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ccording to a recent report by ATTOM, approximately 1.4 million residential properties in the United States are vacant as of the third quarter of 2024. This figure represents about 1.3 percent of all homes in the nation, or one in every 76 properties. The number of properties in pre-foreclosure has decreased by 6 percent compared to the second quarter of 2024 and down by 29.3 percent compared to the same quarter in 2023. Zombie foreclosures, or pre-foreclosure properties abandoned by owners, have also decreased by 20.2 percent compared to last year. The majority of these properties are concentrated in a few states such as Connecticut, Oklahoma, Iowa, North Carolina, and New Mexico. Despite this decline, zombie foreclosures remain a rare occurrence in most local housing markets across the country. The report also highlighted that home equity levels are at historic highs, which encourages homeowners to negotiate new payment plans rather than abandon their properties. This has led to a decrease in the number of foreclosures, as homeowners are less likely to walk away from their properties as they did after the Great Recession of the late 2000s. The U.S. housing market continues to boom into its 13th year, with the nationwide median home value reaching a new high of $365,000 in the Spring of 2024. This increase has led to significant improvements in homeowner equity, resulting in almost 95 percent of owners with mortgages having equity built up and half owing less than 50 percent of their estimated property value.