Foreclosures in 2008 were at a record high and this opened up an entirely new market. This is good news for first time home buyers because they can now get cheap houses for sale. Foreclosure experts believe that due to recession there will be a further increase in foreclosures in 2009 and in all probability this might even cross the 2008 mark. For example, lenders in Hampden County foreclosed 149 properties between January and February 2009. In 2008, the foreclosure rate in the US had spiked by almost 81%, which is a mind boggling 225% increase since 2006.