Foreign Buyers Purchased $45.3B in U.S. Existing Homes

Foreign buyers purchased $45.3 billion in U.S. existing homes between April 2025 and March 2026, marking a significant 19.1% decrease in dollar volume compared to the previous year. This period also saw a 14% decline in the number of properties acquired by international buyers. These figures are detailed in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2026 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report, which was published on Wednesday. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun attributed this pullback in foreign homebuyer activity to a broader slowdown in international visitor numbers to the United States. He noted that a slightly weaker U.S. dollar over the past year, which typically enhances foreign purchasing power, did not stimulate increased activity. The report is based on a comprehensive survey of 4,970 Realtors conducted in April 2026, focusing on international client purchases and sales of U.S. residential property within the specified 12-month timeframe. The data revealed that only 381 respondents reported at least one international residential buyer, highlighting the niche nature of this market segment relative to the overall real estate landscape. International buyers acquired an estimated 67,100 existing homes during the reporting period, a decrease from 78,100 properties sold in the preceding year. This figure represents the second-lowest level recorded since NAR began tracking this data in 2009. In the broader context of the U.S. housing market, foreign buyers accounted for 1.7% of the approximately 4.07 million existing-home sales and 2.0% of the estimated $2.3 trillion in total sales volume. The median purchase price for homes bought by foreign buyers stood at $465,000, which is higher than the median price of $413,600 for all existing-home buyers. The average purchase price for foreign buyers was approximately $669,500, a year-over-year decrease of 6.9%. NAR's data suggests that increased borrowing costs and limited housing inventory contributed to a shift in demand towards lower price points among foreign buyers. Despite these higher costs, a notable 48% of foreign buyers paid for their properties in all cash, a significantly higher proportion compared to the 28% of all existing-home buyers who paid cash. This strong cash-buying profile makes foreign buyers a relevant force in competitive coastal and Sun Belt markets, even as overall transaction volumes have declined.