HomeReports › Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County, North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence

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

Investor takeaway

About Forsyth County

Forsyth County is a county located in the northwest Piedmont of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,590, making it the fourth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Winston-Salem. Forsyth County is part of the Winston-Salem, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC, Combined Statistical Area. Portions of Forsyth County are in the Yadkin Valley wine region.

Source: Wikipedia

Get Forsyth County leads delivered daily

Owner names, phone numbers, and property details — the day each case is filed. 7-day free trial.

See Forsyth County Leads →

At a glance

5756 property-related court filings tracked across 27 months (Sep 2020 to Jul 2026).

206 typical monthly filing volume.

0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (4 of 5756 filings).

$273,600 median estimated property value across the 1561 filings with property-enrichment data (27% 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 4134 71.8%
Divorce 777 13.5%
Pre-Foreclosure 554 9.6%
Probate 256 4.4%
Real Estate Dispute 32 0.6%
Partition 2 0.0%
Pre-Probate 1 0.0%

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

Get the full Forsyth County lead list

Day-of-filing access with owner names, phone numbers, and property details. 7-day free trial, no credit card.

Start Free Trial

Monthly filing activity

MonthFilingsvs prior
Sep 2020 10
Oct 2020 6 -4
Dec 2020 1 -5
Jan 2021 3 +2
Jan 2024 1 -2
Feb 2024 6 +5
Mar 2024 4 -2
Aug 2024 2 -2
Oct 2024 1 -1
Feb 2025 2 +1
Mar 2025 2 0
Apr 2025 12 +10
May 2025 24 +12
Jun 2025 11 -13
Jul 2025 90 +79
Aug 2025 400 +310
Sep 2025 445 +45
Oct 2025 437 -8
Nov 2025 411 -26
Dec 2025 364 -47
Jan 2026 573 +209
Feb 2026 466 -107
Mar 2026 553 +87
Apr 2026 471 -82
May 2026 462 -9
Jun 2026 597 +135
Jul 2026 387 -210

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 Forsyth County account for 0.2% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.

ZIPCityFilingsShare
27103 3 0.1%
27105 Winston Salem 2 0.0%
27284 2 0.0%
27106 1 0.0%
27040 1 0.0%
27101 1 0.0%

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

Target these ZIP codes before your competitors

Keystone delivers new filings with owner contact info the same day they hit the court docket.

See Availability

Property value distribution

Estimated valueFilingsShare
Under $75k 46 2.9%
$75k - $150k 140 9.0%
$150k - $250k 424 27.2%
$250k - $400k 721 46.2%
$400k+ 230 14.7%

Source: third-party property enrichment (27% coverage on Forsyth County filings). Median $273,600; mean $298,089.

These properties are in your market right now

Get owner names, phone numbers, and property details for every new filing in Forsyth County. Court-direct, same-day, every filing.

Check Availability

Day-of-week filing pattern

DayFilingsShare
Sun 814 14.2%
Mon 1130 19.7%
Tue 1186 20.7%
Wed 1089 19.0%
Thu 1040 18.1%
Fri 354 6.2%
Sat 128 2.2%

Filings show some weekend activity, suggesting after-hours electronic filing. Computed for 5741 filings with a parseable date.

Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 173220 Forsyth County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Forsyth County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)10.1%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage63.4%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock6.2%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock66.5%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older16.6%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. Forsyth County sits within the Winston-Salem, NC (FY 2026). 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$995
1-bedroom$1,082
2-bedroom$1,232
3-bedroom$1,607
4-bedroom$1,898

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (2026). 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 Forsyth 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)2,875
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)-25.2%
Single-family share of permits (2025)99.6%
Single-family units permitted2,863
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)12

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

Forsyth 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.

Be the first investor to reach these owners

Forsyth County leads are delivered the same day they're filed. 7-day free trial, no credit card required.

Start Free Trial

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 3930 68.3% -4.7%
Divorce 777 13.5% -10.7%
Pre-Foreclosure 546 9.5% -14.2%
Probate 249 4.3% +50.0%
Contract 90 1.6% +69.2%
Personal Property 33 0.6% -23.5%
Real Estate Dispute 32 0.6% +25.0%
Negligence 31 0.5% +41.7%
Other 20 0.3% +0.0%
Child Support 17 0.3% -50.0%
Custody 7 0.1% --

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 Nov and are lowest in Oct. The 2.8x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Nov can reach more distressed homeowners.

Month Avg filings Relative
Jan 192.3
47%
Feb 158
38%
Mar 186.3
45%
Apr 241.5
59%
May 243
59%
Jun 304
74%
Jul 238.5
58%
Aug 201
49%
Sep 227.5
55%
Oct 148
36%
Nov 411
100%
Dec 182.5
44%

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Nov), with a 2.8x 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
27103 3 0.1% $235,500
27105 Winston Salem 2 0.0% $127,900
27284 2 0.0% $297,400
27106 1 0.0% $171,500
27040 1 0.0% $522,100
27101 1 0.0% $229,200

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.

