All the Single Ladies (Are Buying Homes)

All the Single Ladies (Are Buying Homes)

It doesn't come as a huge surprise that the largest share of home buyer households is married couples. In fact, 67 percent of all home buyers are married couples. The second most common group of buyers, however, is single females. According to the 2016 National Association of REALTORS® Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report, single females make up 15 percent of all home buyers, and this number creeps up when looking at older buyers—20 percent of buyers between 51 and 60 years of age and 19 percent between the ages of 61 and 69 are single females. These percentages are substantially higher than those for single males, who only make up 9 percent of all home buyers; the share of single made buyers is even lower in older age groups, only 10 percent of buyers between 51 and 60 are single males.

Story Springboard

Review NAR's most recent Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study to see the makeup of home buyers for each age group. Talk to a Realtor® to find out who is buying homes in your area. Speak with single female buyers to find out why they are purchasing a home now and what they are looking for.

Highlights -  Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends

• At 35 percent, buyers 35 years and younger continue to be the largest generational group of home buyers with a median age of 30 years old.
• First-time buyers made up 32 percent of all home buyers, down from 33 percent last year.
• Sixty-seven percent of buyers 35 years and younger were first-time buyers, followed by buyers 36 to 50 years at 26 percent.
• The most common type of home purchased continues to be the detached single-family home, which made up 83 percent of all homes purchased.
• Eighty-nine percent of Millennials, 87 percent of Gen X buyers, and 85 percent of Younger Boomers purchased their home through an agent.