The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported that single women are quickly becoming a significant percentage of the total number of home buyers in the U.S. real estate market. Last year 20% of all home buyers were single women.
According to the NAR, single women aren’t just purchasing more homes. They are growing savvier about the whole home buying process, being much more likely to ask piercing questions and demanding straight answers to their questions regarding prices, features, financing options, etc. And it is not just young single professional women who are buying homes, the range of single female buyers varies all the way from young singles to post-retirement women.
Due to the increasing number of single women buying homes, Sarasota area builders and real estate agents are both "stepping up their game" both in their advertising and other marketing media to appeal to this large new segment of Sarasota Florida area buyers. Builders across Sarasota and Manatee County are increasingly offering new homes with more extensive security features, low- or no-maintenance yards, gourmet kitchens, more spacious bathrooms, softer color schemes - all features that appeal much more to female than to male buyers.
“When a woman is shopping for a home with a man, she tends often to defer to the man's desire for a garage, a workshop, or a work-at-home office,” says Rich Stover, a noted Sarasota Florida real estate agent. He adds, "when a woman is buying a home for herself, she tends to be more interested in whether or not she may need to make major changes to the home to make it fit her own personal lifestyle, interesta and needs."
As the Sarasota Florida real estate market continues to struggle with few signs of improvement, it behooves everyone involved in the real estate business, including those trying to sell a home, to pay attention to trends like this and tailor their plans and actions appropriately.
For example, we all know how important "curb appeal" - the first view from the street - is in successfully marketing a home. If, for example, you were attempting to sell a home or condo in Sarasota or Bradenton Florida right now, it might be worth considering what interior changes might make the home more attractive to single female buyers - applying more neutral or warmer wall colors, removing mainly masculine decor items and making the kitchen and baths sparkle even more with spotless tile, flawless faucets and warm, coordinated colored towels on the rack. Little things like this can make a big difference in the "interior appeal" of a home to a single female buyer.
If you have a home or condo to sell in the Sarasota - Bradenton real estate market, I'd be happy to give you advice to help make your home more "female-friendly." Call me at your convenience 941-266-1799 or E-Mail Me.
