If your neighbors move out, and nobody moves in -- sometimes for years -- you may have a zombie home in your neighborhood. Bank walk-aways, or zombie homes, are an elusive problem creating neighborhood blight. Properties turn into zombie home when a servicer does not complete the foreclosure process after initiating a foreclosure action.

During this process, the individuals or families living in these homes vacate the property, sometimes due to lender intimidation and other times inaccurately assuming the servicer has taken control of the property. Regardless of the reason for the families leaving the property, the servicer postpones the foreclosure sale and a zombie house now populates the neighborhood. The homes are vacant, often quickly become dilapidated, and their ownership and futures are unclear.

If you think there's a zombie foreclosure in your neighborhood, take action with these resources.