It is not uncommon to see a home with the shades drawn and knee-high grass growing in the front yard while traveling down residential streets across the state.

The crippling effects of the recent financial recession are evidence of the growing number of foreclosures across the state and the nation.

While some would say no area is immune, one may find fewer victims in Isabella County. County Treasurer Steve Pickens said Isabella saw just 12 foreclosure filings in 2009.

Despite the county’s low numbers, Teagen Lefere, housing counselor for Mount Pleasant’s Listening Ear Crisis Center, said she has seen a steady increase of customers seeking help with taxes and impending foreclosures.

“Probably one out of every 20 people are here for home-buyer education, and the other 19 are for foreclosure,” she said.

Tax trouble

Lefere attributes Isabella’s foreclosures to drops in income, mainly from those employed in the auto market and other factory-based industries in Michigan.

Pickens blames debt, in many cases.

“Sometimes, it comes down to having to choose between paying taxes and eating, feeding your family,” he said. “The repercussions from that? A lot of bank mortgages don’t get paid, a lot of taxes don’t get paid.”

Based on state law, Pickens said if a local entity or homeowner owes a large sum in taxes to the county, the property would be foreclosed.

He said the county “really tries” to prevent the situation until all options have been exhausted.

“(The owner) would lose all ownership on that property,” he said. “Even if they’ve had 30 years to pay off their house, the county would turn around and sell the property.”

According to the Isabella County Tax Sale, Crankers Coney Island, 1207 E. Pickard St., owed $16,081.16 in taxes within the last few weeks. Crankers owner and manager Jim Crank declined to comment on the matter, saying “everything’s been taken care of.”

Also, the house of the Sigma Pi fraternity, which is not active on campus, at 1016 S. Main St. is behind $6,866.76 in taxes, while P & J Party Store, 1018 W. Broadway St., owes $2,918.10.

A growing crisis

Isabella County ranks 59th in the state in foreclosure rates, with less than 1 percent subject to the situation, according to a RealtyTrac, Inc. database.

Michigan, as a state, ranks eighth in the nation for highest foreclosure rate, with 2.6 percent of housing units filing for foreclosure last year.

Mary Townley, director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Homeownership Division, said she has noticed a problem over the last 20 years.

“We’ve been at this as a state longer than any other state in the U.S.,” she said. “The industry had a rough term in the early 80s and struggles in the early 90s. Right now, is probably one of the worst (crises) that I’ve ever seen.”

But past economic and foreclosure crises have spawned increased resources, Townley said.

MSHDA offers several tips on its Web site for avoiding foreclosure. The site offers links to counseling centers by county, including Mount Pleasant’s Listening Ear.

“That’s very important with scams happening across the state,” Townley said. “People are asking for an exorbitant amount of money when these services are really offered for free.”

A survey of counselors in the state’s third quarter last year showed that 60 percent of those who received help became success stories.

For those in a “back tax black hole,” Pickens recommends considering partial payments and loans rather than considering the debt an insurmountable challenge.

“A lot of people think they can only pay (taxes) in a large sum,” he said.

Additionally, Pickens said borrowing money at a 4 or 5 percent interest rate is better than accumulating debt and trying to pay off the interest rates and fees on back taxes.

Act quickly

Townley is optimistic for the state’s ability to move beyond its financial challenges, pegging Michigan as a resilient place with a proven track record of overcoming its problems.

She said people need to take the necessary steps to find help before the problem of personal debt grows too large. In years past, she said, it was “just easier to walk away.”

“They still have the ability to call or not to call, but now there’s more of a nudge,” she said. “I am hopeful that every month we continue to look into every option, we start to see more people trying.”

E-mail the author: Randi Shaffer