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Single Home Buyer Statistics

According to the 2020 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

• First time single buyers are more likely to be females
• Single female buyers made up 19% of 2019 first-time home buyers
• Single male buyers made up 11% of 2019 first-time home buyers
• Single female buyers averaged 51 in age (33 for first-time buyers and 60 for repeat buyers), and single male buyers averaged 50 in age (31 for first-time buyers and 58 for repeat buyers) (Ex. 1-18, 1-20).

For more statistics on single home buyers, including reasons for purchasing a home, average income, desired type of home and neighborhood, see the National Association of REALTORS® 2020 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

Single Buyer Demographics

Attention Agents: How to Cater to Single Female Homebuyers (Forbes, Apr. 28, 2020)

Buying a House without a Spouse: Five Facts about Single Women Homebuyers (Arch MI, Feb. 21, 2020)

Single Women Own More Homes Than Single Men. Here's What They're Doing Differently. (BETTER by TODAY, Feb. 13, 2020)

The Rise of Single Buyers and How They Will Impact the Industry (Builder, Oct. 11, 2019)

Single Home Buyer Tastes

What Gen Zers Really Want When Buying a House (Yahoo!, Nov. 13. 2019)

These Are the Most Popular Must-Have Features for First-Time Home Buyers, According to a Survey (Real Simple, Oct. 29, 2019)

More Single Women Are Becoming First-Time Home Buyers (The Balance, Oct. 24, 2019)

What Millennial and Baby Boomer Homebuyers Disagree on Most (MoneyWise, Sep. 17, 2019)

Advice for Single Buyers

Buying a House on a Single Income (Investopedia, Sep. 2, 2020)

A Gender Gap You May Have Never Heard About: The Women’s Housing Investment Disparity (Rocket Mortgage, Aug. 28, 2020)

Single Women Are Losing Out in the Housing Market. Here’s What They Can Do About It (CNBC, Jan. 9, 2020)

5 Tips for Buying a Home as a Single Woman (Exhale Lifestyle, Sep. 10, 2019)

Buying a House on a Single Income (Investopedia, Aug. 3, 2019)

eBooks & Other Resources

eBooks.realtor.org

The following eBooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:

The Everything Homebuying Book (Kindle, eBook)

Home Buying Kit for Dummies (eBook)

Kiplinger’s Money Smart Women (Audiobook)

Buying a Home When You're Single (eBook)

Financing Your Condo, Co-Op, or Townhouse (eBook)

Home Buyer's Checklist: Everything You Need to Know—But Forget to Ask—Before You Buy a Home (Kindle, eBook)

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