It’s not uncommon nowadays to drive down a street and play the “Guess a number between 1 and 10” game. The winner? The person who picks the correct number of “For Sale” signs on that street. The loser? The homeowner.

Foreclosure can be a terrifying ordeal and it all starts with that one piece of paper in the mail reminding you of your failure to make your last payment.

The Arizona Republic reports that in Gilbert and Ahwatukee, homeowners were hit especially hard. However, other areas were also heavily affected.

Foreclosure notices in Gilbert and Ahwatukee Foothills jumped 240 percent in the first six months compared with the same period a year earlier, as more homeowners struggle to afford the higher-priced homes in these communities. Other areas of the Southeast Valley also were hit hard, especially in the south. Notices jumped 183 percent in Chandler and Sun Lakes , 116 percent in Mesa, and 97 percent in Tempe, according to the Information Market. Foreclosure notices mean homeowners are at least three months behind in their mortgage payments but don’t necessarily mean a foreclosure will follow. Homeowners are struggling throughout the Phoenix area. It has become harder to sell homes, and lenders have tightened their standards and are less likely to allow refinancing. The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service said about 19,000 homes were on the market in June in the Southeast Valley, with 1,973 selling, taking an average of 90 days.

Why Are There So Many Foreclosures About To Take Place?

As most agents and speculators have been saying:

“The majority were investors, and those who bought late in the cycle and they overbought,” Kramer said. “They got late into the game, and they didn’t do their homework. They got a little greedy.”

One of the agents asked also goes on to mention:

… the real estate market eventually will recover.

Of course, at the moment.. defining “eventually” is task nobody wants to bet their next commission check on.