Vacant Homes in America: How Many Exist and How to Find Them for Sale

Vacant homes are residential units that are currently unoccupied and devoid of tenants. They are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as units where no one is living at the time of enumeration. These vacant properties include temporary absences, such as when families have multiple homes or are on extended vacation. Insurance providers often consider a home vacant if it has stood empty, without any personal property, for 30 to 60 days or more.

Vacant properties matter because they account for a significant share of the housing stock. When vacant homes occur in a concentrated area, it causes blight, increasing crime rates and lowering the value of neighboring properties. Unsecured, empty homes are hotspots for vandalism, squatting, fire hazards, and illegal dumping. They also represent lost tax revenue for municipalities, costing cities money in policing, fire, and code enforcement. Despite being empty, they represent a potential, underutilized source of housing, even in areas with a shortage and high demand for housing for low-income families.

Vacant and abandoned properties are often considered "ticking time bombs" that can quickly turn into liabilities. They are risky for investors because expenses such as taxes, insurance, and utilities continue to accumulate even when no income is generated. Without proper maintenance, small issues like a leaky pipe can lead to massive, expensive damage. Standard homeowner policies often cancel coverage if a home is vacant for 30-60 days. Additionally, abandoned properties often have complex legal, probate, or tax lien issues that can delay sales.

While risky, vacant homes can offer significant, high-ROI opportunities for investors who are capable and committed to rehabilitating them. These properties are often sold by motivated sellers (e.g., in foreclosure or probate) at substantial discounts. Investors can purchase, renovate, and sell properties, increasing property values and boosting depressed surrounding property values. Rehabilitating a vacant home into a safe rental unit can provide steady, long-term cash flow. In urban areas, vacant buildings or lots can be repurposed for new, higher-density, or mixed-use development.

By properly identifying, securing, and rehabilitating vacant homes, professionals can transform these liabilities into assets for themselves and the community. The trick is knowing how to find vacant properties. That is where PropertyChecker comes in.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of vacant homes in the U.S. is between 14.9 and 15.1 million, which represents about 10.4% of the total housing market. The states of Maine, Vermont, and Alaska have the highest vacancy rates due to many seasonal homes, while states like Florida and California have the most vacant homes by number; specific states with the lowest rates include Washington, Oregon, and Connecticut.

How Many Vacant Homes Are There in America?

• Total Vacancies: Approximately 14.9 to 15.1 million homes.

• National Vacancy Rate: Around 10.4%.

Highest Vacancy Rates (by Percentage)

These states often have a large portion of seasonal/recreational homes, inflating their rates:

• Maine: 21.09% (157,467 homes)

• Vermont: 20.06% (67,606 homes)

• Alaska: 18.24% (59,745 homes)

States with High Numbers of Vacancies (Not Necessarily Highest Rate)

• Florida: Nearly 1.7 million vacant homes.

• California: Over 1.2 million vacant homes.

Lowest Vacancy Rates (by Percentage)

• Washington

• Oregon

• Connecticut

Interestingly enough, vacancies are not evenly distributed. Roughly 40% of vacant homes are located in just 10% of census tracts, often creating pockets of "hypervacancy" in certain cities. While foreclosure-related vacancies are generally low, about 1.4 million residential properties are considered vacant in 2025, with specific zip codes in cities like Cleveland and Peoria experiencing high rates of abandoned "zombie" homes. High vacancy rates are common in the South (e.g., Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Florida).

A "vacant" home can be a primary residence, a seasonal getaway, or a property between renters/owners. Seasonal use is a major factor in high vacancy rates in states like Maine and Vermont.

U.S. vacancy rates (around 1-1.2% for owners, 7% for renters) are low, indicating low housing supply, while the homeownership rate (around 65.3%) shows roughly two-thirds of Americans own their homes. Rental rates are often inversely related: fewer owners mean more renters, and vice versa, reflecting the housing market's balance between owning and renting. For example, cities with lower owner-occupancy rates tend to have higher rental rates.

Vacancy and Homeownership Rates Defined

• Homeownership Rate: The percentage of households that own their home.

• Homeowner Vacancy Rate: The percentage of owner-occupied housing inventory that is vacant for sale.

• Rental Vacancy Rate: The percentage of rental inventory that is vacant and available for rent.

Generally, a higher homeownership rate can correlate with a lower homeowner vacancy rate, as fewer people are looking to buy, and more people might rent, but these aren't perfectly linked. Low homeowner vacancy rates (like 1.2%) signal a tight market for homes for sale, while higher rental vacancy rates (like 7%) suggest more rental options. The U.S. has seen fluctuating, but generally high, homeownership rates (around 65%) and historically low homeowner vacancy rates, with recent spikes in rental vacancies.

Data From Q3 2025

• Homeownership Rate: Around 65.3% of households own their homes.

• Homeowner Vacancy Rate: About 1.2% of owner-occupied homes are vacant for sale.

• Rental Vacancy Rate: Approximately 7.1% of rental units are vacant.

In some cities, like Newark (23.5%) and New York (32.7%), the homeownership rate is much lower, meaning a larger share of the population rents, which influences local vacancy dynamics.

In essence, homeownership reflects the share of ownership, while vacancy rates reflect the availability of homes for sale or rent; both are crucial indicators of housing market health.

