According to the latest information gathered in the "2004 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers And Sellers," household compositions are changing slightly.

While singles are growing in every category, they are dropping off as homebuyers. The NAR survey suggests that married couples represented 62 percent of homebuying households, making up the drop in single-person homebuyers. Both male and female-headed households dropped three percentage points.

Since 1995, the share of married-couple homebuyers has trended down from a high of 70 percent but is creeping upward from 59 percent in 2003 to 62 percent in 2004.

The share of single female buyers has increased from 14 percent in 1995 to 21 percent in 2003 to 18 percent in 2004 of homebuying households, says the NAR. Single male buyers dropped from 11 percent in 2003 to eight percent in 2004. Unmarried couples rose one percentage point.

Also, the number of households with children under 18 rose from 38 percent in 2003 to 43 percent in 2004, yet half of all homebuyers still have no children living at home.

Ethnicities

Although whites make up the majority of homeowners nationally (84 percent) certain regions of the country such as the West have higher numbers of Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and other homebuyers. Hispanic homebuyers were nearly double in the West over the South and were 2.5 times more prevalent in the South than the Northeast or Midwest. Asians in the West are triple the share of other regions. The South and Midwest had higher shares of African-American homebuyers than the Northeast or West.

Ninety-five percent of homebuyers spoke English as the primary language of the household, with only the West reporting a percentage point lower.

First-time Buyers

Forty percent of homebuyers were first-timers in 2004, the same as in 2003, which is an increase along with the overall pace of home sales due most likely to favorable and affordable loan programs and other buyer incentives.

First-time homebuyers are typically 32 years of age, while repeat buyers are about 45 years of age. The median income of first-timers is $54,500, while that of repeat buyers is $79,100.

Not surprisingly, first-timers (80 percent) stated that the number one reason for making a housing change was to own their own homes.

Published: November 12, 2004

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.