Single women comprise 1/5 of homebuyers

Real estate brokers across the country accustomed to touting a home’s family-friendliness may need to pick up some new tricks. According to MSNBC, 32 percent of homebuyers are single, and 20 percent of all homebuyers are single women. Taking advantage of low interest rates and slowly loosening lending standards, single women are buying to relocate closer to a job or family, to get more space, or because they have “a strong desire to nest,” the Joint Center for Housing Studies said. Jan Gray, a Northern California real estate agent, said women are among her savviest clients. “When women shop for a home with a man, I always see them deferring to him: his need for a garage, or a work space, or a man cave,” she said. “When women buy for themselves, they are excited about turning this place into something that reflects them and who they are — they know they could even paint the bathroom pink if they wanted to!” [MSNBC]