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Homebuyers in Massachusetts are facing some of the lowest rates of vacant and “zombie” foreclosures in the nation, according to a new report from Attom.

Just 1.7 percent of residential properties in the process of foreclosure during the first quarter were vacant or zombie foreclosures. That is the sixth-lowest rate in the nation.

A “zombie” home has a mortgage where the lender has begun, but not finished the foreclosure process for one reason or another. Sometimes, this results in the homeowner abandoning the property, Attom says, often out of misunderstanding what happens when they receive a foreclosure notice.

“It will come as no surprise to anyone shopping for a home that vacancy rates remain low,” Attom CEO Rob Barber said in a statement. “That is one reason home prices have continued to rise despite ongoing affordability challenges. It is also encouraging for both neighborhoods and the broader market that even among properties in foreclosure, vacancy rates remain relatively low.”

The percentage of zombie foreclosures was 3.27 percent in the first quarter of 2026. These are homes that sit vacant while in pre-foreclosure status. In 28 states and the District of Columbia, the number of zombie properties fell quarter-over-quarter.

Across the country, 1.33 percent of residential properties were vacant at the beginning of 2026. It was 1.32 percent in the first quarter of 2025. Properties held by institutional investors, rather than individual owners, were more likely to be vacant, with 3.5 percent of investor-owned homes were vacant.

Also, out of the nation’s nearly 104.8 million residential properties, 230,401 were in the process of foreclosure according to Attom.