The number of California homes going into foreclosure jumped last quarter to its highest level in more than 15 years, as the market continued to works its way through declining home values and a pool of at-risk mortgages that were originated in 2005 and 2006, according to DataQuick.

For the seventh month in a row, Bay Area home sales were at their lowest level in more than two decades as potential buyers and sellers continued to wait out market turbulence.

A total of 24,565 new and resale houses and condos were sold statewide in March. That makes it the slowest March in DataQuick’s records, which go back to 1988. Sales were up 19.8 percent from 20,513 in February and down 38.3 percent from 39,811 for March last year.

Around half the drop in median is due to shifts in the types of homes selling, and how those homes are financed. Last month 14.4 percent of the state’s financed home purchases were purchased with “jumbo” loans over $417,000. A year ago it was 38.4 percent.