Virginia and Maryland have more foreclosures, but a new report shows that D.C. had the biggest increase last month.

D.C. foreclosure filings surged to 398 in April — up 42 percent from a year ago.

Virginia defaults increased 5 percent to 6,254 and Maryland foreclosures dropped 39 percent to 3,613 according to the latest survey by Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac, a foreclosure research firm.

Home sales activity can all come down to which side of the river you live on — and state law. This is highlighted by the latest Realtor stats for January, from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, on home sales, prices and listings for the Washington, D.C., northern Virginia, Maryland and Baltimore metro areas.