More foreclosure notices in Paris

PARIS — Town records show that foreclosure notices in Paris have climbed by 17 percent over last year.

As of this week, 33 residents will be foreclosed on unless they pay their back taxes before January 17, 2011.

Deputy Tax Collector Elizabeth Knox says that the January deadline represents the culmination of a long process full of of less drastic attempts to achieve compliance.

"It's about a two and a half-year process," said Knox. "We're mandated by the state to do it that way."

A total of 54 foreclosure notices were sent out, 33 of them to the residents themselves, and 21 to mortgage-holders who also have a legal right to know that the town could take possession of the property.

"We've seen an increase this year versus last year," said Knox.

Last year, a total of 47 notices were sent out.

Knox said that the large majority of threatened foreclosures usually result in payment of the back-taxes that were the basis for the town's action.

Of 47 notices last year, only "six or eight" homes were actually foreclosed upon, according to Knox.

Knox says that, in her experience, the mortgage-holders often step in to pay the town when the property is threatened. Then, the cost is passed back to the homeowner in the form of an increased mortgage payment.

Even though the deadline is January 17, Knox says that it's unlikely that the current residents will be left immediately homeless in the face of a harsh Maine winter.

"The town isn't in the habit of taking the property," said Knox. "They try to work something out with the property owners."

Once a home is foreclosed upon, however, it becomes more expensive for the homeowner to regain legal title to the property.

Typically, a home is two or three years delinquent by the time a foreclosure happens. To forestall foreclosure, the homeowner must only pay the year of back taxes that generated the legal notice.

Once a foreclosure has happened, the homeowner must pay all taxes due on the property.

One such property was the home of Stephen Catanese and Charlotte Labell on Tremont Street, which was foreclosed upon last January for years of unpaid taxes.

"This property was foreclosed on by the Town on January 8, 2010 for unpaid 2008, 2009 and 2010 taxes," according to a memo generated by Knox.

Last week, town officials voted to quit all claims to the deed, after Knox informed the board that that account had been satisfied.

"The mortgage holder has paid all the past due amount to bring the amount current," said Knox.