A “zombie home” is a home which is no longer under the control of the owners, but the foreclosure case is still pending and therefore the bank does not have legal title or possession of the home.

Foreclosed Abandoned Homes

There are communities which have numerous foreclosed homes within them. Sometimes the homeowners abandon these homes. This has a negative effect on the tax base. The other homes in the area have their taxes go up as a result of this action. The abandoned homes fall into disrepair causing the homes surrounding them to lose value. When people drive through an area with abandoned homes, it creates a blight on the neighborhood. Zombie homes are a problem in many neighborhoods throughout the United States. It is estimated that as many as 20% of the homes in foreclosure are vacant.

Proposed New York Program

In States such as New York, where the foreclosure process is long, the issue of zombie homes becomes a larger problem. Attorney General Schneiderman in the State of New York is currently backing an idea of letting communities create land banks for the purpose of buying, refurbishing, and reselling abandoned homes. Attorney General Schneiderman has proposed legislation which would force lenders to maintain a property which has been abandoned after the start of the foreclosure lawsuit.

Maintenance Problems of Abandoned Homes

Homes that are abandoned often have significant maintenance problems. Pipes burst. The wood rots. The lawns sprout weeds. These homes create eyesores and create a blighted effect on the neighborhood.

Syracuse Land Bank Program

Katelyn Wright, the Executive Director of the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, recently stated “studies have shown that they [abandoned homes] have a dramatic negative impact on the property values for the homes in the surrounding vicinity, but also less dramatic but still notable for homes in a several block radius.” Katelyn Wright, as Director of the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, has been involved in dealing with abandoned homes in the Syracuse area. Syracuse experiences as many as 50 new abandoned homes each month. The Land Bank buys many of these homes for a very modest price using State, City and County funding. The homes are then either rehabilitated and put back on the market or, if they are not able to be rehabilitated, they are demolished. This is an example of how one community is dealing with zombie homes.

Elliot Schlissel is a foreclosure attorney who represents homeowners whose homes have been foreclosed on. He helps keep his clients in their homes and advises his clients not to abandon their homes.