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In a piece for Credit.com, staffer Mia Taylor asked real estate and personal finance experts to share their top tips for single women seeking to purchase a home.

A study from real estate website Estately identified what percentage of homes men versus women could afford in a given city. In Seattle, for example, men can afford nearly 150% more homes than women. In Colorado Springs men can afford 122.5% more homes than women, while further down the list in San Diego, the difference is still a significant 68.5%.

Citing advice from real estate and personal finance professionals, Taylor advises women not to let the down payment scare them off and points to down payment assistance programs as a way to help.

She also advises lining up a guarantor or co-purchaser, minimizing credit card debt, and considering a fixer upper.

A growing trend among home buyers with limited means has been buying older properties and rehabbing them, says Ralph DiBugnara, president of Home Qualified.

“There are a few mortgage products in the market right now that make that easier,” said DiBugnara. “Fannie Mae has a loan called Home Style and FHA has what’s called a 203k loan. They both allow you to not only finance the purchase price but also construction costs in the loan to help your home look new. This is one way women can buy less inexpensive homes and make them new, also giving them a much higher valued property at completion.”

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