Baltimore A Magnet For Female Homebuyers

"Across Baltimore, single women - old and young, black and white - are buying houses, many for the first time, at rates far exceeding the national average.

According to a 2006 survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 40 percent of city homebuyers last year were single females, nearly twice the national average and the Baltimore County rate.

"I don't think there's any one single reason," said Dunbar Brooks, manager of data development for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council.

Brooks said he checked U.S. census data and found that the proportion of the city's female residents hasn't changed. "I guess it's just the attractiveness of the city," he said. "And when you really look for affordable housing prices, you're more likely to look in the city."

The average sale price of a home in Baltimore City last year was $173,157, according to the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc."