Examining the Cash-Only Price Discount and the Driving Forces of Cash-Only Transactions in the Housing Market

This paper investigates the effects of cash-only transactions on residential property values before, during and after the financial crisis. Using a comprehensive database of residential property sales in Tallahassee, FL from 2006 to 2015 and a propensity score matching model, we find that, on average, cash-only transaction is associated with a 4.9% discount to the overall housing price. Further analyses reveal that the cash-only discount is present only in the lower- price segment after the financial crisis. Although cash-only transactions are more common for distressed, investor-purchased and rental properties, we find no significant cash-only price discount for these property categories except for the lower-priced segment. Overall, we demonstrate that cash-only price discounts are less contingent on the distressed status, but more so driven by the increased supply and attractiveness of lower-priced homes by investors.