Number of existing homes bought by international buyers declined to 54,300 – the fewest since NAR began measuring in 2009
Key Highlights
- International buyers purchased $42 billion worth of U.S. residential properties from April 2023 to March 2024, down 21.2% from the prior year. The 54,300 existing homes sold – the lowest since NAR began tracking in 2009 – slid 36% from the previous year.
- The average ($780,300) and median ($475,000) purchase prices for foreign buyers were the highest ever recorded by NAR.
- Canada, China, Mexico and India were the top countries of origin by number of U.S. existing homes purchased. The top U.S. destinations for foreign buyers were Florida (20%), Texas (13%), California (11%), Arizona (5%), Georgia, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina (4% each).
Foreign buyers purchased $42 billion worth of U.S. existing homes from April 2023 through March 2024, retreating 21.2% from the prior 12-month period, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors.
International buyers purchased 54,300 properties, down 36% from the previous year and the fewest number of homes bought since 2009 when NAR began tracking this data. Overall, U.S. existing-home sales totaled 4.09 million in 2023, down 18.7% from 2022, and the lowest level since 1995
“The strong U.S. dollar makes international travel cheaper for Americans but makes U.S. homes much more expensive for foreigners,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Therefore, it’s not surprising to see a pullback in U.S. home sales from foreign buyers.”
International buyers accounted for 2% of the $2.1 trillion in total U.S. existing-home sales during that period.
“Historically low housing inventory and escalating prices remain significant factors in constraining home sales for American and international buyers alike,” Yun added.
The average ($780,300) and median ($475,000) existing-home sales prices among international buyers were the highest ever recorded by NAR – and 21.9% and 19.8% higher, respectively, than the prior year. The increase in prices for foreign buyers reflected the overall price increase for all U.S. existing homes, which climbed to $392,600. At $1.3 million, Chinese buyers had the highest average purchase price, with 25% purchasing property in California. In total, 18% of international buyers purchased properties worth more than $1 million from April 2023 to March 2024.
Canada led all countries of origin in the share of foreign buyer purchases of U.S. existing homes at 13%, followed by China and Mexico (11% each), and India (10%). China was first in U.S. residential sales dollar volume at $7.5 billion,continuing a trend going back to 2013. Canada ($5.9 billion), India ($4.1 billion), Mexico ($2.8 billion) and Colombia ($0.7 billion) rounded out the top five.
Image by wirestock on Freepik.
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