There were another 249 San Benito County homes entering some stage of the foreclosure process last month, a 207 percent jump over the same period in 2007, according to recently released data from Irvine-based RealtyTrac.
That astounding number also represents a 62 percent increase over the previous month, as nearly 100 fewer homes entered the list of foreclosures in July, according to the data.
As a whole, the figures show there are 1,053 local homeowners whose properties have been sent a letter of default, put up for auction by a lender or passed outright into bank ownership. It gives San Benito County the seventh-worst foreclosure rate among California's 58 counties.
Many locals already have lost their homes. Nearly half of the county properties now in foreclosure - 473 - are owned by the banks, said Hollister Code Enforcement Officer Mike Chambless.
"I wish I had magic words to make this better, but I don't," said Hollister Mayor Doug Emerson. "We are just going to have to tough it out."
According to RealtyTrac, the rate that homes make that foreclosure list has accelerated dramatically statewide, with increases over last year's August numbers ranging from 13 percent in Sacramento County to an increase of 2,340 percent in Lake County.
In Friday's edition, the Free Lance will examine how county tax revenue is affected when both individual and corporate owners of homes in the foreclosure process fail to pay their taxes.
Jeff Gatlin Jeff Gatlin is a staff writer at The Hollister Free Lance. You can call him at (831) 637-5566 or send him an email.
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