In most cultures, society tends to lay down a particular chronology when life events should happen, like getting married first before purchasing a house. According to a recent study by the Bank of America (BofA), most of today’s single women in the US have been going against this preordained sequence of marriage-before-home-acquisition.

America’s Single Women Prefer Homeownership First Before Marriage

The BofA study revealed that almost ⅔ of single women interested in homeownership prefer it that way. Related statistics say that 30% of current female homeowners bought their property while still single.

SVP of BoA’s Homeownership Solutions and Strategic Relationships, Kathy Cummings, believe this is logical since there has been delays in plans of getting married and starting a family. It has become logical therefore to buy a house first before settling down.

This was indicated by 65% of respondents to the BoA survey who said they intentionally chose to be homeowners first. Furthermore, survey results also showed that 92% of the women who responded said that buying their own home would be a great achievement, while 80% are excited to achieve such feat.

On the other hand, only 52% of single men who are prospective buyers feel that buying a home is an accomplishment, when compared to 60% of female homebuyers. Reports say that 35% of single men homeowners are not proud of their homeownership status, whereas 46% of single women say they are proud to be homeowners.

The current market can make purchasing a new house challenging as there is only a limited supply with rising mortgage rates at a high cost. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median existing home price in the country was $358,000 in December 2021, higher by 15.8% compared to December 2020.