Business & Finance
Cash home sales decline as residential market cools
Mortgage-backed buyers are gaining ground as rising inventory and slower price growth reduce the dominance of all-cash offers.
The short version
- The share of all-cash home purchases is falling nationally as rising inventory and moderating price growth reduce competition.
- Mortgage-financed buyers are finding more opportunities to compete, sometimes winning bidding wars through pre-underwriting.
- Despite the national downward trend, a few select metro markets like Pittsburgh, Austin, and San Francisco have seen increases in cash transactions.
Key facts
- During the first four months of the year, the share of cash home sales fell to 31.4% from 32.3% during the same period in the previous year, according to Realtor.com data covering new and existing homes.[CNBC]
- Total home sales fell 8.5% year over year in the first four months of the year, while the number of cash sales dropped faster at an 11.2% decline.[CNBC]
- The National Association of Realtors reported that the share of all-cash sales for existing homes dropped to 26% in July, down from 31% in July 2025.[CNBC]
- The national median home price rose 0.2% annually, compared to a 1.8% increase in 2025 and a peak of 15.4% in 2021.[CNBC]
- Pittsburgh, Austin, and San Francisco bucked the national trend, recording year-over-year increases in both the share and overall number of cash transactions.[CNBC]