This article has been supplied and will be available for a limited time only on this website. FNB data reveals that, for the first time in a decade, repeat home buyers now outnumber first-time buyers among South African women applying for home loans, signalling a significant shift from first-time homeownership to long-term property ownership and wealth creation.
New FNB Home and Structured Lending data, tracking home-buying trends between 2015 and 2025, shows that women are increasingly moving beyond first-time homeownership. In 2025, repeat buyers accounted for 51% of female home loan applications, marking the first time in a decade that they have outnumbered first-time buyers.
The shift suggests that a growing number of women are moving beyond simply entering the property market and are increasingly using homeownership as a vehicle for long-term wealth creation, leveraging property ownership to build and grow their asset base over time.
Despite affordability pressures, women are also moving into higher-value property segments. Over the past decade, the number of women purchasing properties valued above R1 million has doubled, rising from 21% to 42%. The increase adds another dimension to the repeat-buyer trend, suggesting that women’s growing participation isn’t only about entering the property market but progressing within over time.
