Cash Purchases of New Homes Fall to Lowest Share Since 2007

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A new report from NAHB Eye on Housing notes that cash purchases of new homes have fallen to their lowest share since 2007, even as overall new home sales ticked up in the second quarter compared to the prior quarter. The data, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau New Residential Sales release, shows that conventional financing continues to dominate the market, while FHA financing has climbed to its highest level since early 2021. The trend suggests that buyers who might have paid cash in prior years are now turning to leverage, and that government-backed loan products are playing a larger role in how new construction moves from builders to occupants.

For investors and self-employed borrowers watching this shift, the landscape is changing in ways that directly affect acquisition strategy. As cash buyers retreat and FHA-backed purchasers expand their presence, competition for financed deals intensifies, and the structure of that financing becomes more consequential. loantrust.ai operates in this environment with a model built around individualized file packaging: one licensed MLO handles each loan rather than routing borrowers through a call center. The firm offers DSCR loans qualified on property cash flow, bank-statement programs for self-employed borrowers, and bridge, fix-and-flip, and new-construction financing for investors, alongside conventional, FHA, VA, and refinance products for homeowners.

What this means in practice is that the gap left by departing cash buyers is being filled by borrowers who need more precise underwriting, not less. A financed purchase in today's market rewards preparation: documented cash flow, clean file packaging, and a loan originator who understands how investor timelines differ from owner-occupant timelines. loantrust.ai functions as a dedicated partner in that process rather than a transactional call center, with programs mapped to both the consumer and investor sides of the market. The firm originates across the full spectrum, from first-time FHA buyers to multifamily investors, out of its Atlanta base as an NMLS-licensed mortgage loan originator operating under its sponsor company name.