Does the phrase “cash is king” ring a bell? Whether it was my grandparents slipping some cash into a birthday card, or my dad barely catching me on my way out the door as a teenager to ask, “Do you need cash?” It’s a phrase I’ve heard a thousand times.
According to Realtor.com, nearly half of baby boomers buying homes are making all-cash offers. Among boomers ages 71 to 79, 46% purchased their homes without financing, while 39% of those ages 61 to 70 paid cash. Those levels are significantly higher than the national average of 26% of all buyers paying cash.
After a lifetime of saving and building equity, many boomers can purchase their next home debt-free as they head into retirement. It’s not necessarily that they couldn’t qualify for a mortgage; they simply don’t want one. Instead, many are converting the equity they’ve built in their current homes into cash for their next purchase.
Samantha Midler of Austin Portfolio Real Estate in Austin, Texas, says many boomers are also relocating to be closer to family. Millennials may have helped popularize moving away from their hometowns in search of new opportunities, but now their parents are following them.
Turns out, “cash is king” wasn’t just something our parents liked to say: they were playing the long game.
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