Single Women Outbuy Men in Homeownership

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2018

Single women are purchasing homes and condos at more than double the rate of single males. The trend is expected to keep growing, too.

Last year, single women comprised 18 percent of all home purchases, while single men accounted for 7 percent, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Single women are the second largest segment of home purchasers, behind married couples. Single women purchasers include never-married individuals, widows, and divorcees.  

Homebuilders are taking notice and are increasingly designing homes and subdivisions to appeal to women’s preferences. For example, in a development in North Carolina with McKee Homes, up to 50 percent of the homes purchased are by single women in their 30s, 40s, or older.

Read more: 6 Must-Haves for Women in Home Shopping

Single women tend to view homeownership more as an investment, Jessica Lautz, NAR’s director of demographic and behavioral insights, told The Washington Post. Single women tend to pay more on their home purchase than single men—$185,000 compared to $175,000. 

Rising rents may be the motivator that’s pushing more single women to homeownership. Twenty-three percent of single women cited rising rents as a “trigger” motivator behind their home purchase, according to a survey conducted by the Builders Digital Experience, a research and publishing firm. That is a greater percentage than the 16 percent average of all recent buyers surveyed. 

Source: “Single Women Account for More Real Estate Purchases Than Single Men,” The Washington Post (May 9, 2018)