Why all-cash deals are cooling

Know thyself

“Personal branding” has become one of the biggest buzzwords in business over the past decade. Everyone is thinking about how they present themselves to the world — on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and everywhere else they show up.

Of course, that’s nothing new for us agents. We are the brand.

Clients aren't just choosing a brokerage or buying a house. They're choosing you. That makes it important to understand what you want people to associate with your name — your expertise, personality, values, and the experience you provide.

In today’s Foundation Plans, I walk through a few practical steps for defining that brand and communicating it clearly.

And remember: your brand doesn't have to stay the same forever. It should change as you do. So if you haven't thought seriously about yours in a while, now might be a good time to ask yourself a simple question: Does the way I'm presenting myself today reflect the agent I've become?

- David

Home prices saw the fastest annual growth in a year

Home prices rose by 3.4% compared to last year. That’s the fastest annual growth in prices in a year, according to Redfin. 

Here’s what else they report:

• National trend: Prices rose 0.27% month-over-month (seasonally adjusted), essentially flat vs. June's 0.28%.

• Why growth is flat but not falling: High mortgage rates (mid-to-high 6% range) and more sellers than buyers are capping price growth. But a strong luxury market — especially in wealthy areas like the Bay Area and South Florida — is keeping overall growth from slowing further. Today's market is split in two: affordability-constrained buyers on one side, and wealthy buyers with the means to keep competing on the other — and that upper-end strength is helping prop up prices even as the broader market cools.

• Metro winners: San Francisco led with a 1.5% monthly gain and 13.3% annual gain, followed by Oakland (1.3% monthly). Chicago, Nassau County NY, Milwaukee, and West Palm Beach rounded out the top annual gainers.

• Metro losers: Montgomery County, PA had the biggest monthly drop (-1.1%), followed by Fort Worth, TX (-0.8%). Texas metros dominated the annual declines — San Antonio (-2.1%), Fort Worth (-1.3%), Dallas and Austin (-1.0%), and Phoenix (-0.9%) — largely because there are roughly twice as many sellers as buyers in those markets.

My take

The “fastest growth in a year” headline is technically true, but it’s mostly a story about who’s still buying — not a sign that housing demand is suddenly taking off. Wealthy buyers in places like the Bay Area and South Florida are helping prop up the national numbers, while the 0.27% monthly increase papers over two very different markets: San Francisco is up 13.3% annually, while San Antonio is down 2.1%. The more consequential story is in Texas and Phoenix, where prices are actually falling as sellers outnumber buyers by roughly two to one.

All-cash deals are down nationally

Cash home sales are cooling off nationally, but a few cities are bucking the trend hard — and the reasons why are almost as interesting as the numbers themselves. That’s according to the latest update from realtor.com.

Here are the takeaways to know:

• National cash share is easing: 31.4% of home sales were all-cash in the first four months of 2026, down from 32.3% a year earlier — and cash buyers are retreating faster than the market overall (cash sales -11.2% YoY vs. total sales -8.5%).

• New money is reshaping a few markets: Pittsburgh (+6.8 points), Providence (+3.7), Austin (+2.7), Dallas (+2.3), and Houston (+1.9) saw the biggest gains in cash share — with Pittsburgh, Austin, and San Francisco standing out as genuine growth stories (actual transaction counts rising, not just share).

• Tech wealth is showing up in the data: San Francisco cash sales jumped nearly 7% even as home prices there average north of $1.1M, a pattern tied to AI-sector fundraising, IPOs, and stock-based comp; Austin's cash surge lines up with an influx of newly-minted millionaires from SpaceX's IPO.

• It's a barbell market: cash still dominates the extremes — two-thirds of homes under $100K sold in cash, versus 40%+ of homes over $1M — while the vast middle ($200K–$750K, 63.9% of all sales) relies far more on financing.

• Speed and certainty still sell: an all-cash offer closes in ~29 days on average versus 60–85 days for financed deals, making cash increasingly attractive to sellers as homes sit longer on a cooling, higher-inventory market.

• Geography splits into two stories: Northeast hot spots (like Providence) show financed buyers getting priced out of tight markets, while Sun Belt metros (like Houston and Dallas) show a rebalancing market where falling prices squeeze financed buyers more than cash ones.

