Foreign Buyers In California remain an important part of the housing market as local families compete for limited homes. California ranked second nationally as a destination for international buyers in the latest National Association of Realtors report.
International buyers purchased 78,100 existing U.S. homes from April 2024 through March 2025. Those purchases totaled $56 billion, according to NAR.
The number of purchases increased 44% from the previous 12-month period. Dollar volume climbed 33.2% from $42 billion.
California received 15% of all international purchases, trailing only Florida at 21%. Texas ranked third at 10%.
Those statewide numbers matter in the San Gabriel Valley, but they require careful interpretation. The NAR report does not show how many international buyers purchased homes in El Monte, South El Monte, Baldwin Park, Rosemead or Irwindale.
Foreign Buyers In California Include Residents
The term “foreign buyer” can also create a misleading impression if readers interpret it to mean only an overseas investor.
NAR divides international clients into two categories. One includes non-U.S. citizens who have permanent residences outside the United States.
The other includes non-U.S. citizens who are recent immigrants or hold non-immigrant visas and live in the United States for professional, educational or other reasons.
That distinction matters in diverse Southern California communities. An international buyer competing for a house may already live and work in the United States rather than purchasing property from overseas.
Readers can review NAR’s definitions and international housing research through the National Association of Realtors international transactions report.
California Remains Major Destination
China accounted for the largest share of international purchases nationally at 15%. Canada followed at 14%, while Mexico represented 8%.
Chinese buyers also recorded the highest dollar volume at $13.7 billion. California remained a significant destination for those buyers, according to NAR.
International purchasers also brought different financing patterns into the market. NAR reported that 47% of international buyers paid entirely in cash.
Cash purchases can matter to local families because financed buyers must complete mortgage underwriting and other lender requirements. Sellers may consider those differences when evaluating competing offers.
Still, the national and statewide figures cannot establish how international activity affects competition on a particular Mid Valley street.
Local Opportunity Depends On Inventory
For families hoping to buy in the San Gabriel Valley, international purchasing represents only one part of a complicated housing market. Prices, mortgage rates, household income and available inventory also determine who can compete.
NAR reported in May that home prices increased in 71% of U.S. metropolitan markets during the first quarter of 2026. Readers can review its broader housing research through NAR Research Reports.
Any future decline in international purchasing could change competition in California, but statewide data alone cannot show whether local buyers would gain an advantage.
For Mid Valley families, the more useful measure will be what happens locally: how many homes reach the market, how many buyers pursue them and whether working households can afford to compete.
Keyphrase: Foreign Buyers In California
Metadescription: Foreign Buyers In California remain a housing market factor as San Gabriel Valley families compete for homes amid limited inventory.
Word Count: 495
