Is it rare to have someone drop a ton of money on a home, cash up front?

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We were bidding on a home with a pre-approved loan and before we could get a response, my agent tells me that another bidder decides to pay the FULL PRICE on this home without even negotiating the price down…ALL CASH. Can this be real or is this a ploy to make me buy another home? I dunno, this whole thing seems waaay out there.

7 Responses to “Is it rare to have someone drop a ton of money on a home, cash up front?”

  • Landlord:

    It is common place in CA, where I am. Mostly it is Chinese who are buying up America, but there are lots of investors who buy cahs only too right now. It is really hard to get a loan right now if you already have several.

  • sashazur:

    It does happen, but of course it’s unusual. So there’s really no way to know if it’s a ploy or not. However, my feeling is if it was a ploy, they might have tried to come up with a more believable excuse?

  • David Z:

    that happens frequently. do not be discouraged because this buyer overpaid. you do not want to get into a bidding war in this market. silly to overpay when buyer’s are in control.

    just find another place and make another good offer that you can live with.

  • Ryan M:

    It does happen. Investors usually pay cash as do people who relocated from areas where real estate prices are higher. My uncle sold his home in Los Angeles a few years back and had about $300,000 in equity in it. He used that equity to pay cash for his new house in Iowa. It is not super common, but it does happen.

  • arkansasfish:

    It is not rare. Once in my neighborhood, a home with the same floor plan as my house was purchased with cash. The offer was maybe 10%less than list price. People that pay cash have more purchasing power than people financing. I lost out on buying a house that I offered 10% more than list, someone else offered 30% over and got it. It hurt to loose that house but I couldn’t afford to pay more.

  • dog ma:

    Why would your Realtor want to make you buy another home if you were pre-approved for this one? And why is it so implausible that someone would like that house well enough to pay full price cash for it? You liked it, didn’t you? A cash buyer is preferred over all others, obviously since there is no financing contingency. I’ve paid cash for the last 2 homes I’ve bought, and hope I never have to get a mortgage again. Yes, plenty of people pay cash, particularly if they are downsizing in a cheaper marketplace and have equity from a larger home in a more expensive area.

  • Juan:

    Its possible. There are rich Asians coming from Hong Kong and mainland China that are paying 100% cash for homes, businesses and properties (up to $2 mill for houses) here in Southern California.

    Ive also waited 8 hours in a local emergency room with my HMO insurance, only to have people with rolls of cash whip out money upfront for emergency service and be taken in right away. (Methodist Hospital – Arcadia, CA)

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