 0 +13
0.0%
May 2021 17 0 +17
0.0%
Jun 2021 15 0 +15
0.0%
Jul 2021 15 0 +15
0.0%
Aug 2021 17 0 +17
0.0%
Sep 2021 14 0 +14
0.0%
Oct 2021 14 0 +14
0.0%
Nov 2021 16 0 +16
0.0%
Dec 2021 18 0 +18
0.0%
Jan 2022 14 0 +14
0.0%
Feb 2022 17 0 +17
0.0%
Mar 2022 16 0 +16
0.0%
Apr 2022 14 0 +14
0.0%
May 2022 18 0 +18
0.0%
Jun 2022 17 0 +17
0.0%
Jul 2022 2 0 +2
0.0%
Sep 2023 1 0 +1
0.0%
Aug 2024 1 0 +1
0.0%
Apr 2025 1 0 +1
0.0%
May 2025 1 0 +1
0.0%
Jun 2025 2 0 +2
0.0%
Jul 2025 72 0 +72
0.0%
Aug 2025 263 0 +263
0.0%
Sep 2025 301 0 +301
0.0%
Oct 2025 293 0 +293
0.0%
Nov 2025 253 0 +253
0.0%
Dec 2025 273 0 +273
0.0%
Jan 2026 274 0 +274
0.0%
Feb 2026 291 0 +291
0.0%
Mar 2026 283 0 +283
0.0%
Apr 2026 350 0 +350
0.0%
May 2026 272 0 +272
0.0%
Jun 2026 330 0 +330
0.0%
Jul 2026 319 0 +319
0.0%

Resolution by Case Type

Case Type Filed Resolved Absorption Avg Days
Lien 2770 0 0.0% n/a
Divorce 565 0 0.0% n/a
Probate 246 0 0.0% n/a
Pre-Foreclosure 191 0 0.0% n/a
Other 75 0 0.0% n/a
Contract 28 0 0.0% n/a
Negligence 12 0 0.0% n/a

Absorption rate measures the percentage of filed cases that have reached a terminal resolution (judgment, dismissal, settlement, or sale). A low absorption rate indicates a growing backlog of active cases in the court system. Resolution timing based on 0 resolved cases out of 3893 total filings.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

393 cases (10.1%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 300 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

393
Cases stalled 1yr+
10.1%
of all filings
3,893
Total tracked
Age Total Resolved Still active Resolution rate
<30 days 300 0 300 0.0%
30-90 days 588 0 588 0.0%
3-6 months 911 0 911 0.0%
6-12 months 1,701 0 1,701 0.0%
1-2 years 79 0 79 0.0%
2+ years 314 0 314 0.0%
Resolution speed by case type
Case type Total Resolved Rate Median days
Lien 2,770 0 0.0%
Divorce 565 0 0.0%
Probate 246 0 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 191 0 0.0%
Contract 28 0 0.0%
Other 25 0 0.0%
Negligence 12 0 0.0%

Case aging computed from filing date to present for unresolved cases. Resolution classified from court docket entries (judgments, settlements, dismissals, sheriff sales). Cases with a resolution event are removed from the stall count.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $393,360, with the largest concentration (60.1%) in the $300K–$500K range. Probate filings have the highest median value ($465,704) while Pre-Foreclosure filings are lowest ($376,325).

$393,360
Median value
$425,778
Average value
1,089
Properties valued
Price range Count Share Distribution
Under $50K 3 0.3%
$100K–$150K 6 0.6%
$150K–$200K 5 0.5%
$200K–$300K 180 16.5%
$300K–$500K 655 60.1%
$500K+ 240 22.0%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value Properties
Lien $390,164 $418,790 919
Divorce $440,938 $480,557 109
Pre-Foreclosure $376,325 $393,909 37
Probate $465,704 $525,405 18

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 1,089 properties (27.9% of total filings). Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Repeat litigation patterns in Durham County

Of 3,560 unique property owners in court filings, 178 (5.0%) appear in multiple cases, including 44 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 11 cases spanning 12 months. Pre-Foreclosure cases have the highest repeat rate at 17.4%.

3,560
Unique owners
178
Repeat filers (2+ cases)
5.0%
Repeat rate
44
Serial filers (3+ cases)

Repeat rate by case type

Case type Repeat owners Total owners Repeat rate
Lien 170 2530 6.7%
Divorce 4 565 0.7%
Pre-Foreclosure 21 121 17.4%
Other 3 75 4.0%
Contract 3 28 10.7%

Analysis based on 3,560 unique owner names across court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases.

Serial distressed properties in Durham County

Of 845 unique properties in court filings, 100 (11.8%) have multiple filings (averaging 2.3 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 4 months. Lien properties have the highest repeat rate at 14.4%.

845
Unique properties
100
Repeat-filing properties
11.8%
Serial distress rate
4 mo
Avg time between filings

Serial distress rate by case type

Case type Serial properties Total properties Serial rate
Lien 100 696 14.4%
Divorce 4 106 3.8%
Pre-Foreclosure 4 33 12.1%

Analysis based on 845 unique property addresses across court filings. Serial distressed properties have 2 or more distinct case filings at the same address.

Methodology and data sources

Related North Carolina guides

North Carolina foreclosure process How to find leads in North Carolina Top foreclosure counties in North Carolina North Carolina statewide analysis

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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Durham County North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-08-03, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/durham-nc-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)