Women & homeownership

Women aren't waiting for anyone to buy a home.

Single women have out-bought single men in every NAR survey for decades — and the gap keeps widening. As a mortgage team built and run by women, we get to watch this story happen at our own closing tables — and we think the numbers deserve to be famous.

of all U.S. homebuyers are single women

vs. 9% single men

of first-time buyers are single women

vs. 10% single men

of single women buyers are now Gen Z

the highest generational share on record

of single women made real financial sacrifices to buy

cutting spending, taking second jobs

Source: National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

Why this matters to us

Homeownership is how wealth gets built. Women know it.

For decades, the single woman buying a home on her own income has been the quiet overachiever of the American housing market — out-buying single men year after year, in every single edition of the National Association of REALTORS® buyer survey. Not by a little. By more than double.

And it isn't easy money making it happen. Single women buyers report the lowest median household incomes of any buyer group — yet 41% made real financial sacrifices to get there: cutting spending, skipping vacations, taking second jobs. They buy deliberately, they buy determined, and increasingly they buy young — Gen Z women now make up the largest generational share of single female buyers ever recorded.

It's worth remembering how new this is. Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, a woman in America could be denied a mortgage without a husband's or male relative's signature. Fifty years later, one in five homes is bought by a single woman. That is one of the great quiet economic shifts of our lifetime — and it's still accelerating.

Our part of the story

Built by women. Backing everyone.

Lending Lakes & Co was founded by a woman, is run by women, and works for every buyer who walks through the door. But we won't pretend it isn't special when a single buyer sits at the closing table and signs for a home that's entirely, legally, permanently hers.

If that buyer is going to be you, we'd love to be the team behind it.

💬 Start your story First-time buyer guide

everyone keeps asking if I'm 'sure' I want to buy alone 🙄

You know what says sure? A pre-approval letter with only your name on it. Let's build one. What's your rent right now?

Real clients, real reviews

Five stars.4.89 across 423 verified reviews

In clients' own words — from Experience.com, Google, Facebook & Zillow.

Ashland was absolutely wonderful to work with throughout our home-buying process. She was knowledgeable, responsive, and always willing to answer our questions. She kept us informed every step of the way, making what could have been a stressful experience feel smooth and manageable. We truly appreciated her professionalism, attention to detail, and dedication to helping us close on our new home. We highly recommend Ashland to anyone looking for a great lending experience!

Molly S. · Lino Lakes, MNExperience.com

We can't thank Ashland enough for her expertise, efficient communication, and hard work in assisting us in closing on a lake property (in record time)! Highly recommend Ashland and her team!

Melissa H.Google

Ashland and her team are simply THE BEST!!! If you are looking to buy a home I would recommend them 100%!! Great communication and they are awesome at helping answer questions and make the process as smooth as possible!!!

Wendy P.Google

Ashland's open line of communication was top notch and she was always available for questions and answered them in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Ashland for all your mortgage needs. Her team was also very responsive in assisting in our mortgage application and closing process!

David L. J. · Westby, WIExperience.com

Ashland is very helpful and knowledgeable. She went out of her way to individualize our experience with her and made sure we had all the information we needed to make a decision. Her little tips emails especially made us feel well taken care of throughout this process. We would highly recommend her to all our family and friends!

Dawn B. · Faribault, MNExperience.com

Ashland truly went above & beyond for my family to help us buy our first home! She was always there if we had any questions & we couldn't believe how fast Ashland & her team worked to get us our home in such a short time span! 10/10!

Ann W. · Saint Cloud, MNExperience.com