Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report Shows 1.33 Percent of Homes Were Vacant at Beginning of Year

ATTOM, the leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, released its first-quarter 2026 Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report showing that 1.33 percent of the residential properties in the United States, or nearly 1.4 million homes, were vacant at the beginning of the year. That was essentially the same rate as the 1.32 percent rate posted in the previous quarter and in the first quarter of 2025.

The report analyzes publicly recorded real estate data collected by ATTOM — including foreclosure status, equity and owner-occupancy status — matched against monthly updated vacancy data.

Out of the nation's nearly 104.8 million residential properties, 230,401 were in the process of foreclosure at the time of the report. Of those, 7,540 properties, or 3.27 percent, were "zombies," meaning their owners had abandoned them before the end of the foreclosure proceedings. That zombie rate was essentially the same as the prior quarter but down slightly from 3.34 percent at the same time last year.

"It will come as no surprise to anyone shopping for a home that vacancy rates remain low. That is one reason home prices have continued to rise despite ongoing affordability challenges," said Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM. "It is also encouraging for both neighborhoods and the broader market that even among properties in foreclosure, vacancy rates remain relatively low."

In 28 states and the District of Columbia, the number of zombie properties fell quarter-over-quarter.

Among states with at least 50 zombie properties, the largest quarter-over-quarter increases were in Maryland (up 45.6 percent to 115 zombies), South Carolina (up 34 percent to 130 zombies), Oklahoma (up 26.3 percent to 72 zombies), California (up 15.1 percent to 313 zombies), and Nevada (up 11.9 percent to 66 zombies).

The largest quarter-over-quarter drops were in Georgia (down 31.1 percent to 51 zombies). North Carolina (down 25.6 percent to 61 zombies), Kansas (down 23.5 percent to 62 zombies), Texas (down 13.7 percent to 177 zombies), and Iowa (down 13.1 percent to 93 zombies).