REGINA, April 10, 2014 /CNW/ - Many more Prairie residents are interested in home ownership in 2014 than last year, according to the 21st Annual RBC Home Ownership Poll. More than one-in-five (21 per cent) respondents said they intend to buy a home in 2014, a significant increase from just over one-in-ten (12 per cent) from 2013.
"This increase is a reflection of the confidence in the Prairies as a great place to live and raise families," shared Richard Schwan, regional vice-president of Career Sales, RBC. "We see our role as continuing to provide meaningful and tailored financial advice to current and future homeowners, helping them make the best decisions."
While the majority of Canadians (62 per cent) intend to buy a home with their spouse or partner, more than one-in-four (28 per cent) Canadians intend to buy a home by themselves. The top factors considered by those who intend to buy this year include the stability of their job situation and manageable debt levels. Confidence in these areas indicates that Canadians are more mindful of their finances than in 2013, which directly impacts the ability to afford home ownership. Among those likely to buy a home within the next two years, four-in-ten will be first time homebuyers.
Across Canada, 41 per cent of those in the 25-34 year old age group are intending to buy, more than half of whom will be doing so for the first time. This is a significant increase from 2013, where only 25 per cent of those in the same group said they were intending to buy a home. Nationally, a large majority (86 per cent) of this same age group answered that home buying was a great investment.
"The increase across the country of buying intentions gives the strong signal that there is renewed confidence in the market, but also that Canadians are more prepared this year to take that step into homeownership," said Rachel Wihby, senior manager, Home Equity Finance, RBC. "We just want to make sure that Canadians have a checklist that they can run with moving forward. Oftentimes there are things that first time home buyers may not think of that can ensure they are more prepared and avoid unnecessary costs, like budgeting for closing costs or getting a home inspection, so we just want to help set them up for success."
About the RBC 21st Annual Home Ownership Poll
RBC is the largest residential mortgage lender in Canada. With over 1,400 mortgage specialists across Canada, RBC has helped thousands of Canadians find a home. As the country's number one source of financial advice on home ownership, RBC conducts consumer surveys as one way to provide insight to Canadians about the marketplace in which they live.
These are some of the findings of the RBC's 21st Annual Home Ownership poll conducted by Ipsos Reid between February 4 and 14, 2014. The annual online survey tracks Canadians attitudes and behaviours regarding home buying and home ownership.
The results are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. An unweighted probability sample of 2,591 adult Canadians, with 100 per cent response rate would have an estimated margin of error of ±2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.
SOURCE: RBC
Robb Ritchie, RBC Communications, 204-988-3516
Ciaran Dickson, RBC Communications, 647-625-2763
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