Buying a home hasn’t been easy for the past few years. Besides increasing interest rates, a decrease in purchasing power, and a housing shortage, cash buyers have also put a squeeze on some would-be buyers.  

Nearly a third of U.S. home purchases were made with cash in April, a nine-year high, according to data from Redfin that looked at the 40 biggest metropolitan areas in the U.S. That’s in line with data from February, which saw cash purchases reach 33.5% and continuing a trend that started during the pandemic.

The share of homes being bought with cash is at levels not seen since 2014, when the housing market rebounded from the Great Recession. But the housing market today looks very different. So what’s driving this drive of cash buyers?

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