To find vacant homes, you can use old-school physical scouting methods, such as driving around and looking for signs like overgrown yards or uncollected mail. You can also use digital research, scour public records (such as tax delinquencies), utility data, and specialized platforms like PropertyChecker to find vacant properties. Don't forget to rely on local real estate agents and community networking for off-market leads, then use skip tracing to find the owners.

On-the-Ground Methods (Driving for Dollars)

• Visual Cues: Look for unkempt lawns, overflowing mailboxes, boarded-up windows, broken fences, disconnected utilities (no lights at night), or government notices on doors.

• Neighbors: Talk to neighbors; they often know which homes are empty and can point you in the right direction, even providing details about previous ownership.

• Document Everything: Use apps or a notepad to log addresses and key details of potential properties.

Digital and Data-Driven Methods

• Public Records: Check county assessor/recorder websites for tax-delinquent properties, liens, or probate cases, as these may indicate vacant properties.

• Government Sites: Look at HUD or local city/county websites for listings.

• Utility Data: Use service providers or county records to identify properties with recently shut-off utilities.

• Specialized Platforms: Use real estate investor tools like PropertyChecker to filter for vacant, pre-foreclosure, or high-tax-delinquent properties.

• Skip Tracing: Use skip-tracing services to find the current owner's contact information (phone, alternate mailing address) for properties identified in public records.

Professional & Networking

• Local Agents: Build relationships with agents who know about vacant properties before they go on the market.

• Networking: Connect with property managers, code enforcement professionals, and local business owners to find vacant homes.

• Auction Sites: Explore auction sites like Auction.com for foreclosures.

Finding vacant properties online is easier than ever before. There are vast resources at your fingertips. You might start with a Google search using the terms "vacant properties near me" or "vacant homes for sale" to see what comes up.

You can use real estate websites to target homes in foreclosure or those being sold by the owner, a probate court, or a government agency. You can filter results by location, amenities, type, and more to narrow your search. Some of these platforms even have tabs for pre-foreclosure, auction properties, and REO.

Investors who want to maximize their efforts can use the PropertyChecker platform to leverage specialized data tools to quickly and easily target vacant properties in foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, and those ready for auction. You can search by address, zip code, name, or parcel ID. Our detailed property reports combine data from official government sources and public and private databases. They include multiple data points, including property ownership history, sales, values, taxes, foreclosures, building permits, loans, liens, zoning, and much more. Make searching for vacant properties easier with everything under one roof.

Investing in vacant homes for sale offers high potential rewards through development and appreciation, but also carries significant risks, including development costs, zoning hurdles, and the lack of immediate income. The process requires careful due diligence on major expenses, including infrastructure, rehabilitation, environmental issues, and financing challenges. It's a trade-off: more creative control and value-add opportunities (pros) versus complex, costly challenges and delayed returns (cons).

Opportunities (Pros)

• Creative Control & Value-Add: Build exactly what you want (residential or commercial) from scratch, significantly increasing value compared to existing structures.

• Lower Initial Costs: Vacant lots are often cheaper to acquire than developed properties, offering a lower entry point.

• Lower Carrying Costs: Property taxes and maintenance costs are typically much lower for undeveloped land and vacant homes.

• Appreciation Potential: Land values can rise, especially in development or growth areas, offering strong long-term gains.

• Flexibility: Hold as a long-term asset, lease for income, or develop/rehab when markets/budgets align.

Risks (Cons)

• No Cash Flow: Unlike turnkey rental properties, vacant homes or land generate no immediate income and cost you money (taxes, fees).

• Development Costs: Building infrastructure (roads, utilities) and structures can be extremely expensive and time-consuming. Rehabilitation can quickly incur cost overruns, depending on the building's condition.

• Financing Difficulties: Lenders often prefer established properties, making vacant-property loans harder to secure and potentially resulting in higher rates.

• Zoning & Permitting: Local regulations can severely restrict what you can build, adding complexity and cost.

• Hidden Environmental Issues: Soil contamination, flooding, or difficult terrain can make development unfeasible or costly, making due diligence mandatory to avoid financial losses.

• Market Volatility: As with any real estate, values can drop during economic downturns.

Investing in vacant properties is ideal for investors with a long-term vision, capital for development, and the patience to navigate complex regulations, but it's risky for those seeking quick, passive income or who underestimate the costs and effort required to transform a run-down property or raw land into a profitable asset. Thorough research into location, zoning, utilities, and environmental factors is crucial to balance the potential for high returns against significant financial and time commitments.

As of late 2025 and early 2026, the United States is navigating a complex housing market in which nearly 14.9 million to 15.2 million homes are vacant. While this figure may seem contradictory to the ongoing housing shortage, these empty units represent a significant, overlooked market for real estate professionals. When properly researched, acquired, and rehabilitated, these properties present profitable opportunities for investors and agents.

Investors hold a large share of these empty houses, but many are eager to sell them to avoid holding costs, creating a potentially lucrative opportunity for other investors. These vacant homes are ideal for wholesaling and flipping, and as rentals after rehabilitation, providing long-term passive income. Some are held by government agencies or banks that typically are open to selling for far less than fair market value, making them a steal.

The abundance of vacant homes is a $4 trillion market inefficiency, but it is not a sign of an oversupplied market. For real estate professionals, these properties represent a major, untapped opportunity. With diligent research and proper acquisition strategies, these empty houses can be converted into valuable, profit-generating assets.

When investing in vacant properties, let PropertyChecker be your due diligence partner. We provide robust property reports covering dozens of data points to facilitate informed decision-making for investors, agents, attorneys, and lenders.