0.1%
Non-resident owners
Case type Total filings Non-resident %
Lien 3930 0.0%
Divorce 777 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 554 0.5%
Probate 256 0.0%
Contract 90 0.0%
Personal Property 33 0.0%
Real Estate Dispute 32 0.0%
Negligence 31 0.0%
Other 20 0.0%
Child Support 17 0.0%
Custody 7 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.

Target absentee and distressed owners directly

Every lead includes the owner's contact information and property details. Court-direct, same-day, every filing.

Claim Forsyth County

Distress composition and shifts

Divorce share is declining.

Case type Recent share Earlier share Shift
Lien 69.8% 68.2% +1.6pp
Pre-Foreclosure 11.2% 9.2% +2.0pp
Divorce 9.3% 14.4% -5.1pp (falling)
Probate 3.6% 4.5% -0.9pp
Contract 2.8% 1.3% +1.5pp
Negligence 1.4% 0.4% +1.0pp
Real Estate Dispute 0.6% 0.5% +0.1pp
Personal Property 0.6% 0.6% +0.0pp
Other 0.3% 0.4% -0.1pp
Child Support 0.2% 0.3% -0.1pp
Injunction 0.1% 0.0% +0.1pp
Partition 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Eviction 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp
Custody 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp
Alimony 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Pre-Probate 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp

Distress diversity score: 1.58 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.

Court Docket Activity

Across 70 tracked cases, the average case has 16 docket entries (median 17). 58.6% of cases are in the "advanced (16+ events)" stage. Pre-Foreclosure cases are the most court-active at 16.2 events on average. Higher docket activity signals that courts are actively processing the case, which can indicate timeline urgency for investor outreach.

16.1
Avg. docket entries per case
17
Median entries per case
36
Most active case
Activity level Cases Share
Early stage (1-5 events) 14 20.0%
Mid-process (6-15 events) 15 21.4%
Advanced (16+ events) 41 58.6%
Docket activity by case type
Case type Avg. events Cases tracked
Pre-Foreclosure 16.2 68

Based on 70 cases with docket event tracking from Forsyth County court records. Docket entries include filings, hearings, orders, and motions.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $271,100. Divorce filings involve the highest-value properties (median $303,000), while Contract filings trend lower (median $197,800). The largest segment (53.6%) falls in the $250K - $500K range.

$271,100
Median assessed value
$293,640
Average assessed value
1586
Properties with values
Value range Properties Share
Under $100K 94 5.9%
$100K - $250K 541 34.1%
$250K - $500K 850 53.6%
$500K - $1M 87 5.5%
Over $1M 14 0.9%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value Properties
Lien $278,000 $298,046 1209
Divorce $303,000 $343,024 146
Pre-Foreclosure $229,200 $217,690 111
Probate $231,700 $261,575 81
Contract $197,800 $253,818 17
Personal Property $299,600 $302,167 6

Based on county assessor records for 1586 properties with court filings (27.6% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Distress Capital Analysis

$465,712,900 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 1586 court-filed properties. Lien filings represent the largest capital pool ($360,337,200 across 1209 properties).

$466M
Total Value at Risk
1586
Properties Valued
$271,100
Median Value

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Filing Type Total Value Properties Avg Value High Equity %
Lien
$360,337,200
1209 $298,046 --
Divorce
$50,081,500
146 $343,024 --
Pre-Foreclosure
$24,163,600
111 $217,690 --
Probate
$21,187,600
81 $261,575 --
Contract
$4,314,900
17 $253,818 --
Personal Property
$1,813,000
6 $302,167 --
Other
$902,400
4 $225,600 --
Child Support
$685,800
3 $228,600 --

Based on 1586 properties with assessor valuations (27.6% of 5756 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.

Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis

5,740 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 5,740 active cases.

0.0%
Absorption Rate
5,740
Active Case Backlog
Month New Filings Resolved Net Inflow Absorption
Sep 2020 10 0 +10
0.0%
Oct 2020 6 0 +6
0.0%
Dec 2020 1 0 +1
0.0%
Jan 2021 3 0 +3
0.0%
Jan 2024 1 0 +1
0.0%
Feb 2024 6 0 +6
0.0%
Mar 2024 4 0 +4
0.0%
Aug 2024 2 0 +2
0.0%
Oct 2024 1 0 +1
0.0%
Feb 2025 2 0 +2
0.0%
Mar 2025 2 0 +2
0.0%
Apr 2025 12 0 +12
0.0%
May 2025 24 0 +24
0.0%
Jun 2025 11 0 +11
0.0%
Jul 2025 90 0 +90
0.0%
Aug 2025 400 0 +400
0.0%
Sep 2025 445 0 +445
0.0%
Oct 2025 437 0 +437
0.0%
Nov 2025 410 0 +410
0.0%
Dec 2025 364 0 +364
0.0%
Jan 2026 573 0 +573
0.0%
Feb 2026 466 0 +466
0.0%
Mar 2026 553 0 +553
0.0%
Apr 2026 471 0 +471
0.0%
May 2026 462 0 +462
0.0%
Jun 2026 597 0 +597
0.0%
Jul 2026 387 0 +387
0.0%

