There's 300K+ in America
A survey by RealtyTrac reports that America is home to 301,874 zombie
houses -- houses that have been abandoned by their owners, but not
foreclosed upon by the banks. They effectively have no owners, but their
erstwhile owners are theoretically on the hook for maintenance and
liability. Florida has the largest zombie infestation (90,556!),
followed by Illinois and California. Zombie houses are considered a
blight because they attract vandalism and crime. In a rational world,
neighborhood associations would be able to take these places over and
turn them into community centers or shelters or some similar social
beneficial purpose. Instead, they're just the subject of unending
litigation that will likely only finish when the houses are razed.
Reuters revealed the plight of people who walked away from their homes
not realizing that their names remained on the deed and that they were
financially liable for taxes and other bills related to the abandoned
property.
In some cases, homeowners vacated after receiving a notice from the bank
of a planned foreclosure sale, only to find out later the bank never
followed through.
Zombie properties can be easy to spot as they deteriorate into neighborhood eyesores and havens for criminal activity.
While Florida leads in volume of zombie properties, Kentucky, with less
than 1,000 zombie properties, leads in percentage; zombies represent 54
percent of its total foreclosure inventory, Blomquist said.
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