Advice for single women home owners.

Calista writes:

I’m happy I did it. It has had its ups and downs, but there’s a lot of satisfaction in making such a big decision alone and taking full responsibility for it.

The only time I really think twice is when there is a lot of snow to shovel

I’ve been lucky and haven’t had too many things to repair. I call my dad and ask him a lot of questions.

He renovates houses for a living, so he’s a great asset. It’s difficult working with vendors and repair people. It’s similar to auto repairs; it’s easy as a woman to think that you’re not getting as good of a deal or that you’re not being treated the same as a man in a similar situation. It’s all new too, so you don’t know what things should cost.

I think one of the biggest challenges is just keeping up with yardwork. But I have a house with a big yard, so that was my choice. It’s fun, but I’m surrounded by retired people who keep their yards perfect, so I have a complex.

I can think of some advice.

1. Be careful not to buy a house alone just to prove that you can. That’s not enough.

2. Look carefully at your situation. I do not believe a house is the best investment under any circumstances, as some people seem to believe. But it is generally a good investment.

3. Regarding old houses: if the house is solid and doesn’t need major repairs and you like to do superficial/cosmetic repairs, go for it. Old houses are not necessarily scary. Mine is from 1901 and is great. But don’t take on more than you can handle.

4. I would also advise that you be careful to buy in a neighborhood that you feel safe in. On a single person’s budget, you might not have a lot of options, so it’s tempting to buy in a not-so-great neighborhood. But you want to be as comfortable as possible in your own home, so I would advise compromising in other ways. I have a very small house but a nice neighborhood.

The writer owns a small home in West St. Paul, which she purchased two years ago from another single woman.  She will be getting married this year.

Last year, 21 percent of all U.S. homes were purchased by unmarried women.  Women are getting married later and would rather buy than rent.   Only about 9% of homebuyers were unmarried men over the same period. Read more . . .

single women are more likely than single men to own homes (56 percent vs. 47 percent).

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