Here’s How Many ‘Zombie’ Properties Are In Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - More than 1.52 million U.S. homes, including many in Morris County, are sitting empty, according to a new report by real estate data site Attom Data Solutions. Among these homes are several thousand so-called “zombies” — homes that are vacant and also in foreclosure.

The number of empty houses represents 1.5 percent of all homes in the United States, according to the report. To determine the percentage, Attom Data Solutions used county tax assessor data on more than 98 million single-family homes and condos from the first quarter of 2020, broken down by foreclosure and owner-occupancy status.

In Morris County, 1,001 homes are sitting vacant, according to the report, representing .67 percent of homes. Our area also has nine “zombie” foreclosures, or 1.01 percent of total foreclosures.

About 282,800 homes nationwide are in the process of foreclosure, the report says, with about 8,700 — or 3.1 percent — sitting empty as “zombie” foreclosures. The percentage is up from 3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019.

The total number of properties in the process of foreclosure in the first quarter of 2020 is down 1.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2019.

To create this year’s report, Attom Data Solutions analyzed metropolitan statistical areas with at least 100,000 single-family homes and condos, and counties with at least 50,000 single-family homes and condos.

The top “zombie” foreclosure rates in counties with at least 500 properties in foreclosure include:

• St. Clair County, Illinois (12.3 percent of homes in foreclosure)
• Cuyahoga County, Ohio (12 percent)
• Baltimore City/County, Maryland (10.4 percent)
• Pinellas County Florida (9.8 percent)
• Onondaga County, New York (9.5 percent)

States with 500 or more properties in foreclosure and 100 or more “zombie” foreclosures included:

• Ohio (6.8 percent of homes in foreclosure)
• Indiana (5.1 percent)
• Illinois (4.7 percent)
• Oklahoma (4.5 percent)
• Maryland (4.3 percent)

States with the largest number of “zombie” properties include:

• New York (2,206 properties)
• Florida (1,390)
• Ohio (977)
• Illinois (943)
• Pennsylvania (317)

Read more about the report and methodology behind “zombie” properties and foreclosures online.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to [email protected]

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.