In H1 the proportion of homes bought with cash dropped to 28%.
The proportion of homes in Great Britain bought with cash instead of a mortgage fell to 28% in H1 which is the lowest level since records began in 2007, Hamptons International has found.
This is significantly lower than the peak of 36% recorded in 2009.
Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons International, said: “The proportion of homes bought with cash has fallen to the lowest level on record.
“Although transactions have fallen this year, cash purchases decreased even further.
“The fall in cash purchases not only reflects tighter affordability, but also a decrease in activity amongst downsizers, the group of people most likely to have built up enough equity to purchase property with cash.
“It also reflects a drop off in the number of homes bought by investors, many of whom used cash to purchase their properties.”
Every region in Britain recorded a fall in cash sales over the last two years.
The West Midlands saw the biggest decrease in the proportion of homes bought with cash in the past two years followed by London.
Scotland had the smallest drop with the proportion of homes bought mortgage free since 2017.
The South West remains the region with the highest proportion of cash sales with 34% of homes purchased with cash in H1.