Resolution by Case Type

Case Type Filed Resolved Absorption Avg Days
Lien 3913 0 0.0% n/a
Divorce 777 0 0.0% n/a
Pre-Foreclosure 542 0 0.0% n/a
Probate 248 0 0.0% n/a
Contract 84 0 0.0% n/a
Other 47 0 0.0% n/a
Personal Property 33 0 0.0% n/a
Real Estate Dispute 32 0 0.0% n/a
Negligence 31 0 0.0% n/a
Child Support 17 0 0.0% n/a
Custody 7 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 5740 total filings.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

187 cases (3.3%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 358 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

187
Cases stalled 1yr+
3.3%
of all filings
5,740
Total tracked
Age Total Resolved Still active Resolution rate
<30 days 358 0 358 0.0%
30-90 days 1,011 0 1,011 0.0%
3-6 months 1,506 0 1,506 0.0%
6-12 months 2,678 0 2,678 0.0%
1-2 years 156 0 156 0.0%
2+ years 31 0 31 0.0%
Resolution speed by case type
Case type Total Resolved Rate Median days
Lien 3,913 0 0.0%
Divorce 777 0 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 542 0 0.0%
Probate 248 0 0.0%
Contract 84 0 0.0%
Personal Property 33 0 0.0%
Real Estate Dispute 32 0 0.0%
Negligence 31 0 0.0%
Other 18 0 0.0%
Child Support 17 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.

Municipality filing concentration in Forsyth County

Court filings in Forsyth County span 10 municipalities. Winston Salem leads with 15 filings (51.7% of total), predominantly Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%). Filing activity is geographically concentrated — the top 3 municipalities account for 72% of all filings.

10
Municipalities
72.4%
Top 3 share
Concentrated
Geographic spread
Municipality Filings Share Top case type
Winston Salem 15 51.7% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Rural Hall 4 13.8% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Pfafftown 2 6.9% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Kernersville 2 6.9% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Belews Creek 1 3.4% Partition (100.0%)
High Point 1 3.4% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Clemmons 1 3.4% Partition (100.0%)
Fairmont 1 3.4% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Oxford 1 3.4% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Winston 1 3.4% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)

Top 10 of 10 municipalities with court filings. Data from 29 filings (1% of total). Municipality names from county assessor records.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $271,650, with the largest concentration (35.1%) in the $200K–$300K range. Divorce filings have the highest median value ($302,750) while Contract filings are lowest ($197,800).

$271,650
Median value
$293,852
Average value
1,566
Properties valued
Price range Count Share Distribution
Under $50K 41 2.6%
$50K–$100K 49 3.1%
$100K–$150K 113 7.2%
$150K–$200K 172 11.0%
$200K–$300K 550 35.1%
$300K–$500K 542 34.6%
$500K+ 99 6.3%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value Properties
Lien $277,500 $297,394 1,200
Divorce $302,750 $343,023 146
Pre-Foreclosure $229,200 $219,939 107
Probate $233,450 $264,402 76
Contract $197,800 $264,186 15

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 1,566 properties (27.2% of total filings). Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Repeat litigation patterns in Forsyth County

Of 5,272 unique property owners in court filings, 303 (5.7%) appear in multiple cases, including 74 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 14 cases spanning 2 months. Pre-Foreclosure cases have the highest repeat rate at 20.9%.

5,272
Unique owners
303
Repeat filers (2+ cases)
5.7%
Repeat rate
74
Serial filers (3+ cases)

Repeat rate by case type

Case type Repeat owners Total owners Repeat rate
Lien 245 3628 6.8%
Divorce 10 765 1.3%
Pre-Foreclosure 90 430 20.9%
Contract 4 82 4.9%
Other 3 47 6.4%
Personal Property 5 32 15.6%
Real Estate Dispute 5 28 17.9%

Analysis based on 5,272 unique owner names across court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases.

Serial distressed properties in Forsyth County

Of 1,255 unique properties in court filings, 134 (10.7%) have multiple filings (averaging 2.3 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 3 months. Pre-Foreclosure properties have the highest repeat rate at 14.5%.

1,255
Unique properties
134
Repeat-filing properties
10.7%
Serial distress rate
3 mo
Avg time between filings

Serial distress rate by case type

Case type Serial properties Total properties Serial rate
Lien 129 973 13.3%
Divorce 7 130 5.4%
Pre-Foreclosure 12 83 14.5%
Probate 3 57 5.3%
Contract 2 14 14.3%

Analysis based on 1,255 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

Get the underlying Forsyth County filings

Subscribe to Forsyth County on Keystone Court Data and get day-of-filing access to every new property-related case as it hits the docket. Court-direct, same-day, every filing. 7-day free trial.

View Forsyth County availability

Want updates when new reports publish? Subscribe to the research RSS feed or follow keystonecourtdata.com.

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