Women dominate the South African property market, outnumbering men as property owners.
This is according to a recent report by Lightstone, which provides data to the property and vehicle industries.
In its latest research, Lightstone found that women-only buyers account for 2 154 000 (38%) properties and that women co-own 1 883 000 (33%) properties. Men-only owners account for 1 694 000 (29%) properties.
Ten years ago, Lightstone reports, mixed-gender couples buying property outnumbered both male-only and female-only buyers.
In 2016, female-only buyers surpassed male-only buyers and the number of female property owners has steadily increased, while the number of male property owners has remained relatively unchanged. In 2022 female-only buyers surpassed couple buyers too.
However, although more women are buying property, the research shows they are doing so at lower values than the other two categories. The gap between prices paid by women-only buyers and couples has widened since 2020. Most female ownership is in properties in the under-R750 000 price range.
BUSINESS REPORT