Independent Woman Homeowner

Women Homeowners' Niche Gets National Attention

The July issue of Realtor magazine focuses on niche marketing. Ginny Mees and her North America Women Homeowners Network is featured in that article.

One of the largest, fastest growing and most significant niche markets in real estate today has, for the most part, been totally overlooked — Women Homeowners. Single Women Homeowners, according to the National Association of Realtors, represent the second largest demographic of homebuyers in North America, yet, no one has created a real estate marketing strategy that truly focuses on the preferences, concerns and styles of these empowered new homeowners and prospective homeowners, be it for their first starter home, a trade-up home, investment properties or helping their children and grandchildren get into their first home.

Recent research by NAR and Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies shows that women appear to be staying single longer by putting off marriage or becoming part of the increasing number of divorced couples. Overall, women's salaries are rising, and, with a greater sense of financial independence, they are purchasing their own new homes. Women are becoming heads of households and primary home-buying decision-makers, either as singles or divorcees, in increasing numbers. These are sound reasons to cater to women as a home buying niche market.

Excerpt from Realtor Magazine:

Likewise, Ginny Mees of Keller Williams Realty in Danville, Calif., found that her experiences buying and selling homes as a single mom made her well suited to help other independent women. "You end up gravitating toward what you love to do," says Mees, who organizes real estate workshops on issues such as whether to keep a home after divorcing. She recently launched an online network for women at www.WomenHomeowners.com. The site provides a range of free resources for women and allows users to search by ZIP code for experts in homeownership issues. Mees hopes that other practitioners around the country will join the network for a fee to connect with women buyers and sellers in their area. "There’s no better way to differentiate yourself," she says. Mees notes that her meetings and Web site are open to everyone, not just single women.

Women's incomes over the past three decades have increased 63 percent, while men's median income has barely budged, according to ReachWomen, a marketing consulting firm that advises clients on the behavior of women as consumers. In addition, having longer average life-spans than men, women frequently outlive their husbands. As a result, by 2010, two-thirds of all private wealth in the U.S. will rest in women's hands according to Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace, a book released by the American Management Association.

Looking for like-minded Realtors to work with, she discovered that there was no national or online resource dedicated to the needs of independent women homeowners. To address this, she founded www.WomenHomeowners.com and is building a North Amercian Women-to-Women network of teams nterested in being the women homeowner experts in their area.

In the 4 months since she launched the site, her efforts have produced 20 warm leads that represent 8 potential transaction sides, 2 listing appointments and 2 sell/buy clients.

Go here for more information on joining the Women-to-Women network.

If you would like a copy of the article email Ginny.

You can also request an overview of the potential of this market segment by asking her for a copy of Feel the Power.