With nearly 1.2 million single female buyers ready to open their checkbooks this year, developers have taken notice. Some have taken steps to target, either directly or indirectly, this market. Once a quarter, CMC Heartland Partners, which is developing Kinzie Station, sends a mailing targeted to single women. More women have responded than men to similar mailings, she says. About 20 percent of Kinzie Station buyers are single women and about 10 percent are single men.
Single men have to have granite.
In other parts of the country, entire communities are being developed with single women in mind. Colony Homes has intentionally designed a couple of such single-family home communities. Among the attractions are front and side yards maintained by the homeowners association and fenced back yards. Also, during the first year of ownership, warranty representatives meet with buyers three times. Part of their job is to provide information on basic home maintenance such as how often to change furnace filters and re-caulk.