Experts say the reasons vary but the common link is the poor economy, which has caused homes to stay on the market longer, forced foreclosures on homeowners and taken its toll on the secondary housing market. Ritzy Middleburg, where 30 percent of homes sit empty, has the highest vacancy rate in the region, according to data compiled from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Some of the roughly 100 vacancies are attributed to seasonal homes.

But excluding those homes and ones that are sold or rented but sit empty, the town’s vacancy rate is still more than 16 percent, the second-highest in the region.