Canadians Now Expect to Buy Their First Home at 41, per FP
The first rung is 12 years further away
Canada's property ladder is getting harder to reach, and first-time buyers now expect to spend most of their thirties off it.
RBC's 2026 Home Ownership Poll finds that current homeowners bought their first home at an average age of 29, per FP. Non-owners expect to buy their first home at 41 on average, 12 years later than current owners did, and half of non-owners say they simply do not know when they will be able to buy at all.
The poll was conducted by Leger online among 1,810 Canadians aged 18 to 64 between August 5 and 24.
Harder at every rung
Most Canadians say the game has changed. About 74 percent believe buying a home today is more complicated than it used to be, and 52 percent say the home buying advice of previous generations is no longer true, per the poll.
Owners are stuck too. Some 52 percent of current owners say moving up from their first home is harder than expected, and 46 percent would like a larger or different home but say it is not financially realistic right now.
That squeeze is killing the starter home. Nearly three-quarters of first-time buyers planning to purchase within two years, 74 percent, would rather buy a home they can stay in longer than one they might outgrow, because moving up later no longer looks reliable.
Pooling resources, splitting worries
More than half of prospective buyers planning to purchase within the next two years, 53 percent, would consider a multi-generational home. Among those open to the idea, 34 percent cite housing affordability as the main driver, 32 percent call it a cost management strategy, and 26 percent describe it as a necessity rather than a choice.
Prospective buyers are split down the middle on timing. Half worry about buying now only to see prices fall, and half worry that waiting will leave them priced out if prices rise.
Owners face pressure as well. Among homeowners renewing within two years, 51 percent say renewal feels almost as stressful as buying their first home, and 60 percent expect their next renewal to increase pressure on household finances.
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Options market and stocks to watch
A first purchase age of 41 means a longer decade of renting and a slower start to mortgage books, which lands directly on Canada's big banks. RY and TD run the largest domestic mortgage franchises, with BMO close behind.
Watch options flow in the Canadian banks around Bank of Canada rate decisions and monthly housing data, since renewal stress and delayed first purchases both feed loan growth and credit quality. Follow housing and rates coverage on the Unusual Whales news feed.
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