While overall home sales volumes in SA have plateaued in recent years, home sales to single women have continued to rise, from around 17% pre-pandemic to more than 22% of the total currently.
READ: 10 things every household should have, especially now
“In real terms, this means that single women bought around 46 000 homes last year,” says Denese Zaslansky, CEO of the Firzt Realty group. “And at the current average house price of R1,4m, that would amount to more than R64bn of expenditure.”
Further analysis shows that when it comes to first-time buyers, single women actually account for around 50% of the total - and also that single and divorced women now outpace single and divorced men as buyers in every region of SA except Mpumalanga, despite the fact that they continue to earn less than their male counterparts and have more difficulty qualifying for home loans.
“In short, they are an increasingly significant and powerful contingent of home buyers, and the market should take careful note of what they need and want, with security and safety being paramount – especially if they have children and elderly parents or grandparents in their care.”
Some of the top priorities for single women buyers who are viewing homes for sale, she says, are:
- Home security systems such as a good alarm, motion-sensor lights and beams outdoors, CCTV cameras and smart home technologies such as remote-controlled lighting and video doorbells.
- Sturdy doors and windows with quality locks, deadbolts and burglar guards, as well as automated gates and garage doors.
- Fenced or walled outdoor spaces where children and pets can play safely.
- Easy accessibility for any seniors living with them, such as wide doorways, grab bars in bathrooms and level layouts with no stairs.
- Emergency equipment like fire extinguishers and smoke detectors.
- An electricity back-up system to ensure that they can stay safe and comfortable in the event of loadshedding. Such systems are especially vital for single women who work from home or have children studying at home.
You can also try these tips to add an extra buffer layer of security to your home, provided by Arnold Maritz, Co-principal for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, False Bay and Noordhoek.
- Ensure that the alarm wiring is concealed as burglars will always try to locate where they can disconnect the system.
- Your house should appear occupied at all times and the simplest way to do so is to use timers to switch lights and radios on and off when you're not at home.
- Try to test your alarm at least once a month and don’t forget to inform your security provider that you are putting your system into the "Test" mode.
- Door hinge pins are very easy to knock out, so if there are any door hinges on the outside of the house, remove the door and reset the hinges so they they are inside.
- Install wireless alarms that are activated when doors or windows are opened as burglars will seldom stick around for the sound of the alarm to attract attention. These alarms are inexpensive and available at most home stores.
- When installing a window lock, drip some solder on the screw heads as it will prevent a burglar from being able to unscrew the lock after cutting a small hole in the windowpane.
- Motion detector lights outside are a proven crime deterrent, and won’t break the bank.
- Keep hedges and bushes trimmed right down as they are handy hiding places, and preferably keep windows or doors free of bushes or trees as they make a good vantage point from which to observe your comings and goings and also lie in wait for you.
- Change all the locks as soon as you move into a new house as you have no way of knowing who had access to the keys before you moved in.
READ: Navigating the cybersecurity risks in property transactions and avoiding property scams
Next, says Zaslansky, single women are likely to research the surrounding area before signing any offer to purchase, to try to determine whether it offers a supportive and diverse community that includes a solid and friendly mix of families, young professionals and seniors.
“They will naturally also seek out areas with low crime rates, active residents’ associations and active neighbourhood watch or community security organisations. Good schools and safe parks or playgrounds will also be important to single mothers.”
Single women buyers are also more likely to consider proximity to emergency services, medical facilities and public transport, she says, and will consider living within safe walking distance of shops, restaurants and a gym or sports centre is a big plus and it reduces the need to commute.
“And finally, homes that have been well-maintained and are in move-in condition will be especially attractive to single women who often have only one income to rely on, because there will be no immediate need for them to plan and pay for any repairs or improvements.
“Indeed, this is probably why there is an increasing preference among single women for newly-built homes in estates and sectional title complexes, which offer the added benefit of having VAT built into the purchase price so that buyers don’t have to worry about transfer duty. It will be interesting to see how this trend shapes market demand and the delivery of new housing stock over the next few years.”
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