MARIETTA — Cobb’s foreclosure numbers continue to run significantly lower than last year’s.

There are 884 properties in the county up for auction in May, down about 13 percent from the 1,011 listed for May 2011.

For the year, 3,770 properties have been advertised for auction, a 23 percent decrease from the 4,905 properties advertised during the same period in 2011.

Brenda Brown, a real estate agent with Keller Williams in east Cobb, said the latest foreclosure numbers look promising for the market.

“This is turning around,” she said. “There will continue to be fewer foreclosures as the overall market improves. … The sooner we work through the foreclosure mess, the better it will be for owners trying to sell and for those looking to refinance.”

In March, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $670,000 in housing counseling grants to 21 organizations in Georgia, including Cobb Housing Inc. in Marietta, which received about $18,000.

“The HUD-approved counseling agencies this funding supports are crucial in helping struggling families on a one-to-one basis to manage their money, navigate the homebuying process and secure their financial futures,” said Ed Jennings Jr., HUD’s Southeast regional administrator. “We fought hard to persuade Congress to restore funding for housing counseling in HUD’s budget, and now we’re working to make these important resources available as quickly as possible.”

Last year, Cobb Housing counseled 320 clients.

The calculated year for foreclosures runs from February through January because the numbers are reported a month before the auction. Legal notices must be published for four consecutive Fridays before a property can be sold at auction. Not all properties advertised necessarily end up at auction.

The auction begins at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month on the steps of the Cobb Superior Courthouse in Marietta. The next auction will be May 1.