NAR: Strong U.S. dollar key to drop in foreign residential real estate investment

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, it said.  

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.” 

NAR’s 2024 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report surveyed members about transactions with international clients who purchased and sold U.S. residential property from April 2023 through March 2024. 

Foreign buyers who resided in the U.S. as recent immigrants or who were holding visas that allowed them to live in the U.S. purchased $22.6 billion worth of U.S. existing homes, a 3.4% decline from the previous year and representing 54% of the dollar volume of purchases, the report showed.  

Foreign buyers who lived abroad purchased $19.4 billion worth of existing homes, down 35% from the 12 months prior and accounting for 46% of the dollar volume. NAR said 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 said. 

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 organization said.  

The increase in prices for foreign buyers reflected the overall price increase for all U.S. existing homes, which climbed to $392,600.  

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%).  

For the 16th consecutive year, Florida remained the top destination for foreign buyers, accounting for 20% of all international purchases, the report said.  

All-cash sales accounted for half of international buyer transactions compared to 28% of all existing-home buyers. Non-resident foreign buyers (68%) were more likely to make an all-cash purchase than resident foreign buyers (36%).  

“Fostering economic investment in culturally dynamic communities, businesses, and industries is a top priority for NAR,” said Alex Escudero, NAR’s director of global strategy. “Our work provides members and their communities with tools, resources and data to identify and highlight international investment opportunities in U.S. real estate.”  

Escudero said this supports local communities to drive economic development in markets across the country.  

“NAR and the Realtor brand have developed a network of more than 8,000 international Realtor members outside of the USA and expanded our global footprint to more than 100 real estate organizations across 78 countries, providing growth opportunities by ensuring ethical and accessible markets that allow our members to make direct connections with global-minded real estate professionals and international investors,” he said. 

NAR will host its “Unlocking Global Opportunities” webinar on July 31 at 1 p.m., where experts will discuss the findings of this year’s report, and Realtors will share their personal experiences with international investment and how it has expanded their business.