Julie Maiorino’s e-mail came right to point: I am a 31-year-old woman, still living at home with her parents, and hoping to buy a condo/town house in the near future. I am thoroughly discouraged. Trying to find a home that I can afford on a single income is definitely hard. What if I lose my job? There is no one (a companion) who would help me with a mortgage if that was to happen. Buying a home without a partner’s support and income can be challenging particularly in today’s economy. Yet the National Association of Realtors reports that in 2009, 21 percent of home buyers across the U.S. were single females, and 10 percent were single males. Hoping to join the ranks of homeowning women, Maiorino, a schoolteacher living in Closter, had just begun her search when she contacted The Record. She did not yet have a real estate agent. While searching the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service for homes, wrote Maiorino, she came across “these gorgeous and affordable town houses, only to learn that they’re in an [older] adult community! Or the house needs a lot of work, or is considered a ‘handyman special.’ “Well, I am not THAT handy,” she continues, “I need a place that is pretty much in move-in condition, with minimal renovations.” Going it alone Because there are so many condos in his area, For Lee Realtor Nelson Chen finds that many of his clients are singles. He notes that, in evaluating a home, men and women tend to have different priorities: “The man tries to decide, ‘Where’s the flat-screen TV going?’ A woman wants to know: ‘Is the kitchen up to date? Is the laundry facility full size?’” Chen offers some suggestions to single home seekers: • Spend time in the community you’re thinking make your home. “Hang out, see what it’s like on a Saturday,” he advises. “Are you comfortable in the area around 6 in the evening? Do you feel safe after dark?” • If you’re planning to commute, do several dry runs. “Arrive at the property at the time you’ll be commuting, and take the bust or train into the city. Think about that commute in all weathers, in snow and rain.” • Make sure you have ample emergency savings. “You won’t be a carefree renter,” Chen emphasizes. “Things are going to go wrong that you’re going to have to deal with, such as heating, air conditioning, plumbing.” • If considering a condo or co-op, be sure to ask the management office if there are any assessments planned. “It is not unusual for communities to have pending or planned capital improvement projects in the works that may require an assessment. There is nothing necessarily wrong with assessments, but you want to budget for it.”