I was reading something very interesting today on the Profile of Texas Homebuyers and Sellers report that was published for 2009...
18% of Homebuyers were single FEMALE
8% of Homebuyers were single MALE
WOW! Those numbers stand out significantly! I read further to see what the National statistics were to see if Texas was just off, or if this was a trend for more women to buy houses than men. Nationally, 21% were single female and 10% were single males.
What does this tell us? This tells us (don't bite my head off as this is my personal opinion) that men have commitment issues in more places than just relationships!! A single man doesn't want to feel tied down or trapped. He becomes commitment-phobic while in a dating relationship. If he's going to have these same issues in other parts of his life, it makes sense that he wouldn't tie himself down to one particular house. (I know this doesn't apply to all men, and that this is a gross exaggeration!)
This also tells us that women are stronger in today's world and more willing to make such an investment for their futures. After further research, this has been the trend for the past 7 years!
GIRL POWER!!
**Are You Packed Yet?**
Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com
Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way.
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Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Single Women Buying More Houses than Single Men * was first published on donnahomesblog.com
Way to go girl! I enjoyed the post so thanks for getting it out to us today. We are woman, .........!!!
Patricia
Hi Donna -- Interesting stats! I wonder what year the single female numbers first passed the male percentages? Your post reminded me of one of my very first real estate transactions, where I represented a single female buyer, buying from a single female seller (also represented by a female Realtor) and the escrow officer and her whole staff at the title company was female. As I sat at the closing table I thought about how things certainly have changed for women over the years!
PS....I have bookmarked it for future reference.
This has been a trend here in Dallas for awhile now. I remember reading a few years ago in the newspaper about single women being a large percentage of home sales here.
Good one Donna! I'm surprised it's only been the trend for seven years. When I bought my first house in the mid-90s two of my coworkers were house hunting too - all of us single females. Great trend - it bodes well for women's financial security down the road.
Liz
I totally agree with these stats. Girl power is alive and buying in MD.
Oh come on.....none of us women think this is a big surprise. But....funny statistic anyway. :)
Haha, Donna, it is so funny you say men have commitment issue, aren't they?
Donna: Of COURSE more women will buy as singles than men will. Women are known to be "nesters." Men... not so much, except in some other woman's nest... LOL.
By the way, Miss Donna... I see you are about to jump over the 700,000 point mark. Congratulations in advance. I would just LOVE to see you bounce up one more position in Texas... as I know you would, too. Go get 'em Woman !
Guys are too busy with their "singleness" and activities. Far too busy to think about home maintenance. Some of my single guy clients wait to meet their better halves to come furnish the house for them. Go figure.
Donna,
Very interesting numbers. Perhaps this is a great niche market.
Patricia, You're welcome!
Melanie, I only have stats as far back as 2001. The women were still buying more than the men, but the big jump happened in 2003.
Nick, I sold to many single women up in Dallas!
Liz, The actual trend is longer than 7 years, but the big jump was in 2003. I can't see stats further than 2001.
Ellie, Good!
Karen, Of course!
Rita, Oh yeah!
Karen Anne, Thanks! I was almost there, but the AR glitch for 3 weeks kept me away and pushed me back...
Loreena, I think it's funny when a guy buys a house thinking his future wife will move in, and they have a lot to learn!
Richard, It is, and it's been cornered by us women agents for years!! :)
It tells me that women make more money than men.
That's controversial I know, but it is reality. All of the numbers we see compare men and women who work in the same position. Even this number weighs more heavily towards women unless we are talking about executive pay. But when you compare the pay of entry level office job traditionally held by women, and entry level jobs traditionally held by men, women make more.
The fact is that traditional male, working class roles are roles that have little chance for advancement. Traditional roles for women in offices offer advancement and bonus potential. Also, now that manufacturing jobs have gone away, office jobs account for the majority of all jobs that pay a salary high enough to afford one's own home.
I meant to cite the Bureau for Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
Male unemployment 10.1%
Female unemplyment: 8.2%
@Ray -- That's an intersting way of looking at it. Not something I'd considered before. I guess I'm just used to hearing about the climb women have been making in the workforce the past half century. Donna's stats surprised me and I wondered when things had started to level out. "Back in the day" when I was a little kid in the '60s, my understanding of the job choices for women was either nurse, teacher, or "stewardess". I thought the white hat and stockings nurses wore were really unattractive, and I couldn't wait to be out of school forever -- so that just left boring "stewardess" for my career path. Naive and childish, I know, but I guarantee you, my own young daughters had plans of opening their own pediatric practice or being a candy factory mogul at the same young age! Just interesting how things and ideas change over time. :)
Hi Donna,
I've been following those stats over the past year and I definitely see more single woman buying homes..I do think they are more "nesters" as Karen Anne says and they hate to think of paying someone else's mortgage by renting!
@Melanie, Women have come a long way indeed. I think one of the points I was trying to make is that there is now more advancement and opportunity in traditional female roles.
Before making the decision to stay home with our daughter, my wife worked for a fortune 500 company. She started as an assistant, which is simply the secretary of the 60s and 70s. In that role she was able to teach herself some skills, take classes for other skills, and prove her writing abilities. After 7 years working there she tripled her income and was well on the way to becoming an executive.
These opportunityies do not exist for many traditionally male entry-level positions.
Hi Ray -- That's great that your wife advanced like she did. Sounds like she's a smart person that did what it took to get there. :) (of course the best job in the world is the mom job -- it's my all-time favorite, anyway!)
Very good post! Great statistic! If for married couple the woman mostly make the decision of buying big-ticket items like Home, Car etc.
Thanks for sharing.
Adam
I am not very surprised by this number, were you? Females are more likely to settle down then most males. I'm just saying.
I wouldn't call it "girl power." It's just a trend. Saying men have commitment issues is like saying women have security issues, and that they feel compelled to BUY instead of taking any sort of risk with other investment opportunities.
Thanks for sharing those numbers with us.
Lori Cofer