Foreign Buyers Flee US Housing Market Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty

Foreign buyers have been steadily declining in the US housing market, and their activity fell by 14 percent between April 2025 and March 2026 to its second-lowest level since 2009. According to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), foreign buyers purchased only 67,100 homes during this period, which accounts for just 1.7 percent of all home sales.

The median price paid by these foreign buyers was $465,000, significantly higher than the $413,600 median price paid by US residents. Nearly half (48%) of these transactions were made in cash, compared to only 28% of deals overall.

A majority of these foreign buyers came from Canada, Mexico, China, India, and the United Kingdom. Florida was their top destination, with 20% of purchases, followed by California with 19%, Texas with 12%, New Jersey with 4%, and Georgia with 4%.

NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun attributed this decline in foreign homebuyer activity to geopolitical uncertainty, trade tensions, and elevated property costs. He noted that even a weaker US dollar did not induce more activity from international buyers.