Can foreigners buy property in the US? A guide for buyers abroad

Agents: this guide is written for your buyers. Share the link with clients who ask whether they can buy in the US from abroad.

If you live outside the United States and are thinking about a home in Miami, Orlando or Houston, the first question is usually: am I allowed to buy?

In most cases, yes. You do not need to be a US citizen or a resident to own a home here, and every year tens of thousands of people from other countries buy one. But owning a home does not give you a visa, the process has extra steps when you live abroad, and some states limit purchases by people from certain countries.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules depend on your country, your situation and the state where you buy, and they change. Before you sign anything, talk to a US real estate attorney and a CPA who works with international clients. Every figure and rule below was checked on October 27, 2026.

Yes, foreigners can buy, and many do

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) surveys its members every year about sales to international clients. Its 2026 report:

NAR counts two groups as foreign buyers: people who live abroad, and recent immigrants or visa holders living in the US. In the full 2026 report, 44% of foreign buyers lived abroad. Latin American buyers were the second-largest group by region, at 27%, and in Florida they made up 32% of foreign buyers. Mexico was the second-largest country of origin, at 14%, after Canada (NAR).

Even the federal review of foreign investment (CFIUS), which can examine some purchases near sensitive sites, specifically excludes buying a single housing unit (31 CFR 802.216). The real limits come from a few states, covered below.

Buying a home does not give you a visa or residency

This is the most common misunderstanding: owning a house in the US does not let you live here, work here, or stay longer than your visa or travel authorization allows.

USCIS, the immigration agency, lists the ways to get a green card: through family, through employment, as a special immigrant, as a refugee or asylee, and a few other programs (USCIS). Buying a home is not one of them.

The closest thing is the EB-5 immigrant investor program, and it is a separate business investment program, not a home purchase. It requires investing at least $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or an infrastructure project, in a new commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying employees. Those amounts are scheduled to adjust automatically on January 1, 2027 (USCIS). If residency is your goal, talk to an immigration attorney before you talk about houses.

How the purchase works, step by step

The steps are the same as for a US buyer. What changes is the paperwork: money crossing borders, documents signed abroad and, if you borrow, a lender that asks for more proof.

1. Choose an agent. Look for someone who works with international buyers and speaks your language. Under NAR rules in effect since August 17, 2024, agents who are MLS participants must sign a written agreement with you before you tour a home, and that includes a live video tour (NAR settlement FAQs).
2. Decide how you will pay. Cash, or a loan made for people without US credit or US income, which works differently from a standard mortgage. Our guide to foreign national mortgages explains the options.
3. Prepare proof of funds. Sellers usually want evidence that the money exists and can reach the US in time, often a bank statement or letter, in English or translated. See what counts as proof of funds.
4. Make an offer. Your agent writes an offer with the price, deposit, financing terms and deadlines. Once it is accepted, your deposit goes to an escrow agent, title company or attorney, not to the seller.
5. Inspect the home. During the inspection period, a licensed inspector checks the property. If you finance, the lender orders an appraisal.
6. Title and escrow. A title company or attorney checks that the seller can sell and that there are no unpaid liens, then prepares the closing documents. Decide early whose name, or which company, will appear on the deed.
7. Close. You sign the closing documents, the money is wired, and the deed is recorded. If you have a mortgage, the lender must give you a Closing Disclosure with the final loan terms and costs at least three business days before closing (CFPB).

You may not have to fly in to close. Depending on the title company, lender and state, you can sign with a remote online notary, at a US embassy or consulate, or through a power of attorney given to someone in the US. Florida law, for example, lets a Florida online notary notarize by video for a signer located outside the state (Fla. Stat. 117.265). Ask the title company which methods it accepts before you rely on one. Our guide to closing from abroad explains each option.

Before sending money, confirm the wire instructions by calling the title company at a number you already know. Never trust new instructions that arrive by email.

What it costs beyond the price

The price is only part of the bill. Ask your agent to estimate each of these for the specific home, because they vary by state, county and building.

Taxes, and how to hold title

Foreign owners pay US taxes on US property, like everyone else. Four points come up most often, plus the question of who should own the home.

A US tax number. If you need to file a US tax return and cannot get a Social Security number, you need an ITIN, a nine-digit number the IRS issues for tax purposes (IRS).

Rental income. If you rent the home out and live abroad, rent is generally taxed at 30% of the gross amount, or a lower treaty rate. You can instead elect to treat it as income connected with a US business, which lets you deduct expenses, but then you must file Form 1040-NR every year (IRS).

Selling later. When a foreign person sells US real estate, a federal law called FIRPTA generally requires the buyer to withhold 15% of the sale price and send it to the IRS, with some exceptions (IRS). The withholding is not the final tax; you file a return to settle the actual amount. Our FIRPTA guide explains the exceptions.

Estate tax. If a person who was not a US citizen or resident dies owning US real estate, the estate may have to file a US estate tax return when their US assets are worth more than $60,000 (IRS).

Owning through an LLC or other company. Many foreign buyers hold US property through a limited liability company or another entity instead of in their own name, often for privacy, liability or estate planning. It also adds costs, annual filings and its own tax rules, and can affect financing. Decide with a US attorney and a CPA before closing, not after. Your home country may also tax the rent or the gain, so ask about tax treaties too.

State rules that limit some buyers

Most states do not restrict who can buy a home, but a growing number have passed laws aimed at buyers connected to certain foreign countries: at least 22 states enacted legislation on foreign ownership of real property between January 2023 and July 2024 (Congressional Research Service). Some apply only to farmland, some to land near military bases, some more broadly.

Florida has the rule international buyers ask about most. Its 2023 law, known as SB 264, applies to "foreign principals" from seven "foreign countries of concern": China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela under the Maduro regime, and Syria. For individuals, it covers people domiciled in one of those countries who are not US citizens or green card holders (Fla. Stat. 692.201). In short:

• Foreign principals may not buy agricultural land in Florida (692.202).
• They may not buy property on or within 10 miles of a military installation or critical infrastructure facility. The exception: one home of up to 2 acres, not within 5 miles of a military installation, bought in the person's own name by someone with a non-tourist US visa or asylum, and registered with the state (692.203).
• People domiciled in China who are not US citizens or green card holders may not buy any real property in Florida, with the same single-home exception (692.204).

Penalties include losing the property to the state. Every buyer of real property in Florida signs an affidavit at the time of purchase saying whether the law applies to them (692.204), so do not be surprised when the title company asks. The law has also been challenged in federal court. If any of this could apply to you, speak with a Florida real estate attorney before making an offer. In other states, ask whether a similar law exists.

Questions to ask before you start

A good first conversation with an agent is short and specific:

Before you commit, get clear answers to these:

• Who else will be on my team: lender, attorney, CPA, title company?
• How much will I need in total, including closing costs and the first year of taxes, insurance and fees?
• Can I close without traveling?
• Does this building or city limit rentals?
• Does any state law on foreign buyers apply to me?

For agents: where Replint fits

International buyers often write on WhatsApp while you are asleep. Replint is an AI sales assistant that answers those WhatsApp leads in seconds, 24/7, in Spanish or English, asks the qualifying questions one at a time (purpose, budget, financing, timeline, area) and hands you the buyers who are ready for a call or a showing. Questions about visas, taxes or the law become a draft for you to answer, not an improvised reply. It is in early access for US agents and teams.