City Assessor Brian S. Phelps acknowledges it’s difficult to gauge what’s happening with those so-called “zombie homes” in the city because it can take a few years before banks finally file foreclosure proceedings. But Mr. Phelps recently learned about a national real estate website that can help keep better track of “zombie” homes – properties that people have stopped paying their mortgages on and have moved out because they expect the bank to begin foreclosure – in the city.
