While the Oklahoma City metro area did not suffer devastating numbers of foreclosures when the nation’s housing bubble burst, it has, nevertheless, experienced its fair share.

Real estate website RealtyTrac reported that statewide in March, one in every 973 housing units in Oklahoma received a foreclosure filing. For the month, there were 244 foreclosure properties in Oklahoma County, or one in every 1,329 housing units. Tulsa topped the counties in the number of foreclosures in March with 783, or one in every 341 housing units. The report shows 11,520 foreclosure homes in Oklahoma, with the average foreclosure sales price as $94,679.

States such as California, Florida and Nevada continue to suffer high foreclosure rates, according to the report. In March, one in every 223 houses received a foreclosure filing in California. The numbers were bleaker in Nevada, where one in every 88 homes received a foreclosure notice that same month.

Steve Mann, president of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of Realtors, says foreclosures here have not overwhelmed the local market.

“We’re not getting flooded with properties on the market,” he says. “That’s helping to hold our prices.”

For March, 1,252 homes closed in the metro. In March 2010, that number was 1,435. The month was an improvement over February when only 900 homes closed.

Total dollar value for houses for the year was down in March over the same time last year at $183.3 million, a decrease from $205.4 million. The average home price, however, was $146,398, up from $143,164 in March 2010.

Houses also sat on the market about 20 days longer in March when compared to the same time last year, and just slightly above the number of days homes were on the market in February.

The number of active listings in March – 8,493 – was consistent with numbers last year. Of those, the largest number was in the $200,000-$249,999 range. Of the active listings, 82 were for residences priced at $1 million or more. The average across all price ranges for active listings was $199,745.

Mann says that is a healthy inventory, and that the market is holding its own.

“Our statistics show that more homeowners are current on their payments,” he says. “Hopefully that will keep more foreclosures from happening.”