Buying 78,100 properties worth $56 billion from April 2024 to March 2025, international buyer transactions jumped 44% compared to the prior year. The year-over-year increase is the first since 2017, according to the National Association of Realtors 2025 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report.
The $56 billion worth of transactions is a 33.2% increase from the previous year’s $42 billion and the median purchase price of $494,400, a record high.
“International interest in buying U.S. real estate increased following the global economic recovery from several years of pandemic-related disruptions. However, elevated home prices and interest rates continue to dampen overall potential sales activity and remain well below pre-pandemic levels,” says NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.
“Boosted by a significant increase in the state’s housing inventory, Florida remained the top destination for foreign home buyers, extending a streak of at least 15 years. To some degree, due to stubbornly high mortgage rates, a greater share of international home buyers paid cash – 47% compared to 28% among all buyers – and they were more likely to purchase homes priced in the upper end of the market. Foreign buyers are drawn to investing in American real estate, in part, by our country’s strong protection of private property rights.”
The top 5 U.S. destinations and percentage of all foreign buyers were:
- Florida: 21%
- California: 15%
- Texas: 10%
- New York: 7%
- Arizona: 5%
Foreign buyers who resided in the country as recent immigrants or who were holding visas that allowed them to live in the U.S. purchased 43,700 homes (56% of all foreign purchases) with a total dollar volume of $26.9 billion. Foreign buyers who lived abroad purchased 34,400 homes (44% of all foreign purchases) with a total dollar volume of $29.1 billion, NAR reports.
The report found that the top 5 countries of origin, their share of foreign purchases, existing homes purchased, and dollar volume were:
- China at 15% with 11,700 homes purchased at $13.7 billion
- Canada at 14% with 10,900 homes purchased at $6.2 billion
- Mexico at 8% with 6,200 homes purchased at $4.4 billion
- India at 6% with 4,700 homes purchased at $2.2 billion
- United Kingdom at 4% homes purchased at 3,100 at $2 billion
