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Recently divorced with three small children, Susan Chacon made a decision to rebuild her shattered life by moving in with her parents to make ends meet while laying the groundwork to buy her own home.
This month, she and her three boys, ages 5, 3 and 1, moved into a 4,300-square-foot Victorian-style house in Ingram, which she purchased for $245,000 with a loan guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and $7,500 she saved for closing costs while living with her parents.
"Really, the house was the final step in finding that stability that I was missing for quite some time," said Ms. Chacon, 30. "I wanted a home where my children could grow up and our family could have memories."
In many ways, she represents the enormous social and economic changes that are not only reshaping American life but that also have redefined the popular image of the typical homebuyer.
Here and across the country, an increasing number of homebuyers are single people as opposed to two-income married couples, according to local statistics and national surveys.
PG chart"In Allegheny and Beaver counties, we are seeing an increase in the number of singles buying homes and a decrease in the number of couples who are buying homes," said Dan Murrer, vice president of RealSTATs, a local real estate information service.
According to data recently compiled by RealSTATs tracking local home sales over the past 15 years, couples were the dominant home buyers in Allegheny County from 1995 up to 2005. That year, there was an almost equal percentage of homes purchased by singles and couples.
But after 2005, the homebuyer's market in Allegheny County switched from a majority of couples to a majority of singles buying homes.
Most home buyers in Beaver County are also single.
While couples still outnumber single home buyers in Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties, the percentage of single buyers in those counties has been consistently rising, according to RealSTATs.
After seeing an influx of singles seeking to take advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit, Coldwell Banker Real Estate conducted a national survey in April to see what factors played into their decisions to buy homes.
According to the survey of more than 1,000 single homeowners, more than half (53 percent) of single homebuyers reported they purchased a home because it was more cost-effective than renting in their area.
But a desire for independence was also a strong motivator for more than one-third (35 percent) of single homeowners, according to the survey.
Some of the main factors that social scientists say have contributed to this trend could be: men and women deciding to marry later in life, high divorce rates and women who buy homes after outliving their spouses.
"The majority of my clients in Mt. Lebanon are not single," said Robbins Bobbitt, a Howard Hanna real estate agent who represented Ms. Chacon in purchasing the 105-year-old home. "However, I do think with interest rates being more affordable, it makes it more possible for singles to own homes.
"Single buyers are sometimes at a disadvantage, though, because it's one income trying to purchase the same house otherwise two incomes would be purchasing," she said.
Ms. Chacon divorced her husband in December 2008 while they were living in Tulsa, Okla. After the marriage fell apart, she moved back to Pittsburgh, where she had a strong support system of friends and family.
The former Army captain enrolled in a one-year MBA program at the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business and reinvented her career as a corporate manager for Dick's Sporting Goods in Findlay.
"I am so fortunate to have a good job with a great company, which allowed me to set my budget and qualify for a mortgage," Ms. Chacon said.
But she also had made some good financial decisions in the past that prepared her to buy the house, which included having no debt.
Still, her excitement in buying the house was mixed with some anxiety over taking on that financial obligation and being solely responsible. So much could go wrong with an older house, and there no way to know what lies ahead when signing a 30-year mortgage.
All those doubts disappeared on move-in day.
The boys had not seen the house before she purchased it, and she had gone there beforehand to make up their beds and place each of their favorite toys at the foot of their beds.
Her children ran from bedroom to bedroom, discovering which one was theirs.
"In buying a home, you are establishing some kind of permanence," said Eleanor Blayney, author of "Women's Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence." "There are many women who are embracing their singleness and making long-term decisions for their financial security.
"This is a trend being replicated on any number of levels as far as the kinds of financial decisions women are making. It reflects the growing economic power of women and single women in particular."
Michael Sichenzia, a national housing and mortgage expert based in South Florida, said Pittsburgh was especially attractive to young singles who aspire to be homeowners.
"In general, Pittsburgh has become a hip urban center for young people," Mr. Sichenzia said.
"It has quietly promoted itself that way, and it's become popular with those in their late 20s and early 30s seeking affordable housing with all the amenities of living in the city."
While going through major life changes, Ms. Chacon said she found everything she needed here to get back on track and to build a solid future for herself and her boys.
"This 105-year-old house has seen many families over the years, and I am so excited that our family will be adding to that history," she said.
"I knew when I first drove up to the house that it was going to be our home. We were also fortunate to find a close-knit neighborhood, including a fantastic baby sitter across the street.
"With our new house, my new job and continued optimism, we are ready to start the next chapter in our lives."
Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
