More than 750 houses in Prince William County entered foreclosure in the fall, escalating the area’s already bleak foreclosure woes.

In the first half of November alone, 148 houses were foreclosed on — or about 10 a day, a county financial analyst told The Examiner.

There were 1,914 foreclosures this year through Nov. 15, compared with fewer than 200 foreclosures in all of 2006.

“I don’t want to say we anticipate more, but we’re mindful this might not be over yet,” financial analyst Bill Vaughan told The Examiner.

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The skyrocketing number of foreclosures is wreaking havoc on the county’s budget.

When the Board of Supervisors reviewed a dismal financial forecast in October predicting a $51 million budget deficit, county officials cited foreclosure data through Aug. 17.

Since then, the additional foreclosures have swamped the real estate market, reducing property values and making it much more difficult to collect property taxes on hundreds of houses, a problem also facing other local governments.

The county finance department is scheduled to deliver a report Tuesday on its capital investment program, highlighting the fiscal challenges ahead, county spokeswoman Nicole Brown said.

Vaughan blamed the jump in foreclosures on the subprime mortgage debacle — in which borrowers who took out adjustable-rate mortgages with low teaser rates are not able to afford the higher rates when they reset — and the regional building slowdown that has left many construction workers unable to afford their mortgages.

Facing the enormous foreclosure problem, the county introduced an aggressive yard maintenance law allowing the county to cut unwieldy lawns faster to improve neighborhood appearance and reduce the impact on property values.

The financial situation is “a perfect storm almost,” Vaughan said. “There’s a number of things that are all percolating at the same time, and [the foreclosures] are part of the mix.”

dgenz@dcexaminer.com