Women buy more houses than men do: report

Single women nearly double single men when it comes to buying homes, according to National Association of Realtors data cited by the New York Times.

Women comprised 16 percent of home buyers last year, while men were 9 percent. The gap between them started occurring in the late 1990s and has only widened. Single women have a long-term average of 20 percent.

One of the reasons is that women, more than ever before, are the primary earner in the household, a Pew Research Center study shows. Women are the breadwinners in 40 percent of American households with children, and about two-thirds of them are single.

The home-buying process intimidates many single women who are new to it, Jeanie Douthitt, an agent with Private Label Realty, told the Times. But single women are more interested than single men in completely understanding that process, Cara Hawkins, a production manager at Ameripro Funding, told the Times.

“They are more apt to reach out for help,” Hawkins said, “and if they have a good advocate on their side, they will move faster than men.” [NYT] – Mark Maurer