Can I buy a house in America if I live in the UK?

Hannah, yes, you can buy a home in America while living in the UK, and the genuinely hard part is not the purchase, it is the signing. Plan on closing through one of exactly three routes: signing at a US embassy or consulate, signing before a UK notary and then obtaining an apostille, or granting a specific power of attorney to someone here who signs on your behalf. The answers above covered the ITIN and foreign national basics well, so here is the closing mechanics piece nobody addressed. Route one, the embassy or consulate. A consular officer notarizes your signature and that notarization is accepted throughout the United States with no further authentication. It is the cleanest option. It is also appointment-driven, and slots can be weeks out, so book it the moment you are in contract. Route two, a UK notary plus an apostille. The UK and the US are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, which means one apostille certificate replaces the old multi-step consular legalization chain. You sign before a UK notary public, then the apostille is issued (in England and Wales that runs through the FCDO Legalisation Office). Build in turnaround time, and confirm with your title company in advance that they will accept it, because underwriters can be particular about format. Route three, a power of attorney. You grant a specific POA that names the property, the transaction, and the exact authority to execute closing documents. Three rules here that quietly kill deals: the title underwriter must approve the POA form BEFORE you sign it, the POA usually has to be recorded in the county where the property sits, and if you are financing, the lender approves it separately from the title company. A generic power of attorney downloaded off the internet gets rejected all the time. What about signing by webcam? Remote online notarization is legal in 49 states and Washington DC. California is the outlier, with its permanent statute not scheduled to take effect until January 1, 2030, and Georgia allows only in-person electronic notarization. But legality is not acceptance. Your lender, your title company, and the county recorder each hold a separate veto. Confirm all three before you assume you can sign from a laptop in London. Two tax points to take to a cross-border CPA, and I will say plainly that I am a real estate professional, not a CPA or an attorney. FIRPTA. When you eventually sell, the buyer is required to withhold from your gross proceeds: 15 percent as the standard rate, reduced to 10 percent if the price falls between $300,001 and $1,000,000 and the buyer will live there at least half the time for two years, and eliminated entirely at $300,000 or less under that same residence test. That is a deposit against tax, not the tax itself, and you can apply for a reduced withholding certificate before closing rather than waiting on a refund. The US and UK treaty. Gains on real property are taxable in the country where the property sits, so the US taxes the sale. HMRC may reach the same gain, with relief typically through foreign tax credits. Coordinating those two filings is specialist work, and the specialist is cheaper than the mistake. One time note. You asked this in early 2024 and it is being read in 2026. Rates, lender overlays, and RON rules have all shifted since, so verify before planning around any of them. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, a real estate professional in Los Angeles and the South Bay. Wherever you land, tell me the market and I will connect you with a strong local agent from my network who has genuinely closed a remote international purchase, plus a title company that handles apostilled documents as routine rather than as an emergency. That single referral will spare you more grief than anything else on this page. Zoltan

Hannah, you can purchase a home being a UK resident but there are criteria and restrictions that must be met. I would highly recommend speaking to a real estate attorney in the market you are looking to purchase in. They will be able to shed light on what would be needed in order to acquire. Good luck! Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Operations In: NY, NJ, FL & CA

Yes, you can, Hannah! I’ve worked with international buyers before, and the process is very doable. There are no restrictions on foreign nationals owning property here in the U.S. The main differences are usually around financing and taxes. Many UK buyers choose to pay cash since getting a U.S. mortgage as a non-resident can be tricky, but there are lenders who specialize in it. You’ll also want to set up an ITIN (tax ID) for closing and ongoing tax purposes. Since you mentioned Boston, keep in mind this is a highly competitive market, especially with condos and investment properties near universities. Having a local agent who knows the area is key—we can help you navigate time zone differences, virtual showings, and the paperwork side of things.

Sure can! You can: find a real estate agent specializing in international clients, research the market thoroughly, secure financing from a lender with foreign national mortgage programs, provide substantial documentation proving your income and assets, and expect to potentially pay a larger down payment due to your non-resident status; importantly, remember that anyone, regardless of citizenship, can legally purchase property in the United States, but obtaining a mortgage might be more challenging as a non-resident

Yes you can. You will need to get with a lender, realtor and title company. I would start with the lender in the area you want to buy in. Or, if you plan on paying cash, call a Realtor and discuss it with them. They should know an atty through the title company they use.