Property Values

Zombie Foreclosures Creep Up

Posted on by TMN Editor
Zombie foreclosures are inching up as people who can no longer afford their homes abandon them. The number of vacant homes in foreclosure, or zombie foreclosures, has risen for the sixth consecutive quarter, according to new data from ATTOM. Year-over-year, zombie foreclosures are up 13.9%. Currently, 8,800 foreclosures are sitting empty across the country. “Zombie foreclosures again are ticking up a tiny bit this quarter, tracking along with a small rise in overall foreclosure activity around the country. That’s to be expected, as a handful of homeowners who can’t catch up on overdue mortgage payments just walk away from their properties,” said Rob Barber, ATTOM CEO. But these foreclosures remain just one in 11,600 of all homes nationwide, abating fears…

SitusAMC: Insurance Premium Hikes Coming As Natural Disasters Intensify

Posted on by TMN Editor
Both homeowners and lenders may be underestimating the rising cost of insurance following a growing number of natural disasters, according to a SitusAMC white paper titled “Weathering the Storm: Burgeoning Insurance Costs for Real Estate.” The paper found that natural disasters have impacted residential property nationwide, not just in areas with highly publicized disasters such as California and Florida. The states with the most natural disasters were Texas (where winter storms accounted for 40% in total insurance market losses in 2021), Virginia, and South Dakota. As the number of disasters rises and their severity intensifies, insurance companies will face more risk, leading to higher insurance premiums and reductions in coverage for property owners. “The growing number of climate events has…