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65 "For an investor to make money … the goal is always occupancy, either by an owner or by a tenant. You want to give homeowners that first crack at buying foreclosures, but a lot of them need so much work they are just not appealing, so investors take that role of assuming the risk." —Josh Cantwell, Cleveland-based investor for every property—especially for vacant properties—is not the right tool," she said. ZOMBIE BUYERS STILL ACTIVE Texas-based real estate investor Aaron Amuchastegui said he's purchased nearly 1,000 vacant houses at foreclosure auction over the past 10 years—and he continues to find zombie foreclosures that have been sitting vacant for months or even years. "We bought a few houses in March that had actually been vacant and abandoned for two years," he said, adding that even the borrowers in foreclosure benefit when a zombie foreclosure is eliminated. "When a borrower abandons a property, they want the foreclosure to end quickly so they can get a fresh start and start rebuilding their credit. … Borrowers aren't trying to save these houses; they want to be done with them." Cleveland-based investor Josh Cantwell agreed that a completed foreclosure sale of a vacant property represents a win for distressed homeowners as well as for real estate investors and the local community. "We do target those properties on Auction. com and other acquisition sources … that would all fall into this zombie category," he said, explaining that a vacant property often translates into a motivated seller and a quicker turnaround for investors. Cantwell noted that investors are highly motivated to efficiently rehab vacant properties and get them occupied as soon as possible. "For an investor to make money … the goal is always occupancy, either by an owner or by a tenant," he said, adding that he agrees with neighborhood stabilization advocates like Gordon when it comes to giving priority to owner-occupants. "You want to give homeowners that first crack at buying foreclosures, but a lot of them need so much work they are just not appealing, so investors take that role of assuming the risk." DEMAND FOR VACANT FORECLOSURES INCREASING Demand for vacant foreclosures from real estate investors like Cantwell and Amuchastegui has only gotten stronger since the eviction moratoria put in place by the CARES Act that was signed into law on