受疫情、旅行禁令和移民禁令的影响，外资购房市场再度枯竭

从加州到弗罗里达州的房地市场，外资购房是房价攀升的一个重要推动因素。现在，大流行、旅行禁令和移民限制进一步削弱了早已疲软的国际房产需求。

根据全美房地产经纪人协会（NAR）的数据，2011年至2017年，外国人对美国房产的购买量稳步攀升，在2017年3月达到峰值，为1530亿美元；其中，大约60%的外国买家是新来的移民或居住在美国的外国人，剩下的其他买家则购买美国住宅用于投资或作为度假屋。整体上看，外国买家占整体买家的比例很小，但由于他们往往聚集在纽约、迈阿密和洛杉矶等繁华的沿海城市，所以他们在这些地方的房产市场上影响很大，尤其是在高价位的市场上。而且，外国人也更有可能支付现金，使他们的报价对卖家更具吸引力。然而，在2018年和2019年，主要受中国买家减少的影响，外国人的购房数量急剧下降。随着中国和美国的贸易争端不断升温，以及中国政府新出台的购汇控制措施，2019年的购汇速度放缓，美元升值，使得美国房屋的外币价格上涨，外资购买下降。

房地产经纪人表示，今年的需求看起来可能会更加疲软：美国和其他国家之间的旅行限制、对病毒传播的担忧以及对移民的新限制都可能会影响今年外资对美国住房的投资。但这对于一直在竞价战中输给外国人的本地买家来说，可能是个好消息。NAR的首席经济学家表示，国际购买活动的一些下降不一定会损害美国的住房市场；即使有损害，也不会给房价带来任何额外的上涨压力。

Foreign buying of U.S. homes was a driving factor in markets from California to Florida, helping prices reach new highs. Now, the pandemic, reduced travel and immigration restrictions are further undermining already weakening international demand.

Overseas residential real-estate purchases climbed steadily between 2011 and 2017, peaking at $153 billion in the year ended March 2017, according to the National Association of Realtors. About 60% of foreign buyers are recent immigrants or foreigners who live in the U.S., while others buy U.S. homes as investment properties or vacation homes, according to NAR. Foreigners represent a tiny percentage of overall buyers. But because they have tended to cluster in coastal cities like New York, Miami and the Los Angeles area, they sometimes have had an exaggerated influence in these markets, especially at the higher-price end. Foreigners also were more likely to pay cash, making their offers more attractive to sellers. Foreign appetite fell sharply in 2018 and 2019, according to NAR. Much of the buying came from China. It slowed in 2019 after the Chinese government implemented new controls over foreign currency purchases and as the country’s trade dispute with the U.S. heated up. A stronger dollar, which makes U.S. homes more expensive in foreign currencies, and concerns about global economic growth slowed overseas

This year, demand looks likely to be even weaker, real-estate agents say.   Limited travel between the U.S. and other countries, worries about virus transmission and new restrictions on immigration could weigh on international investment in U.S. housing this year. While the lack of overseas demand may disappoint homeowners in major coastal cities that attracted much of the foreign demand, local buyers who have lost out in bidding wars to deep-pocketed foreigners might be relieved. “Some decline in international buying activity I don’t think necessarily harms the U.S. housing market,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “If anything, it doesn’t put any additional upward pressure on home prices, which have been a major concern for buyers on the affordability front.”  source

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