ATTOM data shows vacancy unchanged as a stubborn supply squeeze keeps prices elevated
The national residential vacancy rate held firm at 1.3% in the third quarter, unchanged from the prior quarter and from the same period a year earlier, according to ATTOM's latest Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report.
Of the country's 104.6 million residential properties, 259,666 were in the foreclosure process during the third quarter. Of those, 8,482 — or 3.3% — were classified as "zombie" homes, meaning owners had abandoned the properties before completing foreclosure proceedings.
The zombie share edged down slightly from 3.4% posted in both the prior quarter and the same period of 2025, per the ATTOM data.
Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, was direct about what that means on the ground. "It remains very hard to find an empty home for prospective buyers in most regions," Barber said. "In 19 states, the home vacancy rate is below 1%, creating a bottleneck that is helping to keep prices high."
Zombie home counts divide the country
The decline in zombie properties was not spread evenly. Numbers rose in 21 states between the second and third quarters of 2026.
Among states with at least 50 zombie properties, Kentucky recorded the steepest quarterly increase, up 56.8% to 58 homes, followed by Colorado (up 30.1% to 95), Arizona (up 19.4% to 86), Maryland (up 18.9% to 151) and Indiana (up 17% to 344).
On the other hand, Georgia posted the largest decline at 22.8%, followed by Texas at 17.4% and Ohio at 10.8%.
States with the highest overall vacancy rates in the quarter were Oklahoma and Kansas (both at 2.4%), Alabama (2.2%), West Virginia and Missouri (both at 2.1%).
Investor-held properties widen the gap
Among the country's 24.9 million investor-owned properties, 879,532 — or 3.5% — sat vacant in the third quarter, more than double the national rate. Indiana led with a 7% investor vacancy rate, followed by Illinois at 6.2% and Oklahoma at 6%.
At the metro level, Youngstown, Ohio led all major markets with a zombie foreclosure rate of 12.1%, followed by Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 11.6% and Baltimore, Maryland at 11.5%.
At the zip-code level, 33708 in Saint Petersburg, Florida recorded the highest single-area zombie rate in the country at 38.3%.
The concentration of vacant investor-held homes in Midwest and Sun Belt markets is a reminder of how the effects of elevated foreclosure activity on local housing affordability continue to play out differently region by region.
New Hampshire (0.3%), Vermont (0.4%) and New Jersey (0.5%) posted the tightest vacancy conditions nationally.
Stay updated with the freshest mortgage news. Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox, and always be the first to know by subscribing to our FREE daily newsletter.
