1055 ET - Cash buyers are beginning to lose some of the outsized influence they gained during the pandemic housing boom, according to Realtor.com. Cash purchases accounted for 31.4% of home sales during the first four months of 2026, down from 32.3% a year earlier, as easing prices, improving inventory and changing market conditions helped more financed buyers re-enter the market, Realtor.com says. Cash buyers are pulling back faster than the market as a whole: total home sales fell 8.5% year- over-year, but the number of cash sales fell 11.2% as the pool of cash buyers shrinks, according to Realtor.com. Cash buyers aren't disappearing; they're simply becoming less dominant as the housing market finds its footing, Realtor.com says. More inventory and moderating prices are giving financed buyers more opportunities to compete, Realtor.com says.