While married couples still comprise the largest buyer segment in the United States, single-person households are accounting for a growing share of purchases.
Traditional concepts of the property ladder and linear life milestones have shifted alongside changes in household composition, affordability challenges, and evolving expectations about when and with whom people buy a home.
“Historically, some single adults who could afford to buy chose to wait until they found a partner before settling down. Increasingly, though, many are realizing they no longer want to put their lives on hold,” says Ali Wolf, chief economist for NewHomeSource and Zonda.
“Instead, they are choosing to purchase a home, establish stability, and begin building wealth before partnering up, if they choose to do so.”
Wolf also notes that growth among single, female home buyers has outpaced that of single male buyers, with homeownership offering a tangible way to build wealth independently and further broadening the profile of today’s solo buyer.
Solo buyers aren't just first-time home buyers though, or single females. They are a diverse group, spanning ages and life stages, from young professionals to single parents, to retirees.
What this buyer segment shares is that there isn’t another adult in the household sharing the financial, practical, and social dimensions of homeownership. That can change the equation of what matters in a home, from how rooms are used and where upgrade dollars are spent, to the importance of security and the role that the surrounding community plays in everyday life.
Rethinking Rooms and Spaces
Another important distinction is that although singles likely have smaller households, it doesn’t automatically mean that they want less space. It’s more about allocating space according to how they actually live.
A single buyer might have children full or part-time. A professional may require work-from-home space, while a retired single might want hobby space or room for visiting guests.
Space, instead, is driven more deeply by lifestyle and function, rather than household headcount. That makes it worthwhile for single buyers to look beyond the traditional labels assigned to rooms on a floor plan and rethink them in the context of their own daily needs. What will make life easiest and most comfortable?
As a single buyer, “You have the freedom to adjust room uses based on what you personally want and need from a home, so having rooms that allow for greater functionality is one of the most valuable features to attract a single homeowner. That flexibility may come from flex spaces or sliding doors or partitions, making a space more adaptable,” says Lee Crowder, senior director, national design and model operations for Taylor Morrison.
That freedom to decide how space is used can be one of the advantages of buying solo, particularly when the floor plan provides enough flexibility to make those choices.
For example, this might mean taking a formal dining room and using it as a home office, or a multipurpose table space for games and hobbies.
A secondary bedroom might become a dressing room, with additional closet space.
A den might double as study space for kids who live in the home part-time, and also be a reading nook or lounge when a single parent is on their own.
Or, extra space in a larger garage might be converted to a gym or yoga studio if there is only one car in the household.
Rooms don’t need an identity, just a purpose that makes sense for the person living there.
Designing for Life on Your Terms
With a single income, the upgrade budget might be more limited, so choices need to be strategic, but buying solo can also make those priorities more personal.
Rather than spreading upgrade dollars across the home, a single buyer can focus spending on the spaces and features that add the most value to their own daily life.
“Families, two-partner households, and single homeowners like similar design trends but a single home buyer is going to focus their budget on the spaces that they use daily, so you will see a higher finish out in primary bathrooms, primary bedroom, the kitchen, and the family room," says Crowder.
These spaces will "often be more personal because they can make those decisions on their own without consulting a partner," she says.
That same value equation can extend beyond finishes to upgrades that make the home easier for one person to manage.
Upgrades that support lower-maintenance living are often worthwhile for single homeowners, a feature that is increasingly important for single female buyers, notes Wolf.
Longer-life roofing, lower-maintenance exteriors like composite decks and siding that don’t require frequent painting and staining, central vac systems, and smart water leak detection systems with automatic shutoff can reduce some of the day-to-day demands of homeownership, while providing additional peace of mind when the home is empty.
What Creates Peace of Mind for Solo Homeowners
Security matters for all homeowners, but can carry additional weight, practically and emotionally, when there isn’t another adult routinely at home.
Beyond a security system for an individual home, there are built-in features that can help provide peace of mind for single buyers, such as strategically placed lighting, inside and out.
“Living alone, whether male or female, can often be unnerving without the added benefit of a security system and lighting automation. The ability to control lighting to make it look like someone is home when traveling or timers to ensure the lights are on when you arrive home can provide both security and peace of mind,” says Crowder.
Attached housing, like townhomes, is appealing to singles for lower maintenance, but also because shared walls and proximity to neighbors can make you feel safer.
Peace of mind can extend beyond the front door, making the surrounding community an important factor, which is why the lifestyle associated with new builds and master-planned communities is a draw for single buyers.
“Features such as gated entries, walkability, well-lit neighborhoods, and communities where neighbors look out for one another can be particularly appealing,” says Wolf.
But the community can offer more than security. For someone buying solo, access to shared amenities and places to connect with neighbors can also become an important extension of life at home.
“It’s also helpful to have a range of social spaces such as a dog park, workout area, or walking trails spread," rather than strictly family-focused amenities says Crowder.
It’s the diversity within this buyer group that presents both an interesting challenge and opportunity for new-home design. For single buyers, that means looking beyond price, square footage, and bedroom count to consider how well a home supports the way you live now, and how your needs might change over time.
