I came across an interesting article last week about how men and women see about the home buying aspect and process itself. Check it out, it is an interesting read.
Men are from Mars, women are from Venus — and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to home buying. According to Prudential Real Estate’s third-quarter Consumer Outlook Survey, men and women are quite different when it comes to what they value most about home ownership and the process of buying and selling.
Women enjoy the home search more than men, with 87 percent of women versus 77 percent of men saying they like looking at homes, the survey finds. More women associate home ownership with “pride,” “accomplishment,” or “independence,” while men tend to associate it with “control over living space” and “more space for my family.”
“As the real estate market strengthens and household formation grows, men and women approach the buying-selling process from different angles,” says Earl Lee, president of Prudential Real Estate. “What’s most interesting is the dynamic that exists among couples and the role that agents play in balancing couples’ real estate objectives.”
Agents may often find themselves stuck in the middle, but both sexes say they trust their agent to be the voice of reason and settle any disagreements among couples. Eighty-three percent of survey respondents say their real estate agent was helpful in moderating an agreement, and 86 percent value the agent’s point of view as much as — or more than — their partner’s, according to the survey. Both sexes cited “honesty” and “knowledgeable” as the most important traits in a real estate agent.
Men and women tend to take on different responsibilities when it comes to home buying, the survey finds. Men take on more of the financial aspects, while women tended to take the lead on planning aspects, such as neighborhood research. Nearly 40 percent of men said they researched banks and secured the mortgage; 42 percent of women said it was their responsibility to manage appointments, and 34 percent took the lead in researching neighborhoods.
When it comes to the most important home features, men and women are mostly in agreement. Both genders ranked “safe neighborhood,” “overall condition of home,” and “number of bedrooms” the highest.
Click here for the full survey result.
Being a recent home buyer myself, I can say for sure that the survey results seems to have the hit the nail in every questions in regard to men and women perspective on home buying process. We weren’t thinking about the same when we were buying our new home few months back. I was thinking more about the cost associated and how we are going fund the down payment whereas my wife was thinking about the features and how it adds value and character to the house.
We were able to compromise on different things and ended up buying our current home. It has to be compromise otherwise you will never find a place which satisfies everything. So keep in mind when you are looking for next dream home.
