Those houses are what they use for the ratlines. in my opinion they're using these abandoned houses, motels, resorts, businesses and homesteads when they're moving children, drugs and guns. I've been watching stations on YouTube that do what is called "urban explore". The electricity is on in a lot of these places and the phone nearly always works, the landline. So these houses aren't entirely abandoned, they're being used for nefarious purposes most likely.