SINK (Single Income No Kids) Women Buy Homes Wholesale – Here’s what you need to buy a home yourself

Kristi Eaton had been waiting for the right time to buy a house. By the time she turned 39, she was tired of waiting.

“I always thought I would buy a house with a partner,” says Eaton. “When that never materialized, I just decided to do it myself.”

In March of 2024, she took the plunge and bought a house in Tulsa, OK, and is thrilled to no longer have to deal with rising rents and limited space.

Eaton, the owner of a PR agency, is part of a growing sector of homebuyers known as single-income, child-free SINKs.

Without having to spend money on kids, childcare, or college funds, SINKs have more disposable income to put towards work as a home — an advantage that’s definitely helpful in today’s market with high prices.

“I had saved a lot for a house over the years, but I never felt ready until I suddenly did,” says Eaton.

No partner, no kids, no problem: Why washing women are buying houses

The demographic that vice presidential candidate JD Vance called the “childless cat lady” is taking control of its own destiny and buying homes in droves.

According to Realtor.com Senior Economist Ralph McLaughlin, single-person home ownership has historically been dominated by women. Single women accounted for 19% of all home buyers in 2023, according to the National Association of Realtors. The US Census Bureau reports that single women own 20.3 million homes in the US, while single men own 14.9 million.

“Homeownership by single women tends to be in older markets and at least in part reflects the fact that women tend to outlive men and that older women are more likely to be divorced and widowed,” explains McLaughlin.

Real estate agents also say that many of their clients are SINK women.

“I have a lot of SINK clients, and most of them are women between the ages of 35 and 65,” says Stacy Miller, a real estate agent at Re/Max Fine Properties in Phoenix.

Many of her older SINK clients move to Arizona from out of state to be closer to their grown children, grandchildren or elderly parents, or because they are newly divorced or widowed, Miller says.

Media professional Alyson Austin, 55, has bought and sold four houses like a sink. She bought her fifth in 2002, a house in Wells, ME, so she could live and care for her elderly widowed mother while working from home.

“It prevents the extra trouble that some friends have faced with their elderly parents at the end of their lives,” she says.

Top Sites for SINK Homeowners

Sinks value safety and security and often gravitate toward areas where they can get the most bang for their buck.

“Regardless of gender, single-person ownership tends to be higher in smaller, less expensive markets, presumably where it’s easier for single-income families to afford homes,” says McLaughlin.

Eight of the top 10 metros for female homeownership in 2022 currently have a median home price below the national average.

The top five metros for sole female ownership are Barnstable Town, MA; Topeka, KS; Rocky Mount, NC; Wildwood-The Villages, FL; and Ocala, FL.

The top location for single male ownership is Lake Havasu City, AZ. Ohio is the most popular state for single male homeowners, with five metros in the top 10: Springfield; Mansfield; Toledo; Lima; and Youngstown.

The advantages of being a SINK home buyer

No. The first advantage of owning a sink is that they don’t have to accommodate anyone but “me, myself, and me.”

“In my experience, SINK’s decision-making process is much more efficient because they don’t have to compromise with another’s wants or needs, or ‘get on the same page’ with a co-buyer,” says Robert Dodson, manager of sales and broker at Charles Burt Realtors in Joplin, MO.

That was certainly the case with Eaton, who admits, “It was scary making all the decisions myself, but it was also good because I didn’t have to consult anyone.”

Sinks also don’t have to worry about being in a specific school district, which gives them much more flexibility in terms of where to shop. They can also hunt in walkable urban areas with a vibrant nightlife because they don’t have to worry about needing a kid-friendly neighborhood.

The challenges of buying a home with one income

Today, the typical monthly housing payment — assuming an average list price of $439,950, a mortgage rate of 6.49% and a down payment of 20% — is about $2,222, excluding taxes, insurance and other fees.

So for SINK, making sure they will be able to afford a property with just one income is something that weighs heavily on their minds.

“I always made sure my credit score was as high as possible. I think having a credit score of more than 820 helped me in my home buying game,” says Austin.

Other sinks scratch and save for years and years.

“I lived with my parents for almost a decade after college to be able to save a large down payment that would make it possible for me to pay my mortgage alone,” says Karla Cobreiro, a publicist who bought her Doral , FL. , single apartment in 2022.

The 33-year-old says she kept waiting until she had a better job and earned more money to put herself in a better financial position.

“Then I kept waiting until I saved up for a higher down payment,” she says. “Back then, I wanted a big emergency savings account since I was just getting into it. Sometimes, I wish I hadn’t waited so long or thought about it so much!

When Cobreiro finally took the plunge, she says being a sink made the home-buying process even more challenging.

“I had to save a lot of money on my own, get pre-approved on just one salary, do all the research and touring myself, then pay for and oversee the renovations myself,” she says.

Major renovations are something sinks usually don’t want to take on themselves.

“Depending on their DIY experience, many of my SINK clients want to have a home that doesn’t have tons of projects,” says Samantha Sousa, broker and owner of Sousa Valley Real Estate in Visalia, CA.

Another challenge of buying a single family home is that you don’t have a built-in safety net.

“I always joke ‘It’s just me and this mortgage’ to my friends now,” Cobreiro says. “Although I live comfortably, I’m also aware that I don’t have a backup person or support system if I’m fired tomorrow.”

Despite the pressures he faces, Cobreiro says he has no regrets about buying a place on his own.

“Overall, it felt like a tremendous achievement and accomplishment,” she says.