The number of local home foreclosures has decreased slightly, as experts say the fallout from subprime mortgages has lessened. However, struggles caused by the economy are still putting pressure on homeowners.

According to the Butler County Sheriff’s office, 254 properties were received for foreclosure auction and 160 went to sale in July, compared to 258 received and 180 sold at auction in July 2008.

Subprime mortgages made up the first major wave of foreclosures, flooding the real estate market with properties from 2006 to 2008. Now, since many of those loans have been readjusted, the reasons have changed, said Kristin Calendine, a realtor with Huff Realty.

“What we are seeing now is an economic cause ... job losses, factories shutting down, hour cuts, jobs moving overseas, things like that,” she said.

While the economy is showing some signs of improvement, Calendine estimates it will be another six to nine months before foreclosures start lessening and real estate inventories fall.

Because of the attention put on foreclosures and foreclosure prevention, many lenders are willing to help homeowners refinance before the loans become deliquent, said Ruth Atha, a counselor with LifeSpan, a nonprofit, U.S. Housing and Urban Development-approved counseling agency.

However, banks never lower the principal amount owed, said Debbie Hitte, a counselor with LifeSpan.

And a mortgage settlement usually does not include any deliquent payments, property taxes owed or legal fees incurred by the bank. To avoid these extra costs, quick action is key, Atha said.

“Get proactive in your financials right now,” she said. “When you start to go deliquent, you’re accruing late charges and then the legal fees follow. It can get expensive.”