What Women Want Factors Big in Homebuyer Preferences

Women think the financial aspects of homebuying, such as home price, resale value, and taxes and insurance costs, are more important when considering purchasing a home than do men by at least 3.6 percent, according to a recent homebuyer preference survey. Further, women placed more emphasis on local safety and school quality than men. Men place greater importance on inclusion of exterior maintenance.

On average, men spend more time daily on the lawn, garden, and houseplants than women, accounting for their valuation of exterior maintenance in the survey. However, women spend more time daily on household activities overall, which could speak to their greater selectivity on all interior features itemized in the survey, including interior layout and a home’s move-in ready status, inclusion of appliances, square footage, and most exterior home characteristics.

The results of the National Association of Realtors’ 2017 Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers found that 18 percent of all recent buyers were single females, while only 7 percent were single males. Sixty-five percent were married couples, and 8 percent were unmarried couples.

As the second-largest segment of U.S. homebuyers in 2017, single females are a group to monitor. Their potential homebuyer preferences may forecast current and future homebuyer trends.

Survey respondents with children put more importance on each home feature than those without children. Potential homebuyers who are parents valued proximity to a good school as 33 percent more important than those without children and neighborhood safety and appearance up to 5.3 percent more than the non-parent cohort. The numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms were 8.3 percent and 6.9 percent more important to parents, respectively. Financial costs of owning a home were 1.5 to 1.6 percent less important to respondents without children.