How Women and Men Differ in Buying a Home
By Bill Primavera
The Home Guru
As Published in The Examiner, The Putnam Examiner and The Yorktown Examiner
If women are from Venus and men from Mars when it comes to communications between them, how does that translate when it comes to the purchase of a home? Because a home is the biggest investment most people make during their lifetimes, a study was conducted recently to discover how much men and women differ in the home-buying process. And, the results were surprising on several levels.
First, a disclosure. While I have been flattered to receive compliments on The Home Guru series in this paper, I was recently reproached by a realtor in Putnam County for mentioning the name of my real estate company in one of my columns. Indeed I mentioned it in illustrating a specific point. Occasionally I choose to relate news and features to my own personal and professional experience, but I have also mentioned other realtors in these columns and, in one case, wrote a full profile on a realtor with his own brokerage company.
When I decided that I wanted to explore the differences between men and women in buying a home, prompted by my own observations in showing and selling homes, I thought I’d check to determine whether any hard research had been done on the subject. Online I found that a study had been done within the month on this very subject, and guess who did the research? Coincidentally enough, my company, which happens to be Coldwell Banker (There, I’ve mentioned it again).
That out of the way, the information is just too interesting not to share with you. Employing a third-party research firm, International Communications Research, the study surveyed 1,000 couples, asking such questions as “How long did it take for you to decide that the home you purchased was the right home for you?” and “Who wears the pants in the relationship when it comes to making major financial decisions.”
Diann Patton, a spokeswoman for the aforementioned company said about the surprising results of the survey, “Not only did we uncover some of the inherent differences between men and women, but we also pinpointed a number of ways that the two genders are actually the same. For example, both men and women are increasingly concerned with having a space in which to work in their homes, something that we would not have seen 40 years ago.” She continued, “We also found that feeling insecure about a home’s safety is a deal-breaker for most people, regardless of gender.”
Here are some other key highlights from the study:
Women are more inclined to make up their mind more quickly than men. When asked how long it took before they knew their home was the right house for them, almost 78 percent of women said that they had made up their minds the day they walked into the house, vs. 62 percent of men. More men needed two or more visits (32 percent of men vs. 23 percent of women).
Women would rather live closer to their extended family than to their job. Fifty-five percent of women think it’s more important to be closer to their extended family than to their job, compared with only 37 percent of men.
Couples say that no one “wears the pants in the relationship” when it comes to major financial decisions. Almost 70 percent of respondents in the survey said that the decision is mutual. However, 23 percent think that they themselves wear the pants in the relationship, not their partner. More men than women expressed this (26 percent vs. 20 percent respectively).
When respondents were asked how they would use an extra 12 x 12 room if it could be anything they wanted, men and women agree on the top three most popular and practical uses. They voted for the room’s use as a bedroom (25 percent), an office/study (15 percent), or a family room/den (11 percent).
Interestingly, out of 8 percent who indicated they would turn the spare room into an entertainment center, there was a preponderance of men, actually four times as many, who said they would use it that way.
The survey didn’t look into other differences between men and women that I have noticed in showing homes, and they are easy observations. Men seem to love big garages with extra storage space and they really seem to be turned on by a workshop area, either there or in another part of the house such as the basement.
Women seem to be most turned on by exceptionally well appointed kitchens with an open, contiguous space that serves as a family gathering center. And, lately, I’ve noticed that women seem to be more interested in the imperative of a fireplace in the living room or family room. And, both men and women with families stress the need for a flat back yard for their children’s play.
It’s always fun to compare the sexes, especially when considering how and where we live.
Bill Primavera is a Westchester, NY-based realtor ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and marketing practitioner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) who can be reached for questions or comment directly at 914-522-2076.
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