Homeowners who have had to deal with "zombie" houses should not be penalized when trying to purchase a new home, all else being equal.
Lenders should be forced by law to take ownership of a property that has been relinquished in a bankruptcy within a reasonable amount of time.
As it stands now, a homeowner who files bankruptcy and includes their home, is at the mercy of the lender to take possession of the property at the lender's whim and on the lender's timetable. However, the individual cannot purchase another property until a set amount of time after their name is removed from the title.
E.g. Someone files bankruptcy and the bank takes five years to get around to taking possession of the home after the bankruptcy. The individual has to wait another 2+ years to purchase again.