{"id":1006,"date":"2026-03-10T07:48:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T07:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/?p=1006"},"modified":"2026-03-10T07:48:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T07:48:57","slug":"the-worst-housing-market-in-years-couldnt-stop-single-women-from-buying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/?p=1006","title":{"rendered":"The worst housing market in years couldn’t stop single women from buying"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Until 1974, a single woman in the U.S. could not get a mortgage without a male co-signer. Just over 50 years later, a record-high share of single women own homes, and they are outpacing single men in the housing market by nearly two to one. It pays to be a single woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to a new analysis from First American, more single women own homes in the United States than ever before\u2014even as the share of women who own has edged down and buying a house has never been harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the homeownership rate among single women dipped last year from about 51.9% to 50.9%, that hasn\u2019t stopped more than 20 million single women from becoming homeowners, a record high.<\/p>\n

As more women set up households of their own, the pool of single women has grown faster than the number of owners, pulling the above percentage down even as the total count climbs to a record.\u200b But that decline isn\u2019t a sign of retreat. \u201cThe rate fell not because fewer women owned homes, but because more women formed independent households,\u201d Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree, told Fortune.<\/p>\n

The First American findings are the latest data point in a multi\u2011decade trend documented by the National Association of Realtors. In 1981, single women made up just 11% of home buyers; today they account for 21%\u2014nearly double their share\u2014and trail only married couples as the largest buyer group.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among first\u2011time buyers, their footprint is even larger. Single women made up a quarter of all first\u2011time buyers in 2025, compared with just 10% for single men and 50% for married couples.\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to see that single women are truly a force in the market,\u201d said Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research at NAR. \u201cThey\u2019ve always outpaced single men in the market.\u201d That holds across age groups\u2014from younger buyers entering for the first time to older women purchasing after a divorce or the death of a spouse.<\/p>\n

Homeownership as a means of stability<\/p>\n

What sets single women apart, Lautz said, is their deliberate pursuit of ownership. NAR survey data show single women are more likely than single men to cut non\u2011essential spending, cancel vacations, and take on extra work to save for a down payment. \u201cSingle women are making more financial sacrifices,\u201d she told Fortune. \u201cThey\u2019re really just saying this is my top financial priority.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n

Much of that drive comes down to caregiving. Single women buyers are more likely to be raising children on their own or supporting aging parents, making a stable address\u2014with a locked\u2011in school district and proximity to family\u2014a practical necessity as much as a financial goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing exactly where they\u2019re going to live and not having to change location for schools or for hospital settings or anything like that for parents\u201d is part of what motivates them, Lautz said. Schulz added that many are buying intentionally before marriage and family, not after, treating a mortgage as a foundation for independence rather than a milestone that follows it.<\/p>\n

The demographic fueling these purchases has also shifted. First American\u2019s data show that gains in education and earnings have strengthened single women\u2019s buying power over time\u2014the share with a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher rose from 20% in 2000 to 35% in 2025, while real median income climbed from roughly $42,000 to $51,000. The trend mirrors another, broader shift: just 47% of U.S. adults are now married, according to census data, down from prior decades<\/p>\n

Lautz said NAR\u2019s latest survey shows something even more striking: for the first time in the data she has tracked since she started at NAR in 2007, single women homebuyers are reporting higher incomes than single men homebuyers. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a one\u2011year anomaly,\u201d she cautioned, \u201cbut I do think that perhaps single women, regardless of earnings, are saying this is a top priority and I\u2019m going to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bThe wealth-building stakes are high<\/p>\n

Not all single women buyers look the same. NAR\u2019s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that among Black buyers, 39% are single women\u2014nearly matching the 42% who are married couples, and far higher than the single\u2011women share among White (20%), Asian\/Pacific Islander (19%), or Hispanic\/Latino (18%) buyers. Lautz said that in NAR\u2019s separate \u201cSnapshot on Race and Home Buying,\u201d Black women have consistently \u201coutpaced women of other racial and ethnic groups\u201d as homebuyers, reflecting a group that is leaning especially hard on property as a tool for long\u2011term wealth and stability.<\/p>\n

The stakes behind these decisions are enormous. \u201cHomeownership is the number one way that we build wealth in America,\u201d Lautz said, pointing to NAR data showing that the typical homeowner holds roughly $430,000 in net worth compared with just $10,000 for the typical renter. For single women navigating an unaffordable market on one income, clearing that gap can be life\u2011changing.\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cIf single women are jumping onto the bandwagon of homeownership, that means long\u2011term stability for her moving forward,\u201d Lautz says, \u201cwhether that\u2019s a single mom, someone taking care of elderly parents, or maybe it\u2019s just herself.\u201d In a housing market defined by locked\u2011in sellers, scarce inventory, and stubbornly high mortgage rates, single women keep finding a way to close. And in doing so, they\u2019re redefining who the American homeowner actually is.<\/p>\n

#worst #housing #market #years #couldnt #stop #single #women #buying<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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