The Bay Area has tens of thousands of vacant houses, according to the United States Census Bureau.
There are more than 11,000 vacant houses in San Francisco, nearly 6,000 in Oakland and close to 4,000 in San Jose.
The ongoing story surrounding two homeless mothers who took over a vacant house in Oakland can give the impression that abandoned homes are everywhere, but, in reality, if a home is up for sale or available for rent, it's counted as vacant.
"I think we're seeing some communities being revitalized," Vince Rocha, Director of Housing with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, said. "Formerly vacant homes are being bought and updated or redeveloped into higher and better use."
For comparison, the Bay Area actually has far fewer abandoned houses than most other large regions around the country.
