Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: singles in cohousing

[LaDonna (6ldmd]

IS BIGBUILDERONLINE.COM A GOOD WEBSITE TO LEARN ABOUT REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT?? 
 

I'M INTERESTED IN CO-HOUSING IN CT AND WOULD LIKE TO EDUCATE MYSELF ABOUT REAL 
ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND RAISING CAPITAL TO FINANCE A DEVELOPMENT.  WHAT ARE GOOD 
SOURCES OF INFO?
  LaDonna


---- katie-henry [at] att.net wrote: 

=============

At Eastern Village, single women vastly outnumber single men. However, 
community issues aside, single women are much more likely to buy property than 
age/income-equivalent single men. Here's an interesting article:

http://www.bigbuilderonline.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=363&articleID=512040

Single Women More Likely Than Single Men to Own a House
Source: Virginian - Pilot
Publication date: June 2, 2007
By CHRIS CHURCHILL

Albany Times Union

TROY, N.Y. - Three years ago, Cherie Clark bought a home overlooking Troy's 
Washington Park. The building was a mess, she says, and the responsibility of 
owning alone can be daunting. But she doesn't regret the decision. "I like the 
idea of owning this house and being able to do what I want."

Many single women agree.

So much so that they now account for 27 percent of the nation's first-time home 
buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors, and 21 percent of 
home buyers overall - more than double the rate of 20 years ago.

Single men, meanwhile, account for just 9 percent of home buyers, the same 
percentage as 20 years ago.

Rising homeownership rates among single women reflect much- discussed societal 
changes: Americans are more likely to marry later and often divorce when they 
do. And women are earning more than ever before.

The Greater Capital Association of Realtors Inc., an Albany- based trade group 
that keeps data on home sales and prices, doesn't track local home-buyer 
patterns. But its executive director, James Ader, points out that as recently 
as the 1970s single women had trouble obtaining a home loan.

"As that's become more fair and equal, women have bought more," he said.

Men on average still earn more than women, but single women seem willing to buy 
with less, according to the National Association of Realtors. In 2005, the 
median income of a single female home buyer was $48,100; for a single man, it 
was $66,100.

So why are women more willing to buy than men?

As with many discussions of differences between the sexes, answers tend to 
sound like stereotypes: Men fear commitment. Women nest.

But stereotypes sometimes reflect truth, said Stephanie Rauterkus, an assistant 
professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management and 
Technology in Troy. Rauterkus, who bought a home when she was single, said 
women seem more domestic.

"Maybe that's something inherent in women," she said. "Maybe even though we've 
made strides, there's something that makes us want to create that (home) 
environment."

Peter Francese puts it more bluntly: "Women take care of the cave."

Francese, a New Hampshire resident and the founder of American Demographics 
magazine, owned and published by Advertising Age, said he bases his assertion 
on thousands of interviews conducted with both men and women.

He said it would be "astounding" if women didn't buy homes at higher rates than 
men, because it's basic biology.

"Guys are not nesters," Francese said. "We have millions of years of evolution 
behind us, and we come from hunters and gatherers."

Adam Traver didn't mention hunting or gathering when explaining why he doesn't 
own a home. But the 28-year-old Schenectady, N.Y., resident did call a house a 
big responsibility, a headache waiting to happen. "I just don't want to be tied 
down," Traver said. When Traver meets the right woman, they'll buy a house, 
together.

That thinking is typical, said Walter Molony, spokesman for the National 
Association of Realtors.

"Most guys don't get serious about real estate until they meet the right 
woman," he said. "Women seem better at building a nest egg over time, whereas 
single guys seem more interested in consumption."

(c) 2007 Virginian - Pilot. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All 
rights Reserved.

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On Feb 6, 2008, at 10:17 AM, Jane L wrote:

> I just went to my first meeting of a cohousing group on Saturday; I was 
> favorably impressed by much, 
> but could not help but notice that there were a number of what appeared to be 
> single women in the 
>group, and no single men.

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