Paying cash for a home isn't too unusual in some markets, but in San Francisco — a city known for multimillion-dollar properties — paying cash used to be rare. Currently, cash sales in the region are slightly higher than the national average. Dan Risman Jones of Ascend Real Estate noted that family wealth is also a factor. I assumed that at some point the kids will get loans for it, for the property,” Risman Jones said. According to Rowbotham, San Francisco is once again a prime destination.