The real estate market — with all its rollercoaster-like dips and turns — has occupied a huge amount of our attention in recent years. While most of the news has been bad (record foreclosures, innumerable bad loans), much has also been made of this cheerful fact: Single women have become a major force in the real estate market. According to the National Association of Realtors, last year unmarried gals made up 20 percent of all home buyers, where single guys accounted for 12 percent.
Why the discrepancy between men and women? No one seems to be able to put their finger on it exactly. I personally think it’s because the concept of home resonates so strongly with women. Regardless of our marital status, we want to come home from work to a place that feels like ours.
According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies, the three main reasons single women are buying homes in record numbers are: to relocate closer to a job or family; because they need more space; and, the No. 1 reason cited, because they have a strong desire, plain and simple, to nest. I rest my case.
Realtors and builders are taking notice of this trend. In new home construction, builders are putting in extras such as security features, gourmet kitchens and yards with little to no maintenance required.
