Single, but Laying Down Roots [Now, 21% of all home purchases are by single women buyers]

The NY Times - Business Section ^ | Jan 18, 2004 | ABBY ELLIN

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Summer, I am in Florida too. You are wrong. See what happens if we get a Jimmy Carter like economy. Real estate prices are up because capital is relatively cheap, there are plenty of programs to help people buy and because many people used their gains from the '90's stock market boom to buy houses. Believe it or not.

[Rainmist]

Why do some women put so much emphasis on getting married ? 30 is not old, for god's sake. My brothers didn't get married until they were in their mid-thirties, just like my dad. My daughter plans on getting a degree and a good job so she can buy her own house and cars, plus have her own bank account. She doesn't want to have to depend on a man all her life. You never know what life will throw at you, might as well have your own safety net.

[missyme]

I own a house (A Very Nice One) in Jacksonville Florida and bought in in Oct of 1999 it has went up some but nothing that even comes close to what I have in San Diego Ca.

The minute you buy propery here the next day you have made at least 50K

[dakine]

"Minute you buy property, the next day you have made 50K."

Think about how inane what you just wrote sounds...heck, if this is true, I will be retired by 1 March..

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Last time I looked, nobody was making more land.

More land is made available every day. Remember, not all dirt is the same. Proximity to attractions and services, regulation, and zoning all affect what land is worth and what it can be used for. Land that is currently growing crops in the middle of nowhere may in ten years be a trendy new suburb. State and county planning boards are constantly changing zoning maps making new land available for new uses. Developers are often able to charge ten times more for land than what they paid for it not because they physically improved it, but because they where able to navigate through all the regulatory red tape and create value in the new uses. It's not the physical amount of land that matters, it's how much can be used for needed purposes that will affect the supply and demand for it.

[missyme]

I am trying to sell this house I have owned In Jacksonville Fl this June and I hope to at least get 40K out of it. (I have owned it for almost 5 yrs)

A great house 2200 SF enclosed sun room, hot tub, 2 car garage, indoor atrium Any takers :-)

Live in San Diego now no plans to ever live in HOT Muggy, Sticky Flat Florida again..

[rabidralph]

In the DC Metro area, the price of homes shows no signs of dropping. I purchased my townhome in MD for a little more than 100k in '97. Today, it is worth around 160k and is a great bargain if you know what homes are going for in this area.

[RaceBannon]

...I am going to be happy to buy a trailer once I get my insurance settlement...

[Capriole]

It's not just the idea of making a good investment. Many of us have strong nesting instincts and want to fix up the place where we live, but we can't do much to improve rental property. In addition, owning your own home brings privacy, autonomy, and stability: if you're a homeowner, no landlord is going to decide to suddenly jack up your rent or throw you out.

I've owned my own houses for some years now, and even when the market is disastrous, I've managed to sell at a profit because I put in "sweat equity." In the past few years I've redone my kitchen and a bathroom, put in a patio, installed a new bathroom on the lower level, and am now in the process of finishing the rest of the lower level, commencing with a glam laundry/sewing room, a bedroom, a TV room, and a workshop. When I complete the house it should be worth $300K more than I paid for it a dozen years ago, and my expenses were for materials only as I'm doing the work myself. I encourage every single woman to own her own home, even if she is very young, as long as she has a good steady job.

[wtc911]

Good for you. My daughters will all be home owners by 30, whether single or married. We will help and if they want big $$$$ weddings they will pay for them. We will give them a down payment instead.

That said, your mention of a pre-nup is both interesting and a natural thought progression.

[summer]

See post #17.

[summer]

Re your post #19 - see post #20.

[PeterPrinciple]

"Last time I looked, nobody was making more land."

Supply is part of the equation, demand is the other. Farmland retraced to 1/3 of the high in the 70's and quickly retraced to 2/3 of the high. It has now reached the high again. We ALL said at the time that farmland will not go down, but may stop going up.

Was this a good thing? I bought some at the tail end of the low. Was it luck or Management?

[summer]

BTTT to your post #17.

[summer]

BTTT to your post #20.

[summer]

RE your post #29 - Excellent psot. Thanks, for sharing your thoughts.

[summer]

Re post #25: "More land is made available every day."

That's not true at all. And, here's something else that's not true: "More COASTAL land is created each day."
People who live on the coast, especially in FL, own very valuable land, because there is only X amount of coastal land, and that's it.

[waterstraat]

This is going to increase, as more and more women make more money than men. More women go to college than men, and more women than men are going into the higher paid professions, law, vetinary science, doctors, etc. As more and more men dont go to college and as the men lose their factory and IT and engineering jobs, it will be women who have the money in the future, not the men.

Expect to see a sex role-reversal of the 1950's in the coming decades .

[summer]

Here is the real issue, ItsisaReligionofPeace, and please do not take offense at this, because you know I like you: There are two groups of people out there, according to some philosophers writing with respect to investments.

One group likes stocks / and the stock market. The other group prefers real estate.

That doesn't mean a person owning stocks won't buy a house and vise versa, but, it is a different mentality, according to some books I have read on this topic.

And, in my own life, I have found this to be true, time and time again - there are people I know who believe the way to "make money" is in the stock market, while others I know will scoff at that, no matter what shape the stock market may be in, and instead - focus on real estate.

I myself prefer real estate. It is something that I believe will always increase in value if you buy in the right location, hold onto it, and try to improve. You have a lot more control in real estate than stocks. I have no idea what some corrupt CEO will do next, but I know what I can do with some of my own sweat equity.

It's just two different mind-sets. :)

[liberty or death]

Probably because its harder on the woman later in life to concieve or carry a baby if that is their desire.
We married young and have 5 children. About half of our friends have done the same. The other half who pursued careers and are just now trying to start a family are finding that many of the wifes can't carry past 3 to 5 months. This is heartbreaking to watch, especially when it ends in divorce and the man takes a new wife.
(Much Younger)
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives,even as Christ also loved the church,and gave himself for it;
I am convinced that the current rate of divorce is proportionate to the way men treat their wives. Some of the worst offenders are fellow christians who use only bible verses that claim the woman is to be a supposed servant. A careful study and rightly divideing of the word
will teach a much different story and give Gods recipe for a loving union.