Women take the lead in home-buying decisions

Home buying decision is no longer a man's affair as more and more women are now actively participating in taking the key decision when it comes to buying dream home or even renting.

According to a survey by property portal Housing.com, more than 95 per cent women are key decision makers while buying or renting homes.

"In our society, men are historically perceived to be the main decision makers when it comes to buying or renting any property. Women, on the other hand, have always played a role in beautifying and maintaining homes. With women being more independent, there has been a rise in them becoming crucial decision makers in property buying," company's Chief Operating Officer Rishabh Gupta said.

According to the survey, over 30 per cent women have emerged as the lead decision makers in their families, followed by 50 per cent women who take joint decisions with other family members.

The company surveyed respondents across seven cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata.

As per the survey, women in the age group of 18-34 are most active and involved in realty decisions.

In fact in the recent months, there has been a steep increase in women traffic across Housing.com platforms especially on mobile which has now emerged as a preferred platform drawing 58 per cent women users, the survey said.

"A closer look at decision making patterns with respect to buying homes indicates that women are leading decisions pertaining to final price of property ownership and convenience of payments, while in rented accommodation women are today directly engaging with the owners as well as leading and coordinating rent and deposit amounts," he said.

In addition, there has also been a surge in women visitors on Housing.com across rent, buy, and paying guest (PG) category. Amongst various categories, proportion of women involvement is highest in PG very closely followed by rent and buy.