For the past six years, according to the National Association of Realtors, Chinese buyers have led the foreign investment trend as the largest group of residential investors in the United States. China surpassed Canada in U.S. home purchases in 2014. In terms of actual dollars spent, China makes up about 25 percent of all foreign investment. By contrast, Canada was second highest, at just 9 percent.
But just as Chinese investors led the way in foreign investment in the United States, they’re also leading the way in its reversal. China—along with other foreign investors—is pulling back from the U.S. market in a very big way. In 2018, Chinese investment in U.S. residential real estate decreased 56 percent from the prior 12 months—the biggest drop among all foreign investors.
