Single women are the fastest-growing group of homebuyers in the U.S. – they made up 22 percent of all buyers in 2006, while single men represent just 9 percent of buyers, according to a National Association of Realtors study of homebuyer and seller preferences.

A study by the Center for Joint Housing Studies at Harvard University also found that more than one in five buyers is a single woman; twice as many unmarried women are buying homes than single men; and single women make up more than one-third of the growth in real estate ownership since 1994.