Canadians Plan To Buy First Home At 41, Property Ladder Breaks: RBC

Canada’s housing ladder isn’t just hard to get on—nearly half of owners can’t afford to get off the first rung. RBC’s 2026 Home Ownership Poll looked at home buying expectations and financial constraints. The poll shows first-time buyers are getting older, and fewer owners can afford to upgrade. Meanwhile, the Bank of Mom and Dad is expanding its territory—literally, as multi-generational living returns. Canada’s First-Time Buyers Expect To Buy Their First Home At 41 Canada’s first-time buyers will be on the back half of life’s golf course before they get into the market. Aspiring first-time owners plan to buy at 41 years old on average, 12 years later than current owners. That may be an optimistic number, as nearly half of them were unsure when they would be able to buy a home. Becoming a homeowner is much harder than it was for past generations, said most (74%) of non-owners. Over 3 in 4 (77%) believe buying is harder than it was in the past, and 60% say traditional buyer advice is no longer true. Existing homeowners are likely to agree with that last point. Canadian Homeowners Can’t Afford To Upgrade Their Starter Home High home prices don’t just impact first-time buyers, it cau...