U.S. Census Bureau

Homeowner Vacancies Hit Record in First Quarter 

Signaling that the worst of the housing mess isn’t yet behind us, the number of homeowner vacancies reached a new record high in the first three months of 2008, according to data released Monday morning by the U.S. Census Bureau. Homeowner vacancies crept up to 2.9 percent of total by the end of March, up slightly from the 2.8 percent rate recorded during the first and fourth quarters of last year.