by Calculated Risk on 2/07/2011 09:27:00 PM

From Mitra Kalita at the WSJ: Cash Buyers Lift Housing

Cash buyers represented more than half of all transactions in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area last year ... In the fourth quarter of 2006, they represented just 13% of deals.
...
The percentage of buyers in Phoenix paying cash hit 42% in 2010—more than triple the rate in 2008 ... Nationally, 28% of sales were all-cash transactions last year, according to the National Association of Realtors. The rate was 14% in October 2008 ...

This is a quite an increase in cash buyers. Most of the cash transactions are at the low end - and are frequently investors - although the article mentioned one buyer paying cash for $1+ million properties.

The good news is these buyers won't ever have negative equity!

Note: The MBA mortgage index is suggesting weak home sales over the next couple of months, but obviously that index doesn't capture this increase in cash buyers.