Imagine a huge neighborhood with 1600 houses, now imagine every one of those homes are empty. That's how many homes are posted for foreclosure next month in Dallas County .

As banks repossess houses, they're also repossessing neighborhoods, which is having huge effects on the survivors.

Seven foreclosures have hit homes on Edward Hoffman's block in Desoto. In August, 125 homes are posted in Desoto.

As Hoffman washed his car Saturday morning, he wondered what else was in store for his neighborhood.

"If you have a house that's worth $400,000 and you have a bunch of foreclosures, it can drop about 50 percent easy," Hoffman said of the value of homes neighboring those foreclosed.

Up the street, Donald McMillion polished his Harley and discussed two foreclosed homes next to his own home.

"The homeowner dues are constantly going up too," he said. "So, everything's going up to maintain the integrity of the neighborhood."

Just three years ago it seems were the good old days in Dallas County. Cedar Hill, Desoto, Duncanville, Garland, Irving, Lancaster and Mesquite had more than 560 foreclosures among them for August of 2004.

While that number is bad to be sure, according to the Foreclosure Listing Service, the numbers now are much worse.

In August, there were 862 foreclosures postings in the same cities, which is up 65 percent.

Desoto City Manager Jim Baugh said he sees great things ahead for his city, like the mixed to be used in development that will break ground this fall, literally on the steps of city hall.

But with the foreclosure crisis, lower tax revenues as houses are appraised at lower values, the city hasn't begun to feel the worst of it yet.

sound: Jim Baugh. 4.01: Tape 2: "I think it is alarming," Baugh said. "Desoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, the best southwest area are some of the hardest hit in the metroplex."

Foreclosed homes mean empty homes. Somebody has to mow the lawn of the vacant house, pick up the accumulated junk mail. Often the tasks falls to the neighbors.

A lot of neighborhood Home Owners Associations, or HOAs, pull together and do that work. The question is, how long they'll do it? Desoto has created an incentive to keep them motivated.

"Instead of us paying a contractor to mow those yards, we pay the HOAs to mow the property and then we pay the HOAs so that they can use that money for enhancements to their neighborhood, parks and entranceways and that kind of stuff," Baugh said.

In Lancaster, where foreclosures are up 116 percent over the last three years, Cordell Ballansaw is planting the garden of his family's new house.

"I've noticed a lot of homes empty through here," Ballansaw said. "Three houses here. A couple of houses right back behind us."

Like the house itself, it's a labor of faith, and a bet. With the faith that time will even out the financial wounds that are threatening other neighborhoods, he's betting his investment will prosper in spite of the foreclosures around him.