The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has released its 2026 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report: in the 12 months to March 2026, foreign buyers purchased $45.3 billion of US existing homes, down 19.1% by dollar volume and 14% by units from the year before. The 67,100 homes sold is the second-lowest count since NAR began tracking in 2009.
The buyers split into two groups. Recent immigrants and visa holders already living in the US bought 37,600 homes worth $21.8 billion, or 56% of the total. Buyers based abroad bought fewer homes — 29,500 — but spent more, at $23.5 billion. The median purchase price for foreign buyers was $465,000, down from the prior year’s record $494,400.
The report is based on a survey of 4,970 Realtors conducted in April 2026. A notable backdrop: the US dollar weakened during the report period, which in theory should have attracted foreign buyers. It did not. The report’s coverage attributes the decline to fewer visitors and tighter visas shrinking the international pipeline that historically fed the upper end of the housing market.
NAR’s report makes no forecast for the coming year.
References
Business Model Analyst — Foreign Buyers Just Pulled $11 Billion Out of the US Housing Market
