Home foreclosure is the financial world’s “neutron bomb”: Hopes and dreams are shattered, families torn apart, and yet the house remains standing. Sometimes it’s hard to envision an upside to all the suffering. To those families struggling to make their way back to homeownership, our message is one of hope. Here are 7 reasons why we landlords actually prefer working with folks who have experienced foreclosure (and learned from it).

Large inventories of discounted foreclosed homes helped push property sales in Southern states last month. Home sales also rose due to low interest rates, affordable prices and first-time homebuyers.