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A woman in her 20s recently asked finance guru Dave Ramsey for some advice. Kate, a marketing professional from Michigan, makes more than $150,000 a year and has saved nearly $125,000 for a down payment on a house.
But her friends and family aren’t supportive of her plans to buy a home. In fact, they’re pressuring her not to buy a house at all.
Why? Because she’s unmarried—and Kate says they believe “that girls shouldn’t buy a home and men should be providers.”
Ramsey was quick to point out how single homebuyers can successfully go it alone—and that most of those homebuyers these days are women anyway!
Dave Ramsey’s take on buying a home solo
Needless to say, Ramsey was outraged by the attitude of Kate’s friends and family, calling this a “cult belief.”
“This burns my butt! Your mother and father have misled you,” he exclaimed.
Ramsey advised that buying a home on your own can be a smart financial move if you’re prepared, and that decisions about homeownership should be based on personal finances, not outdated social expectations.
Ramsey’s co-host, Dr. John Delony, agreed. “You know who says this crap? Men who are afraid of losing control of amazing women like this.”
Ramsey added, “because they’re not as smart and they’re not as ambitious, and they don’t have as much get up and go to even stand up next to a woman like this.”
Ramsey encouraged Kate to go ahead and buy a house on her own, saying, “Kate, you’re an absolute incredible human being.”
His advice reflects a broader cultural shift toward individual financial independence.
The rise of single women homeowners
Kate is in the rising majority, as single women are outpacing men when it comes to buying homes on their own—and this gap has been widening over the last four decades.
Single-women first-time buyers grew from 11% in 1985 to 24% in 2024, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
And single women own about 2.7 million more homes than single men, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Single women own the largest share of homes in New Mexico, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
In New Mexico, 15.3% of owner-occupied housing units are owned by women who live by themselves. In Mississippi, it’s 15.1%, and in West Virginia, it’s 14.7%, the data show.
“Single women are definitely showing up and showing up ready,” says real estate agent and investor Ron Myers of Ron Buys Florida Homes. “They have got their credit lined up, their budget figured out, and they are not afraid to make moves. Honestly, some of them are more prepared than couples I have dealt with.”
Rising homeownership among single women is being driven by many factors, including shifting cultural norms that delay marriage. “I have had more first-time female buyers lately who are not waiting around for a wedding ring to start building wealth,” says Myers.
Single women are also independent, have increased earning power, and want to build equity and boost their financial security through real estate, according to Cara Ameer, an agent licensed in Florida and California.
Because these single women without kids—often referred to as SINKs—are freed from the financial responsibilities of child care, school fees, or college expenses, they have more disposable income to invest in the real estate market.
What it takes to qualify for a mortgage as a single buyer
The key financial metrics that lenders assess include your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and the stability of your income.
Single applicants can strengthen their application by saving for a higher down payment; paying down high-interest debt before applying; and showing consistent employment history.
Some common myths about buying a house solo are that you need two incomes to qualify and that you can’t afford a decent home on one salary.
But those couldn’t be further from the truth.
To make housing more affordable as a solo buyer, consider buying in up-and-coming neighborhoods, or house-hacking by renting out one or more parts of your home to cover the cost of your mortgage.