Cash buyers last year accounted for the highest percentage of market activity seen in the past decade and have already accounted for a third of all purchases this year.
Full-service estate agents Yopa analysed the split between cash homebuyers and mortgage homebuyers in the UK over the past decade to understand what proportion of buyers have historically chosen to pay in cash, and how this compares to the split that has been seen across the first two months of 2024.
The data reveals that in 2023 cash buyers accounted for 34.5% of all property transactions. This was the highest proportion seen since 2013 when the data on cash vs mortgage transactions became available.
More recently, the proportion of market activity attributed to cash buyers has been far lower, sitting below 29% between 2019 to 2022.
The analysis also shows that so far this year, cash buyers have already accounted for almost a third of all market activity (32.8%), as higher mortgage rates continue to prove problematic for those looking to climb the ladder with the aid of a mortgage.
CEO of Yopa, Verona Frankish, said:
“Mortgages have become increasingly more expensive since interest rates started to climb and we’re now seeing the result of higher borrowing costs when it comes to buyer trends within the market. Not only is it far tougher for those looking to purchase with the aid of a mortgage, but as a result, cash buyers are in a far stronger position within the market making them the first choice for many sellers.
“The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel and the broad expectation is that interest rates will start to ease this year. As they do, we expect the market will return to a greater degree of normality when it comes to the cash versus mortgage buyer balance.”
