First-time buyers represent a significant proportion of single households with men making up 30 per cent and women 21 per cent.Although single males out- number women across every mortgage type, the differences are relatively modest for those moving house or remortgaging. There has also been a reduction in the percentage of the purchase price borrowed, with the average for first-time buyers falling from 89 per cent in 1997 to 80 per cent last year. In affluent parts of London, it is not uncommon to see young buyers putting down £50,000-£150,000 as a deposit. Wiser, older and often wealthier, today’s first-time buyers appear not to be rushing to get a foot on the property ladder. Their own circumstances appear more important than market pressures.Martine Hollyoake is no exception.

A scientific officer in her early thirties, she is about to move into a modern two-bedroom house in a village outside Cambridge. She has waited until now to buy so that she can afford to enjoy life as well as pay off a mortgage. “I had a budget of about £90,000 and I got the feeling that not all the estate agents were that interested in me. I never felt anyone was completely on my side and I lost one property by not acting quickly enough.”But the learning curve was sharp and Ms Hollyoake knew her mind.

“I didn’t want to have to do any decorating and it had to have good public transport. When I found the place, through Bradford & Bingley, I had to go over the head of the mortgage brokers and deal directly with the building society to speed things up. It was stressful, but I will know a great deal more next time.” At Winkworth’s estate agency in Shepherd’s Bush, London, Ian Dickson says they can tell more or less instinctively whether a flat will be appreciated more by a man or a woman. “There’s something in the decor or arrangement of the rooms that prompts us.

Men often choose a property that needs some work or has potential, but quite often when we come to value the property two years on, we find none of the ideas have been carried through.”And in trendy Notting Hill, where 40 per cent of buyers are single and one-bedroom flats can start at £250,000, Mark Chick of Leslie Marsh estate agents finds men always ask to see the boiler and are more attached to a smart location than women. “They are less fussy about the flat itself but want to be in a specific street, usually close to a pub and restaurant.”Julian Bovis, who works in publishing, is a man who believes in appearances. He also confounds the theory that blokes aren’t sure what they want. He has no wish to share his space with pets and potted plants.