MAG obtains data on distressed residential property from The Information Market, a Phoenix area firm specializing in residential property data for the region. MAG georeferences the data in order to plot it on a map and perform spatial analysis. Distressed property are properties that are either pending foreclosure or already foreclosed (bank owned).
The MAG region was one of the hardest hit during the housing crisis of the Great Recession. At the height of the recession the region had over 60,000 properties that were in some stage of foreclosure. Distressed properties are now at levels that are considered normal for a region this size which is about 5,500.
Maps showing the distribution of distressed properties in 2010 and in 2016 available here:
Arizona Demographics