Jeremy Hall would love to sell his house.

"I don't even need to make a profit," he said. "I just want to get out from under."

That's because he, like many americans, worries what foreclosures in his neighborhood are doing to his home.

"My property value has gone down at least 50, 60,000," he said. "There's houses in my neighborhood selling for 15,000 foreclosed and I mean, before, the house was worth 110,000."

In Ingham County, the number of foreclosures this year has already surpassed the number last year by thirteen, and the year's not over.

In 2009, 1,701 Sheriff's Deeds were recorded, and through November of this year there were 1,714.

"We're probably going to have, when it's all said and done, the second worst year on record," said Ingham County Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel.

County officials say it's not just a problem for those individuals losing their homes. They say foreclosure affects all of us, whether you're trying to sell your home or just worried about its value.

"On top of that, the tax base is going down," Hertel said. "So if you care about your local schools, local health care programs, any of the things you care about in local government, your funding is going down."

Another potential problem: abandoned properties could get ugly.

"The grass might get a little high, the snow might not be removed, and on top of that, you have a property that can be used for crime," Hertel said.

Hall has seen that firsthand with foreclosed properties in his neighborhood.

"They weren't kept up, have vandalism in a couple houses," Hall said.

But some homeowners are optimistic.

"Hopefully this is gonna be the worst we've seen and it's going to go up from here," said one homeowner.

That is possible. Even with the year's numbers not looking good, November was the best recorded month for the county since July 2006.