Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Foreign interest in luxury real estate in U.S. doubled in 2026

The number of inquiries from foreign clients regarding the purchase of luxury real estate in the U.S. during the first five months of 2026 doubled compared to the same period last year, according to an interim report by Coldwell Banker Global Luxury published on July 14.

The calculation is based on data from the international platform JamesEdition and reflects trends in buyer inquiries from January 1 through May 10, 2026, compared to the same period in 2025. Thus, this reflects a rise in interest among potential clients, rather than a doubling in the number of closed deals.

California accounted for the largest share of inquiries from foreign buyers. New York and Florida followed, with New York in particular showing the highest growth rate in interest from abroad. Foreign investors view American premium-class properties as a way to geographically diversify their assets and preserve capital over the long term.

Another trend has been the rise of so-called “landmaxxing”—the acquisition of neighboring homes and land parcels to expand one’s estate, enhance privacy, preserve the view from windows, or create multi-generational family estates. Demand for unique properties—including estates, historic buildings, branded residences, and private islands—has risen by 146%, while interest in land parcels has increased by 97%.

Nearly 40% of luxury real estate professionals surveyed reported that affluent buyers are willing to purchase homes in need of renovation if they are located in a prestigious neighborhood. At the same time, 63% of real estate agents noted an increase in the share of cash transactions among clients in the premium segment, compared to 51% a year earlier.

According to the latest study published by the National Association of Realtors, covering transactions from April 2024 through March 2025, foreigners purchased 78,100 U.S. residential properties with a total value of $56 billion. The number of purchases rose by 44%, and their total value increased by 33.2%. The median price of residential properties purchased by foreign buyers reached a record $494,400, with 47% of transactions paid for entirely in cash.

The top 10 countries of origin for foreign buyers included China with a 15% share, Canada with 14%, Mexico with 8%, India with 6%, the United Kingdom with 4%, as well as Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, and the UAE, each with 3%. Israel ranked tenth with a 2% share. These figures apply to the entire U.S. residential real estate market, not just the luxury segment.

Among U.S. states, the top destinations for foreign buyers remained Florida, which accounted for 21% of transactions, California—15%, Texas—10%, New York—7%, and Arizona—5%.

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504 imported cars were subject to luxury tax last year

The number of cars subject to luxury tax decreased threefold over the year

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 504 vehicles subject to luxury tax were imported into the country last year.

This is the lowest figure in the last five years. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz account for 89% of luxury vehicles, and every second such car is a Porsche Taycan. In total, electric cars account for 65% of all cars subject to luxury tax.

504 cars subject to the “luxury tax” were imported into Ukraine in 2025. This is 3.2 times less than in 2024. Overall, this is the lowest figure in the last five years.

Every second car on the “luxury” list is a Porsche Taycan: 232 cars. Overall, Porsche became the leader in the luxury segment with additional taxation: cars of this brand account for 64% of the total volume. Mercedes-Benz took another quarter of the market with 126 cars. The rest of the premium brands together account for 11% of the market: Audi, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Maserati, etc.

It is worth noting that, in contrast to overall imports, electric cars dominate the premium segment: 65% of imported luxury cars. Another 18% are hybrids that can run on electricity as well as gasoline or diesel. Pure gasoline cars, the leaders in overall imports, are at the bottom of the list with 17%. Diesel accounts for a symbolic 0.4%.

Almost half of all luxury cars are registered in Kyiv and the surrounding region: 236 cars. Another 52 cars are in Lviv region, 49 in Odesa region, and 37 in Dnipropetrovsk region.

Most of the cars in the luxury segment are registered to individuals — 82% or 413 cars. Only 18% of such cars are registered to businesses.

The ultra-premium segment deserves special attention. Last year, 21 Rolls-Royces were imported into Ukraine. Fifteen of them are the electric Spectre model, which costs about $600,000. The registry also includes seven Aston Martins and two Lamborghinis.

It should be noted that the “luxury tax” applies to cars costing more than UAH 3.2 million and less than 5 years old. The tax amount for one such car is UAH 25,000 per year.

https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/luxury-car-fee-2025

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