Emma Eisenberg

What Does a first-time home buyer look like? A couple—usually a straight couple—or a bachelor, if the images we see on sleek real estate websites are to be believed. But recently, realtors around Philadelphia have been noticing a sea change. Single women in their twenties and thirties and groups of young female friends are buying houses now more than ever before, representing a revolution of nontraditional home buyers. Melani Lamond, a realtor with Urban & Bye who has served the University City/West Philadelphia market for more than 30 years, first noticed the change a few years ago. She estimates that about one third of her clients fall into this new group of home seekers. “These buyers have finished with school and started their careers, and they don’t want to keep paying rent,” says Lamond. “They see relatively affordable houses—which they can share with friends for now, to help pay the mortgages—so they go ahead and buy.” But buying a home—especially one that needs work—can be a challenge, especially for unpartnered women in the still male-dominated world of real estate and contracting. We caught up with a few such people to gather some tips for other potential nontraditional homebuyers who may be thinking of purchasing a home: Own that you—yes, you—are the boss, says Lauren Genovesi, who bought her Port Richmond fixer-upper in 2016. “I have had to stay on top of a lot of people at a supervising level. That does not come naturally tome.” Reach out to friends with experti