Dream homes are turning to nightmares for dozens of homeowners in Gaston and Cleveland counties because of questionable loans. The state attorney general is now going after the mortgage broker who got them for the homeowners.

At first glance the neighborhood looks attractive, but look closer and you will see a high number of for sale signs.

Jacqueline Coleman and her family moved into their dream home 13 months ago.

"You know you’re just happy, very happy, but then to find out it’s all a lie,” she said.

The lie was the financing arranged by Hall Financial Service out of Matthews. The attorney general has accused the owners of engaging in mortgage fraud.

No one was at the office when WCNC visited Tuesday.

The Colemans learned about several bombshells. For example, after paying their $189,000 mortgage for 30 years, they had a balloon payment of $102,000. Their neighbor has one of $85,000.

The Colemans say Hall Financial lied about their income and kept two sets of paperwork: the one they got to see and the one they got to see after the house closed.

"It might have been something on my part. I don’t think it was, but if it was, we could admit to it,” Coleman said. “But I don’t think it was … the bigger mistake is what he did to us.”

Because the payments were much higher than the Colemans expected, they had to file bankruptcy to try and save their house.

The attorney general says that one third of Hall's loans are headed to foreclosure. The attorney general wants to strip the company of its license and permanently bar its owners from the mortgage business.