THIS WEEK, PROPERTY INVESTMENT SPECIALISTS, RW INVEST, TOLD HIS & HERS THAT THERE’S BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO ARE SEEKING NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN PROPERTY INVESTMENT.
According to the experts at RW Invest, latest results highlight a staggering 140% rise in the number of women searching for property since 2017 as figures have increased from 8,237 to 19,767 over the last 12 months.
There are many reasons for the surge in female interest in property investment as more women are looking for ways to be increasingly financially independent. Over recent decades, the UK has witnessed a solid rise in the proportion of women in employment from 57% in 1975 to 78% last year. Women are taking control of their own money and planning for their financial future and property investment is one of the leading ways to do this.
As of November 2018, over 16,416 women had searched for property investment this year alone and forecasts suggest this trend is only set to rise. More and more women are also becoming buy to let property owners, with an estimated 1.1 million female landlords across the UK.
However, it is not just women from the UK who are seeking such prosperous investment opportunities. There has also been an increase in enquiries from women in China and the UAE and other overseas destinations, as the UK property market remains an incredibly enticing opportunity.
Overall, the fastest growing demographic looking for property investment opportunities were young women. In just one month from September to October this year, the number of female investors increased by 78%. The biggest rise in enquiries per demographic were women aged between 25-34. This could be due to the greater financial independence of women and their decision to live alone for longer, or a changing perception of property investment as a more accessible wealth strategy which is no longer dominated by men.
If you’re contemplating making 2019 the year that you bite the bullet and profit from property, this doesn’t necessarily mean making a big upfront investment in bricks and mortar. For example, if you’re planning on going away on holiday, you could let your property on a short-term basis to bring in some extra income, or if you have an empty house on the market, a short term let could also prove a profitable way to make use of an existing asset. This could also be a good way to dip your toe into being a landlady, to see whether it’s the right investment option for you. Alternatively, you could join the 1.1 million UK women who’ve become buy-to-let investors (with their rental incomes helping to narrow the gender pay gap).
Senior Property investment consultant Esther Morgan said: “Having been involved in the property industry for over 20 years I have detected a very definite shift when it comes to the percentage of enquires from women.
“Women are taking their own futures and destinies into their own hands, now more than ever, and becoming far savvier in the world of financial freedom and independence”.
Property investors are no longer conforming to the stereotype of what many may consider as traditional, wealthy, upper class males. Investors are now a diverse and global group of people who are using property as a lucrative way to invest in their future. Women are truly recognising the power of investment as they seek to profit from property.
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