Hesperia foreclosures triple last year's number

A record number of California homeowners defaulted on their mortgages last quarter, more than three times as many Hesperians were in foreclosure compared to last year at the same time.

A report released Tuesday by DataQuick Information Systems showed mortgages in default in the 92344 ZIP Code were up 334 percent from April to June compared to the same period a year ago, and up 369 percent in the 92345 ZIP Code.

The firm estimates that 78 percent of homeowners in default eventually have their homes foreclosed on, up from 52 percent of homeowners in default last year.

Communities across the county are in a similar situation, with 1 home in 97 in San Bernardino County in foreclosure. In Wrightwood and parts of Victorville, defaults are up 400 percent. Even the least hard-hit areas of the Victor Valley -- parts of Apple Valley and parts of Victorville -- have double the rates of this time last year.

Statewide, 118,020 homes were in default last quarter, up 125 percent compared to the year before.

Plunging real estate values normally mean a buyer's market, but even the entry of buyers into the marketplace isn't slowing the decline, said Hesperia Realtor Larry Trombley. And he has no idea when the market will finally reach bottom.

"I wish I had a guess on that. I don't even have a guess. It seems like the market's picked up considerably, and we've got buyers, but the foreclosures keep outpacing it," Trombley, with Century 21 Rose Realty, said Friday. "It makes sense to buy. You can get a mortgage payment for the same price as your rent, so why not?"

Forty percent of homes resold in California last quarter were the result of foreclosures.

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com.