Nearly one in three homes sold in the first half of 2025 were bought entirely with cash, according to a new analysis from Realtor.com ® . The report highlights how cash buyers, ranging from equity-rich households to investors and second-home purchasers, continue to wield outsize influence in today’s housing market.

Nationwide, 32.8% of home sales in the first half of 2025 were all-cash transactions. That share is down slightly from last year but remains well above pre-pandemic norms, when cash averaged just 28.6% of sales. Cash buying surged during the pandemic as investors competed for scarce listings, and it remains a powerful factor even as the market has cooled.

“Cash buyers have long been a fixture in the market, but their influence is more pronounced today than in pre-pandem

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