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84 Additionally, the top two zip codes na- tionwide with the highest number of zombie properties (with at least 100 properties in pre- foreclosure) are 44105 (57) and 44108 (54). Another reason for these high number of vacant and abandoned homes caused by foreclosure is the high number of jobs lost in the Cleveland area. e city of Cleveland, Polensek says, has lost between 20,000 and 25,000 manufacturing jobs. Residents lose their homes after being unable to make pay- ments, and eventually just abandon it. MICHIGAN Legal Services Provider in Michigan Among Best Places to Work For Detroit law firm recognized as being one of the best in the nation Potestivo & Associates, P.C., a legal ser- vices provider to the default servicing industry, has been selected for the seventh year in a row as one of "e Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in the Metro Detroit area for the 2019 state-wide competition. e firm will be honored at an upcoming ceremony, where a representative from the firm will accept the award. "We are very proud to once again be named among the Best & Brightest Compa- nies. It is truly an honor to be the recipient of this award for the seventh year in a row. is award recognizes the high standard that we set for ourselves, to create and maintain a positive work environment," President and Managing Attorney, Brian Potestivo. e "Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" competition identifies and honors organizations located throughout specific regions. e organizations must display a com- mitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment. e winning companies were assessed by an independent research firm, which reviewed a number of key measures relative to other nationally recognized winners. ey include Compensation, Benefits and Employee Solu- tions; Employee Enrichment, Engagement and Retention; Employee Education and Development; Recruitment, Selection and Orientation; Employee Achievement and Rec- ognition; Communication and Shared Vision; Diversity and Inclusion; Work-Life Balance; Community Initiatives; Strategic Company Performance. INDIANA Midwestern Market Named Hottest in the Nation Smaller markets are becoming more popu- lar for buyers, and a small Indiana market is proving an affordable option. Midwestern metros were among the hottest real estate markets according to realtor.com's rankings of the hottest real estate markets of September, with Fort Wayne, Indana, coming in at No. 1 for the third-consecutive month. Realtor.com's found that nearly half of the top-20 markets are in the Midwest, with price-conscious buyers moving to the market. Seven are in the West, and the South and Northeast each have two. Realtor.com said affordability was the common theme among the top-20 metros. e report found 13 of the top-20 metros have a median-listing price lower than the national average. e top five have average list prices that are 32% less than the national average. "Demand for homes remains really high as a result of consumer confidence and a growing population of millennials," said Javier Vivas, Director of Economic Research at realtor.com. "Low mortgage rates help, too. Making the pur- chase decision is easier now than it was before." Vivas called Fort Wayne a "hidden gem," as it is bringing in buyers who are priced out of larger metros such as Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; and Detroit, Michigan. Following Fort Wayne was Rochester, New York, at No. 2 and Pueblo, Colorado, at No. 3. Pueblo was ranked No. 1 in September 2018, with Rochester at No. 2. e metro that reported the largest jump was Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin, which jumped from No. 75 last year to No. 8 in the latest rankings. Burlington, North Carolina, came in at No. 11 this year after being tied for second in September 2018. Realtor.com added that while homes in the top-20 markets sell faster, 12 of them are seeing homes stay on the market for longer when com- pared to 2018. e biggest slowdowns were in Stockton, California (seven days); Dayton, Ohio (six days); and Vallejo, California (five days). California metros, including San Jose and Sacramento, reported a decline in the number of homes for sale. Scarcity, according to realtor. com, tends to drive prices up, making buyers move quicker. OHIO The 'Post-Housing Crisis Hangover' in Ohio Nearly half of Ohio's 891 zombie homes are located in Cleveland. Cleveland's Ward 8 is filled with zombie homes, which many have called a "post-hous- ing crisis hangover," WBUR reports. "You can see a great deal of demolition, but it's not enough," said Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek. Polensek says Cleveland now spends about $2 million a year just cutting grass on abandoned properties. Part of the problem, Polensek adds, is tax collection. "e county has done a terrible job at collecting taxes. We have the worst collec- tion record in the state," he says. "So you had predatory lending, then you had absentee landlords. And then the county, where we could have saved these structures, had there been a reasonable foreclosure process. ese properties went on for years and years." Another issue is redlining: the illegal prac- tice of denying loans to minority applicants who then can't get the funds they need to keep up their payments or improve their proper- ties, but what's happening in Cleveland is not necessarily the traditional type of redlining. "I believe it's redlining by community, by ZIP code," Polensek says. "Does racial consid- eration factor in some cases? Without a doubt." Nationally, over 1.5 million U.S. single- family homes and condos are vacant, repre- senting 1.6% of all homes, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions. Ohio holds one of the highest rates of zombie homes in the country, with a total of around 891 in the state. Around half of these vacant homes are in the Cleveland-Elyria metro area, with 431 homes. According to a WBUR report and Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek, the city spends $2 million a year cutting grass on abandoned properties. KNOW THIS

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