The financial and housing crisis of the late 2000s led to a flood of foreclosures on small homes. With no owner on site and no one maintaining the property, many of these homes turned into zombies.
Zombie homes can present many problems for the community:
• The building may be structurally unsound
• It can become a breeding ground for rats, mold and mosquitoes
• Unsightly property with foot-high grass, weeds and boarded-up or broken windows
• It may become the site of a fire or criminal mischief
In many cases, local municipalities spend millions in taxpayer money to clean, maintain, board up and demolish these properties.
