I was looking through the member list of Property Club Singapore when I noticed that only one-fifth of the members are ladies.
It shouldn’t be surprising, given that those who are interested in investment are mostly guys. You should call yourself lucky if you attend a stock investing course and there is a lady sitting next to you. And there is a high chance that she is accompanying her husband there.
Singapore women not into investment?
If you start a conversation about stock or property with Hong Kong or Shanghai girls, there is a high chance that they will join the discussion. They may not be very good at the subject, but they like to talk about it anyway. But if you bring up the same topic with Singapore girls, nine out of ten will not be interested.
Women investor groups are common in other countries. But we have none in Singapore.
For the older generation, fathers are usually breadwinners while mothers are homemakers. If you ask the aunties about financial matters, you get the usual “I have no idea ask my husband” answer.
Gender is not a good excuse not to learn about personal finance and investing. Women should be financially independent, so that when there is a crisis, they can have the means to save themselves and their families from troubles, and no one has to suffer from it unnecessarily.
Feminine traits that make successful property investors
If women know how to make use of their feminine qualities in property investment, there will be more successful property investors.
1. Meticulous and diligent
Women are more insecure and tend to do more planning, including holiday trips, finances and investment. Detailed planning, strict budgeting and careful calculations are their strengths.
Women are also more careful with money. They are born shoppers who do their desk research and field studies diligently and patiently. When it comes to a property deal, rather than buying it on a whim, they are likely to check through everything meticulously before making the decision.
2. Artistic and intuitive
Property investment is both a science and an art. Besides crushing the numbers, women are more artistic in nature. They have stronger aesthetic sense which is a set of principles governing beauty, taste and harmony. Whether in showflats or resale flats, the ones who point out things that have aesthetic problems are usually from the fair sex.
Many women claim that they possess the sixth sense. They somehow have the instinct to know something which is inexplicable and beyond reasons. And that intuition can prompt them to make a shrewd investment decision.
3. Sociable and expressive
Women possess the soft skills to get people to pour their heart out. They have social soft skills to work with sellers, agents, lawyers, tenants and vendors. They are more compassionate in nature and are thus more empathetic to the needs of sellers and tenants.
When negotiating for a deal or an agreement, women are sometimes better negotiators because they look less formidable compared with men. That makes them easier to come off as an amiable party even when they are proposing an aggressive offer.
4. Egoless and modest
Unlike men, ego is seldom an issue for women. Women don’t associate asking for help with incompetence. They never have to worry about being less ‘macho’. They feel comfortable asking for directions and are ready to seek advice. With good practice over the years, they have learned how to ask the right questions.
Furthermore, more ladies can understand the virtue of being humble. The late British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher once said:
“The cock may crow, but it’s the hen that lays the eggs.”
And they are the golden eggs. I often see guys who boast about a paper profit of tens of thousands, but I know ladies who keep to themselves after reaping millions.
5. Conservative and pragmatic
Women like to have things under control. That is why they are more cautious and conservative in investment.
With a down-to-earth personality, they have reasonable expectations and are easily contented. Aggressive growth, fast turnaround or high risk high return investments are not for them. They are also less likely to be a property flipper, trader or speculator. When the market becomes overheated, they are also willing to play safe, cash out and exit the market.
Women believe that slow and steady wins the race. They are not comfortable committing to something that looks too good to be true. They won’t be overly-excited about get-rich-quick strategies because they are not interested to be instant millionaires.
6. Multitasking
It is not a myth that women multitask better than men by juggling through multiple projects at one time. Like most mothers, I can have a discussion, prepare a three-course meal, and mind two young kids at the same time.
This multitasking instinct comes in handy after the purchase of your property – when you have to deal with the agent, the bank and the lawyer simultaneously. It is also useful if you have to manage different vendors in a home improvement or renovation project.
If you are a multiple-property landlord, you have to arrange repair for one property, to renew the tenancy agreement for the second one, and to find a new tenant for the third one – all happening at the same time.
In a nutshell
Of course, there are exceptions when some ladies invest like guys. But do you notice that I have just highlighted above all the traits of great property investors?
English writer Virginia Woolf said “a woman must have money and a room of her own”. Well, not just a room, we should have a flat of our own!
Girls, prices are dropping. Start saving now for the downpayment of your first private home. Make sure you are ready when it’s time to buy again.
Success in property investment in not about the money you can make, but the difference that you can make for yourself and your loved ones.
Finally, allow me to twist a bit on Emma Watson’s UN speech:
“If not me, who, if not now, when. If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you I hope those words might be helpful.”
See you girls at the Buying My First Private Property Workshop!
This article was first published at Propertysoul.com
