More Than 300,000 U.S. Homes Are Foreclosed 'Zombies'

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/more-than-300000-us-homes-are-foreclosed-zombies-2013-3



A national survey found 301,874 "zombie" properties dotting the U.S. landscape in which homeowners in foreclosure have moved out, leaving vacant property susceptible to vandalism and degradation.

Florida tops the list of zombie properties with 90,556 vacant homes in foreclosure, according to a foreclosure inventory released on Thursday by RealtyTrac, a real estate information company in Irvine, California.

Illinois and California ranked a distant second and third with 31,668 and 28,821 zombie properties respectively on the list.

The number of homes overall in foreclosure or bank-owned rose by 9 percent to 1.5 million properties nationally in the first quarter of 2013 compared to a year ago, according to RealtyTrac.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/more-than-300000-us-homes-are-foreclosed-zombies-2013-3#ixzz2OvbXq4Pf

[Sanity Claws]

1. Are the banks paying real estate taxes?

If not, the county or municipality should foreclose on them and once they have title, make it available for people.

[KG]

2. there are 4 or 5 in my 'hood, just along the our walkies route

[xchrom]

4. reminds me: i need to go walkies. nt

[KG]

5. if you need a friend, this little guy would gladly go along....

[xchrom]

6. lol -- yeah mine feel the same -- endlessly energetic. nt

[Cal Carpenter]

3. And meanwhile

there are millions without the security of a roof over their heads at night, between the chronically homeless and those with 'temporary' struggles.

So we have tons of empty housing, and tons of people who need housing.

Someone remind me what is so great about this capitalist economy of ours?

Really, what is the point of a home if it is empty? And what does it say when there are so many people who need a roof over their heads?

[Honeycombe8]

8. Well, someone owns those houses and is trying to sell them.

Last edited Fri Mar 29, 2013, 06:04 PM - Edit history (1)

The govt confiscates enough property "for the common good." I don't want them to confiscate more.

Besides, even if a house were given to someone unemployed and homeless, they wouldn't have the funds to maintain it and the yard and pay taxes.

If I own a house and am trying to sell it, I don't think the govt should confiscate it, if I haven't been able to sell it in within 6 mos. When I bought my house years ago, it had been on the market for 18 mos.

The houses will sell. The banks have the funds to maintain the yards, pay the taxes, etc., and try to actively sell them. I found when I was trying to sell my condo years ago that I had trouble....I worked all day, so wasn't available to take calls like I should or show it during the week, etc.

The main thing to help those w/o shelter is to try to improve the jobs situation and maybe enlarge shelters, if that's possible. I don't have the answer to the homeless problem. I don't think anyone does. But to take others' houses because they haven't sold fast enough...that's not the answer.

[sorefeet]

7. There are thousands of empty homes

in Montana that the owners will not rent or sell. Why??? They have been handed down from generations, it's a selfish thing. Don't ya just love this country.