The United States real estate market has historically attracted people from around the world looking to live, work, play, study or invest. To demystify the buying process, the Coldwell Banker® brand has curated a collection of guidelines and best practices for international clients seeking to purchase property in the U.S.

Current Real Estate Landscape

After several years of record homes sales, the U.S. housing market has slowed. Higher interest rates to combat inflation have met limited housing inventory, which has slowed domestic buyer activity and lowered U.S. median home prices on a year over year basis, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

International buyer activity has also declined. With COVID travel restrictions generally in the past, international travel and international demand for U.S. real estate are still in recovery mode. From April 2022-March 2023, the number of existing homes purchased by international buyers decreased to its lowest level since NAR estimated foreign buyer purchases in 2009 – a 14% decline from the prior period. The dollar volume of international buyer purchases also decreased slightly to $53.3 billion.