SACRAMENTO, CA - Nearly four of every 1,000 American homes have been lost to foreclosure so far this year, but a foreclosure expert believes the worst may be over.

"The sky isn’t falling, and the bottom of the housing market is in sight," said Alexis McGee of Sacramento-based ForeclosureS.com in a prepared statement.

Preforeclosure filings statewide in California were down 19 percent from March to April.

Preforeclosure is the filing of a Notice of Default (NOD), the first step in the foreclosure process that typically begins after a homeowner is several months late on their payments.

In Sacramento County, NOD filings were down 14 percent from March to April. NOD filings in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties were down 12 percent and 22 percent respectively.

Preforeclosure activity for all 58 California counties is available in Excel spreadsheet format, linked above.