[link to www.foxnews.com]



Some owners of foreclosed homes are stealing appliances and leaving the houses damaged and in disarray, bringing down their already-sagging values, MyFOXOrlando.com reported.

Real estate agents are complain the trashed houses are harder to sell.

Homeowners angry at banks that are forcing them out have been hauling items from their houses and selling them, the station said. They're also damaging walls and floors.

A house off Lee Vista in southeast Orange County, Fla., for instance, is missing its air conditioner, countertops, all the appliances and even the kitchen sink, according to MyFOXOrlando.com. There are stains on the rug and walls marked with crayon and punctured with holes punched into them.

"There's nothing left. They took the kitchen sink," said Orlando-area real estate agent Josh Dubin of Keller Williams.

Click here for photos of the looted foreclosed home.

The home sold for nearly $400,000 two years ago, when it was brand new. Now, the bank will be lucky to get $169,900 for it, the station reported.

Photo EssaysForeclosed Homes Looted by Owners
Dubin said about one in five foreclosed homes is in a state of disarray, lowering their market value even further.

"It's these people on their way out who will sell all their appliances for $500 because they need the cash," he told the TV station.