More women strive to be homeowners, but still lacking confidence in market

More than three-quarters of women who don’t own a home reported they want to be homeowners, while under 70 percent of men aspire to own a home. However, women’s confidence in achieving the goal of homeownership and its value is less than men’s.

According to the ValueInsured Modern Homebuyer Survey, 68 percent of men believe the housing market is healthy, compared to only 47 percent of women. Seventy-six percent of men said that buying a home today is a secure and smart financial investment, compared to only 61 percent of women. Forty-two percent of men who do not own a home believe they can afford the down payment, compared to only 29 percent of women.

Among those who are homeowners, more men believe they would be able to sell their home for the same amount or more than what they originally paid for it. In selling their current home, 83 percent of men are interested in upgrading, compared to 74 percent of women.

Of the homeowners interested in upgrading, 92 percent of men believe they can afford the down payment on said upgrade, compared to 69 percent of women.

Why such a difference between genders? It’s most likely due to the fact that women are more likely to strive to be debt-free, which they define as their personal definition of the American Dream. Meanwhile, men said owning their own home is their definition of the American Dream.

According to the report, women make the purchasing decision in more than 90 percent of homes, so their preferences do impact the housing market. Also, single female homebuyers are expected to continue to take up a larger percentage of homeownership in the coming years.