Twenty-two percent of San Diego-area homes purchased in 2024 were bought with cash, down slightly from 2023, data shows.
Why it matters: Cash buyers, many of them investors, have pulled back after a pandemic shopping spree.
But their piece of the homebuying pie remains historically high nationwide, according to a recent Redfin analysis.
By the numbers: The share of U.S. homes bought with cash fell to just under one-third last year — the lowest since 2021, per Redfin.
San Diego's share of cash purchases was lower than San Francisco (26.5%), but the same as Los Angeles (22.2%).
Zoom in: The share of San Diego homes bought with cash reached a recent peak in 2014, at 26.5%, before declining until it reached 15% in 2020.
It climbed over the next three years, before sliding a mere 0.6% from 2023 to 2024.
Between the lines: Home sales overall hit a nearly 30-year low in 2024, National Association of Realtors data shows.
What's next: "We are unlikely to see the share of all-cash purchases fall much lower in 2025, unless mortgage rates drop enough to drive a significant increase in sales," Redfin senior economist Sheharyar Bokhari said in the report.
The average rate on the 30-year mortgage is now hovering near 7%, per Freddie Mac.