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Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to acquire national homebuilder Taylor Morrison in an all-cash deal valued at about $8.5 billion, one of the clearest signs yet that long-term capital still sees value in US housing supply.
The deal values Taylor Morrison at $72.50 per share, with an estimated equity value of about $6.8 billion and total enterprise value of about $8.5 billion. Taylor Morrison operates more than 350 communities across 21 markets in 12 states, serving entry-level, move-up, resort lifestyle, and rental-community buyers through brands including Taylor Morrison, Esplanade, and Yardly.
This is not a foreign-buyer story on the surface. Taylor Morrison’s core customer base is largely domestic, and many of its communities are built for owner-occupants, move-up buyers, and lifestyle buyers. But the deal still matters for foreign nationals because it points to where long-term capital sees value: new housing supply in high-growth US markets, many of which overlap with the places overseas buyers already watch closely.
Berkshire is making this move while the housing market is still under pressure. Freddie Mac reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.53% as of May 28, 2026. Census data also showed that April single-family housing starts fell 9.0% from March, even as overall building permits rose 5.8%. This is not an easy-cycle acquisition. It is a long-term supply bet made while rates remain elevated, affordability is stretched, and construction activity is still uneven.
For foreign national investors, the more useful question is not whether Berkshire’s move means they should buy new construction, but whether new-construction properties can be financed correctly when the buyer does not have a conventional US income or credit profile.
Foreign buyers are still active in the same broad regions where national builders have been expanding. The National Association of Realtors reported that international buyers purchased $56 billion worth of US existing homes from April 2024 through March 2025, up 33.2% from the prior 12-month period.
Those are also the kinds of high-growth housing markets where new-build communities often attract attention from overseas buyers. But new construction creates a financing issue that many investors do not think about early enough.
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Why New Construction Can be Harder to Qualify with DSCR Financing
A DSCR loan is built around the property’s rental income, not personal income. For an existing rental, the file may have a lease, rent roll, or operating history that helps support the loan review. A newly built home often has none of that. There may be no tenant, no lease, no rent history, and sometimes no completed tax assessment that reflects the finished property.
That does not automatically make a new-build rental ineligible, but it changes the underwriting conversation. HomeAbroad typically needs to review market rent support, usually through an appraiser’s rent schedule such as Form 1007 for a single-family rental or Form 1025 for a small multifamily property. The rent then has to be tested against the full PITIA payment, which includes principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and association dues where applicable.
This is where many new-construction deals become more sensitive than they look in a builder brochure. The projected payment may change once property taxes reset after completion. Insurance may come in higher than expected, especially in Florida or other weather-exposed markets. HOA dues, community development fees, and rental restrictions can also affect whether the property works as an investment.
Builder incentives add another layer. National builders have used tools such as mortgage rate buydowns and other incentives to offset affordability pressure in a high-rate market. For a foreign national buyer using DSCR or another non-QM structure, those credits need to be reviewed before the contract is signed. A credit that works with one loan type may not work the same way with another.
With new construction, the issue is not just the purchase price. The bigger question is whether the rent can be supported before there is an actual tenant in place. For a foreign national borrower, we look closely at the market rent, PITIA, HOA terms, tax assumptions, insurance, and how any builder incentive is written into the contract. A rate buydown or closing credit can help only if it fits the loan structure. It cannot fix a property where the rent does not support the payment.
Berkshire may be buying at the homebuilder level, but foreign national investors make decisions one property at a time. A new home in a strong market can offer modern finishes, lower near-term maintenance, and better tenant appeal, but those advantages do not replace the financing review. The rent still has to support the payment, and the loan structure has to fit the way the property will be used.
HomeAbroad helps foreign nationals review those details before they go too far into a purchase. For rental properties, DSCR financing can allow borrowers to qualify based on the property’s rental income rather than W-2s, US tax returns, or a conventional US credit history.
Berkshire’s move shows that new construction still has long-term value, even in a housing market that feels uneven. Foreign national investors need to bring that signal down to the property level. Before signing a contract, they need to know whether the market supports the rent, whether the projected PITIA works for DSCR, and whether builder incentives, taxes, insurance, HOA rules, and rental restrictions fit the loan structure.
