Where single women are buying property in Australia — and why their purchase power matters
Property buying patterns among single people are approaching gender parity, new data shows
2 min
More single Australian women are buying their own homes, with a report published by Ray White revealing 71,900 sales to this cohort in 2022, up from 64,680 sales in 2014. As a proportion of all single buyers, men have historically outnumbered women but the gap is closing with purchasing rates now closer to parity at about 12 percent of sales each.
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee said rising home values meant the proportion of all single buyers was falling, from 26.2 percent of purchases in 2014 to 24.5 percent in 2022.
“An interesting dynamic, however, is also occurring by gender,” Ms Conisbee said. “A drop in single male purchasers is driving the decline whereas the number of single female buyers as a proportion of total buyers remains steady. By volume, the number of purchases by single women has risen by over 11 percent since 2014.”
Ms Conisbee said increased education about the importance of home ownership in building wealth and government schemes such as the First Home Guarantee and State Government stamp duty waivers and concessions have driven more women to buy. McGrath CEO John McGrath said the trend in career women buying property on their own began about two decades ago.
“When I started in real estate 40 years ago, it was very rare to conduct an auction and have a 28-year-old female on her own buy the property,” Mr McGrath said. “Nowadays when you put a well-located, beautifully designed apartment block on the market, the first 10 apartments will be sold to single career women.”
Ms Conisbee said most single women preferred to buy affordable apartments in central city locations.
“Overwhelmingly, the largest number of purchases are of units in areas where very large numbers of units are available. Topping the list nationally is Melbourne CBD where there has been 7,750 purchases of apartments by single females since 2014. The Gold Coast,however, has also made several appearances on the list with Surfers Paradise coming in second (3,386 purchases).”—
The data shows Victoria has the highest proportion of single female purchasers and NSW the lowest. Ms Conisbee said very high levels of development in Melbourne had given single women more opportunities to buy. Incidentally, greater supply in Melbourne is a key reason why median home values have not increased as much as other cities over the past year. CoreLogic data shows Melbourne home values have risen just 3.2 percent over the past 12 months compared to 9.6 percent in Sydney and 15.9 percent in Brisbane.
Single women seeking to buy a house also targeted more affordable city fringe and regional areas. The statistics was calculated using Valuer General data on more than five million sales from 2014 to 2022 and cross referencing first names using an artificial intelligence application called Genderize to deliver the largest research sample available documenting single female purchasing patterns.
Top 10 suburbs for single female purchases (apartments) 2014-2022
Top 10 suburbs for single female purchases (houses) 2014-2022
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King Living has unveiled a modular version of its Aura Sofa, bringing greater flexibility to the sculptural design collection as demand grows for furniture that can adapt to changing lifestyles.
2 min
Australian furniture brand King Living has expanded its Aura Collection with the launch of a new modular sofa designed to blend contemporary aesthetics with adaptable living.
The Aura Sofa builds on the success of the Aura Island range, first introduced in 2023, which included indoor and outdoor sofas as well as fixed and swivel occasional chairs.
The latest evolution introduces modular functionality to the collection, allowing homeowners to configure the sofa to suit a variety of spaces and uses.
As living spaces continue to evolve, particularly in urban environments where flexibility is increasingly valued, furniture designers are placing greater emphasis on products that can adapt over time.
King Living says the new Aura Sofa has been developed with this trend in mind, enabling customers to create corner, L-shaped or U-shaped layouts, while also allowing additional modules to be added as needs change.
King Living founder David King said the original Aura concept began as an exploration of sculptural design before being reimagined as a modular system.
“Aura began as an exploration of sculptural form. Now, we’ve brought modularity into that design language, giving the freedom to reimagine your space with a modular design made for flexibility,” he said.
The collection’s defining feature remains its soft, flowing silhouette, with curved forms replacing traditional angular sofa designs.
The company describes the sofa as a response to changing lifestyles, where living rooms increasingly serve multiple purposes, from entertaining guests and family gatherings to quiet reading corners and work-from-home spaces.
Its rounded profile and minimalist aesthetic are intended to enhance the flow of contemporary interiors while maximising available space. According to the company, the design is equally suited to compact apartments and larger open-plan homes.
“Today, living space is both a luxury and a constraint. Aura is our response, a purposeful design that proves when intention and fluidity converge, the result can feel both expansive and refined,” King said.
Beyond aesthetics, the new sofa incorporates several engineering features synonymous with the King Living brand.
These include the company’s Postureflex steel suspension system, extra-high pocket springs and its signature steel frame, which is backed by a 25-year warranty. The company says the design has been engineered to deliver long-term comfort and durability.
Sustainability has also been a focus of the design. Each module features a removable cover that can be professionally cleaned, repaired or replaced individually, reducing the need to replace an entire sofa and potentially extending the product’s lifespan.
The Aura Sofa is available made to order in a range of premium fabrics and European leathers, allowing customers to tailor the piece to different interior styles and colour palettes.
Designed, manufactured and sold exclusively by King Living, the Aura Sofa launched in showrooms and online early this month, marking the latest addition to the Australian company’s growing portfolio of modular furniture designs.
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