The rise of woman homebuyers: Transforming the South African property market

The face of the average homebuyer in South Africa is changing, and increasingly, it is female, from single professionals to entrepreneurial mothers and retirees, and they are transforming the market, said REMAX Southern Africa regional director and CEO Adrian Goslett.

Their influence is driving change across buyer priorities, development planning, and agent strategy across the country,” he said on Wednesday.

Standard Bank head of Home Services Toni Anderson said their home loan data showed women had consistently made up 70% of all home loan clients in the past 19 years, whether as joint or sole applicants.

However, in a noteworthy shift, nearly 40% of all main applicants for home loans today are women.

“Even more compelling is the independence with which women are now entering the market. In the past two years, 66% of female main applicants bought homes without a co-applicant, signaling a shift in the housing markets,” said Anderson.

The average price of the properties purchased by female main applicants at Standard Bank has increased by 48.2% from R800 000 in 2015 to R1.3m in 2025.

This was supported by the 74.3% growth in the average gross income for female main applicants over the last ten years. Their average income grew from R38 000 in 2015 to R57 000 in 2025, said Anderson.

“There certainly has been a rise in multi-generational purchases, often led by women who are buying with both current and future family needs in mind. But we are also seeing a rising number of financially independent women, particularly professionals, entrepreneurs, and single mothers, entering the market,” said REMAX Independent Properties broker/owner Kobie Potgieter, who was referring to the housing market in Gqeberha.

She said these women were driving demand for homes that offered security and peace of mind, such as access-controlled estates, low-maintenance living, community connection, and proximity to family, work, and essential services.

Meanwhile, MortgageMarket CEO Tim Akinusi said recently that women aged between 28 and 40 were emerging as the leading buyers in Soweto due to the recent boom in lifestyle developments.

Akinusi said Orlando Towers Estate was popular with young families—especially single mothers—who valued the estate’s high-tech security and peaceful environment.

According to MortgageMarket, the financing partner for the development, 56 percent of the buyers were women, predominantly from suburbs such as Pimville, Diepkloof, and Protea Glen.

Buyers included skilled workers, people in management, junior and supervisory roles. Common professions included managers, teachers, nurses, administrators, and consultants, with employment spanning manufacturing, finance, education, healthcare, and civil service.

Kim Peacock, broker/owner of REMAX Dolphin Realtors, said women were driving demand in KwaZulu-Natal north coast developments such as Simbithi, Dunkirk, Zululami, and Elaleni. “Female buyers are no longer a niche in our market. Instead, they are a market-shaping segment,” said Peacock.

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