Who makes the key decisions when buying a home?
August is often known as the ‘silly season’ in the media because with so many journalists on holiday newsdesks are very short on good articles and quirky stories can often get covered. Or occasionally very big news, missed, writes Clive Scrivener, Founding Partner at Scrivener Tibbatts the Wimbledon based chartered surveyors.
So fair play to an East Midlands estate agency, Marble Property Services which has released new ‘data’ which suggests that women take the lead in pushing house sales and purchase decisions.
According to their research, women are driving around 80% of house purchases as the pandemic eases. The firm says it appears women are either the sole buyer or are generally the main point of contact for eight out of ten of the clients that they have dealt with this year. This also shows the narrative that men handle most property affairs is outdated.
Quoted here Steve Thrower, Managing Director of Marble Property Services, comments: “The days when men were in charge of big financial decisions, particularly in the housing sector, are long gone.
“Most of our clients this year have been women. Where they have male partners, they clearly have an input, but it is not unusual for them to just turn up for a second confirmatory house viewing – but it’s the women that are making the decisions and pushing the sales through.”
He concludes: “While most couples clearly discuss major purchases such as houses, my experience certainly indicates that men are generally happy to allow their wife or partner to take charge of house searching.”
There’s another adage in the media we like, too: ‘never let the facts get in the way of a good story.’
If you would like to discuss something related to a property valuation please contact Clive Scrivener, Partner, direct via email at Clive@scrivenertibbatts.co.uk or call 020 8971 2983.
