Illinois ranks 5th in the nation in foreclosures - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Seeing a 'bank owned' sign in front of a house is a sign that the home has been foreclosed.

It's where some personal items are left - and other items ripped out.

"In this situation, I think they just take what they can take and take it with them," says Real Estate Agent Kathy Babington.

"The heating the furnace and heating and air were removed from here as well, so it will be an expense for the new buyer," she says. "It's odd what people leave behind and it's odd what they choose to take. I don't know if they might of taken it to where they went, we have no idea, they could take it or sell it."

Although people know for months in advance that they are headed for foreclosure, many still leave in a hurry.

According to Babington, this house was left in almost unlivable conditions.

"Cat litter just dumped," she says.

For her, this listing was priced to sell, and it did.

But seeing traces that this place use to be a home, makes it all too real.

"I'm sure it was someone young who had this bedroom, who woke up to this view every morning," she says. You don't know what journey their life took to get them to this point. It makes it human."

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