Parade of Homes

homebuilders.mb.ca VALUE Our members possess the highest degree of skill and professionalism in the home building and renovations industry, providing you with peace of mind. Cont'd on page 126 Parade of Homes FALL 2015 125 >> they're still in the minority, but single home buyers are taking the plunge in greater numbers. Signature Homes sales manager and Maximum Realty realtor Jeff Mcarthur say he deals with many single clients, and they tend to be a con- fident group who've done their research and know what they want in a home. "you've got young people in their late 20s, early 30s, and have saved up their down payment and decided that they're going to buy their house first and aren't waiting to get married — they're just buy- ing it. and then you've got another group of people who are ending a marriage and buying on their own." However they got there, Census Canada found that one-person households made up slightly more than 27% of the total in 2011 — up more than 10% from 2006 — and the 2015 genworth Canada First- Time Homeownership Study found that just 62% of first-time buy- ers purchased their home with a spouse or partner, which suggests a high per- centage are going it alone. While more recent Census data isn't available, RBC regional vice-president of Career Sales Richard Schwan says that at least anecdotally, the trend toward single ownership seems to be growing. "We are overweighting our time with that seg- ment because there's extra caution, extra con- cern and extra due diligence that's required when you're single and you don't have that sec- ond income to support you." But while he advises single buyers to look be- fore they leap, this is a good time to get their feet wet. Buying soLo More singles are in the market for new homes By Pat St. Germain 'Generally, the environment is ripe for all home buyers and especially for single home buyers'

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