43% of 2014 home buyers paid all cash

All-cash purchases accounted for almost 43 percent of all sales of residential property in the first quarter of 2014, up from nearly 38 percent in the previous quarter and 19 percent in the first quarter of 2013, according to data released Thursday from real-estate data firm RealtyTrac.

According to a MarketWatch report, experts say the high all-cash numbers are surprising, but won't last much longer.

“Cash buyers will become few and far between,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac.

According to the report, wealthy Americans and downsizing empty nesters, as well as investors looking to flip properties, make up a majority of the all-cash buyers.

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