My take

Don't assume a rising cash share means cash buyers are pouring into a market. Total home sales fell 8.5% year over year, while cash sales fell even faster — 11.2% — so the market overall is quieter. In places like Dallas and Houston, cash is gaining ground largely because financed buyers are retreating even faster, making cash a bigger piece of a shrinking pie. But beneath the headline numbers, two very different stories are playing out: cash is gaining share by default in some cities and genuinely growing in others, like Pittsburgh and Austin, where cash transaction counts are actually rising.

The most expensive home sales in July

Southern California dominated the luxury market in July, claiming the four most expensive home sales in the country. Leading the pack was Bel Air’s famed Casa Encantada, which sold for $130 million, the second-priciest U.S. home sale so far in 2026. 

New York, Florida, and Arizona rounded out the top 10, with every property on the list selling for at least $40 million.

These are the most expensive home sales in the country in July, according to Redfin:

1. 10644 Bellagio Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90077: Sold for $130 million 

2. 27832 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265: Sold for $55 million

3. 3512 Ocean Blvd., Corona Del Mar, CA 92625: Sold for $48.5 million 

4. 1210 Benedict Canyon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210: Sold for $47.8 million 

5. 217 W. 57th St Unit 113, New York City, NY 10019: Sold for $47 million 

6. 48-50 W. 69th St., New York City, NY 10023: Sold for $45 million 

7. 1107 Hillsboro Mile, Hillsboro Beach, FL 33062: Sold for $42 million 

8. 5531 E. Mockingbird Ln., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253: Sold for $40.2 million 

9. 3220 Rum Row, Naples, FL 34102: Sold for $40.2 million 

10. 145 Palm Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139: Sold for $40 million

My take

What stands out about July’s list is the range of trophy properties commanding these prices. Southern California may have claimed the top four spots, but Manhattan townhouses, Florida oceanfront estates and an Arizona compound with its own go-kart track all topped $40 million. Casa Encantada’s $130 million sale grabs the headline, but the more interesting signal is that buyers are chasing wildly different kinds of trophy homes — historic glamour, oceanfront modernism, even a private racetrack — rather than one single style everyone's competing for.

Schematics

The news that just missed the cut

• Where Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z are moving to 

• 5 conversation starters agents can use before Labor Day

• Use this daily action plan if you want to get 10 listings in the next 120 days

• Ranked: the best and worst places to live in 2026

• How real estate investors are using a “build-to-rent” strategy to achieve their goals

Foundation Plans

Advice from David to win the day

As I mentioned up top, branding yourself is a key component in real estate. It’s how you define yourself professionally and distinguish yourself from others. I’d like to offer you some tips on how to do that.

Understand who you are as an agent - Ask yourself some deep questions: What are your goals? What are your values? What is your mission? How do all of these set you apart from other agents? Get specific! Write down your answers, and focus on creating a unique message. That will help you form the heart of your brand.

Craft a compelling elevator pitch about yourself – After you’ve examined yourself, develop a concise and persuasive elevator pitch that explains who you are, what you do, and the benefits you offer to your clients. This will not only help introduce yourself but will leave an impression on the people you meet. You may not win them over everytime, but they won’t forget you. 

Determine how to communicate your brand - I know social media can open up a whole can of worms, but the great part about IG and LinkedIn and all these platforms is that YOU get to determine everything about how you want to present yourself to the world. What tone do you want to set? What audience do you want to speak to? What information about yourself do you want to share with prospective clients? Again, getting specific and nailing down the answers to these questions will go a long way to helping you stand out.

Your brand isn't something you create once and forget about. Revisit it periodically. As your business, clientele, and goals evolve, make sure the way you're presenting yourself evolves with them.

Just in Case

Keep the latest industry data in your back pocket with today’s mortgage rates:

“You’ve gotta keep control of your time, and you can’t unless you say no. You can’t let people set your agenda in life.” — Warren Buffett

Don’t let events or other people set your agenda. Stay ruthlessly focused on your goals — your time is limited, and you only get one life. Make the most of it. Have a wonderful week.

We’ll see you back here on Friday!

- David