10 Beazer developments in Mecklenburg riddled by foreclosures
In the past decade, Beazer Homes USA built more houses in Mecklenburg County that have since foreclosed than any other builder. Beazer built about 2,900 homes in Mecklenburg between 1997 and 2006. At least 388 have foreclosed. That is a rate above 13 percent, the highest among the county's 10 most prolific builders during that period, an Observer investigation found.

Number of foreclosures climbs as 1st-time buyers lose low-priced houses
A wave of loan defaults in starter-home developments is pushing the foreclosure count in Mecklenburg County to record heights, an Observer analysis shows. Lenders foreclosed last year on more than 900 Mecklenburg starter homes, up more than 150 percent since 2003. Foreclosures of older or more expensive homes rose by only 18 percent during the same period.

PART ONE - CHARLOTTE OBSERVER INVESTIGATION
Concord subdivision proves lucrative for builder and costly for 1st-time owners. Mark and Lea Tingley bought a new home in 2001 in a subdivision called Southern Chase. Photos on the family computer show a smiling young couple holding a baby girl in a bare room. They recall feeling surprised they could afford a house. And thrilled. It was their first home, their largest investment, in the neighborhood where they planned to raise a family...Seventy-seven buyers have lost homes to foreclosure in a subdivision of 406 homes. That's about one in five, more than six times the national rate.

Sold a Nightmare
Beazer Homes USA said Wednesday it is cooperating with a federal investigation of its mortgage business. A subsidiary of the builder, Beazer Mortgage, arranges loans for many buyers in its subdivisions.