Foreclosures up close

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Here's both a cool and sobering look at the nation's housing woes, courtesy of Google Maps. All you need to do is pick an address and Google provides a dot-by-dot accounting of the foreclosures for sale. The above map shows the city of L.A., but you can zoom in to neighborhoods or zoom out to the entire nation. Actually, the feature has been around for a couple of years, but it's recently caught more attention. Here's how you do it (courtesy of Chart Porn)

Google Maps Foreclosure Listings

1. Punch in any US address into Google Maps.

2. Your options are Earth, Satellite, Map, Traffic and . . . More. (Select "More")

3. The drop down menu gives you a check box option for "Real Estate."

4. The left column will give you several options (You may have to select "Show Options")

5. Check the box marked "Foreclosure."

As pointed out by Barry Ritholtz, the map does not include the foreclosures that already have been sold.