Kishia S. Ward wasn't looking for the home of her dreams when she bought her two-bedroom, 2½-bath townhouse. The 25-year-old student and former business analyst wanted a place "not so much to live in forever but as an investment property, something temporary that, later on when I get married and have a family, I can rent out

Single female homebuyers such as Ward are a powerhouse group in the real-estate market. In 2011, when Ward bought her home, three of her female friends, also singles in their 20s, also purchased homes. Single women — a group that includes the divorced, never married and widowed — make roughly one in five home purchases annually, according to the National Association of Realtors, second only to married couples, who are about two-thirds of the market.

It wasn't always this way. In the 1970s, "it was very difficult for a single woman to get a credit card, much less a mortgage," says Walter Molony, spokesman for the NAR. 

In 1981, when the NAR started watching, single women and single men each made about 10% of home purchases. Purchases by single men have stayed steady. Single women, however, pulled ahead in the late ’80s, when women grew as a presence in the workforce and social change put pressure on lenders.

Single women's market share reached 20% in 1985 and hovered there until recession and tight credit pulled it down to 16% in 2012. Unmarried couples make 8% of purchases
Source MSN

Diana Walton
Licensed Real Estate Consultant
Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE)
Keller Williams Realty
281.923.1118