最近几天，一条#大城市女性买房猛增#的话题登上了微博热搜，媒体报道称，某售房平台上47.9%的买家是女性，她们当中甚至不少人完全凭一己之力买房，不需要伴侣或家里人的支持。

 单身女性成为房地产市场经济实力不可小觑的新买家，而她们更关注的不是面积大小，而是居住品质。

In a departure from tradition, more Chinese women are opting to purchase homes while they are single, undertaking the biggest purchase of their lives without the financial support that comes with marriage.

与传统有所不同的是，更多的中国女性选择在单身时买房，在还没有得到随婚姻而来的经济支持的情况下就做出了她们一生中最大一笔投资。

The country’s largest property listing website Ke.com analysed 67,724 transactions on its platform in 2018 and found 47.9 per cent of the buyers were female. In 2014, women accounted for about 30 percent of transactions on the platform, the company said.

中国最大的房地产网站贝壳找房网对2018年该平台上67724宗房产交易进行了分析，发现47.9%的买家是女性。该公司说，2014年，女性在该平台交易中的占比约为30%。

Liu Ce, head of research at Kaisa Group, said the appearance of a home, including the inner decor and landscaping carry more weight for female buyers, while other factors such as the location and price matters less.

佳兆业集团经济研究院院长刘策说，一套房子的外在因素——包括室内装修和景观绿化——对于女性买家来说意义更重，而地点和价格等其他因素则影响较小。

decor ['deɪkɔː; 'de-]：n.装饰，布置

“Women are always a decisive force in our industry,” said Liu.

刘策说：“女性永远是我们这个行业的决定性力量。”

In recognition of the growing role of women as home buyers, developers have placed more emphasis on the presentation of show houses, including elements such as interior finishing.

由于认识到女性作为购房者的作用日益重要，开发商更加重视样板间的展示，包括室内装修等要素。

“In China, parents like to buy a flat for their children, even as early as toddlers, for both investment purposes as well as a gift to their children,” said Guo Yi, chief analyst at Beijing-based property agency Heshuo.

北京合硕房地产经纪公司首席分析师郭毅说：“在中国，父母喜欢给孩子甚至是刚会走路的孩子买房，既是为了投资，也是为了给孩子一份礼物。”

She added that many parents also believe that home ownership could improve their offspring’s appeal in finding a marriage partner.

她还说，许多父母还认为，拥有住房可以提高子女在寻找婚姻伴侣时的吸引力。

A survey by Ke.com over the weekend found that 74.2 percent of women polled said they bought a home without financial support from their partners, while 45.2 percent did so with financial support from their parents, and 29 percent were able to purchase solely by themselves.

贝壳找房网上周末进行的一项调查发现，74.2%的受访女性说，她们是在没有伴侣提供经济支持的情况下买房的，45.2%的人在父母提供经济支持的情况下买房，29%的人完全靠自己买房。

The poll included 964 home buyers in 12 major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Changsha.

这项调查包括北京、上海、深圳、杭州、武汉和长沙等12个大城市的964名购房者。

In an unrelated survey, HSBC reported that 70 percent of Chinese millennials, or those aged 19 to 36, own property, compared to 35 percent in the US and 31 percent in Britain.

在另一项调查中，汇丰银行报告说，中国70%的千禧一代，即年龄在19岁到36岁之间的人群，拥有房产，而在美国和英国这一年龄段人群拥有房产的比例分别为35%和31%。

Meanwhile, research by Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu found that 85 percent of Chinese mainland families lived in their own houses in 2017, while 21.4 percent of homes in China were empty, a high figure that may reflect purchases on behalf of children that will be passed on when they grow older.

另外，西南财经大学的一项调查显示，2017年，85%的中国大陆家庭拥有自住房，21.4%的房产空置，这一数字显示出家长们为孩子购房，待其长大成人再赠予他们。

 Homebuyers look at housing models of a residential property project at a real estate in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, Dec 24, 2018. [Photo/IC]

Emily Wu, a 27-year-old woman working in Beijing’s media sector, is representative of the new buyer. Last year upon the urging of her parents, she bought a small second-hand flat in Beijing for 2.4 million yuan. Her parents paid 90 percent of the purchase price while she paid the remainder.

在北京媒体行业工作的27岁女性埃米莉·吴（音）是这些新买家中的代表。去年，在父母的催促下，她花240万元在北京买了一套面积较小的二手房。她的父母支付了总价的90%，剩下的钱由她支付。

Wu viewed a dozen homes before whittling down a shortlist of five possibilities, leaving the final decision to her parents.

吴女士看了十二套房，最终确定了五个备选，交由父母做出最后决定。

“With the home settled, I gained a much stronger sense of security in this vast city. I feel I was able to concentrate on my career without worrying I have to leave the city someday,” she said.

她说：“买好了房子，我在这个大城市就有了更强的安全感。我觉得我能更加关注于事业发展，而不用担心哪天要离开。”

Wu, who is single, said her goal is to one day live in a bigger home with a growing family.

单身的吴女士说，她的目标是有朝一日结婚生子，住更大的房子。

“Home ownership carries the benefit of access to a nearby school. So when I date, at least I can say I solved a crucial problem: the education of our future children,” she said.

她说：“有住房就能让孩子上附近的学校。所以将来我找对象时，至少我可以说已经解决了一个关键问题：将来孩子的教育。”

Zhang Fan, vice-president of Boill Holding Group, a Shanghai-based developer, said women were less concerned about the size of a home, as long as there were neighboring green areas, and close access to amenities such as a rail transit, shops and hospitals.

上海开发商保集控股集团副总裁张帆说，女性不太关心房子的大小，只要附近有绿地，靠近轨道交通、商店和医院等设施就可以。

“They also care about digital advancement,” Zhang said. “For example a project enabling users to remotely turn on heat or a humidifier before returning home is very popular.”

“她们还喜欢数字科技。例如，一个让房主在回家前远程打开暖气或加湿器的住宅项目就非常受欢迎。”