The peach-colored house in a modest subdivision near downtown Modesto, Calif., used to be someone’s dream home. But it stands out in a row of similarly hued homes where many have a “For Sale” sign planted in their front yards. The two-story appears battered: its address has been scratched on a front panel and weeds choke what may once have been a manicured lawn. And then there is the overwhelming stench of human waste and stale beer. There has been no electricity and no running water since the bank repossessed it months ago. Still, at least three young men have been squatting here since January. The dream home has become a nightmare.

This horror is not an uncommon sight in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, where foreclosure rates are among the highest in the nation, and vacant properties — so tempting to vagrants — flourish.

From a fire-gutted shell across from a pretty park on the north side of town to a mangy wreck near the airport where a collection of cats and dogs were found chained together in the yard, abandoned residences are putting a blight on all types of neighborhoods. “We get about six to ten calls a day on vacant homes,” says police officer John McGill, who stresses that this isn’t just a problem in the poorer parts of town.

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Economy, Foreclosure Center, House Buying, House Selling, Mortgages and Loans, Real Estate Market foreclosure, foreclosures, home loans, mortgage, mortgages