Fifty-three percent of active buyers think the window to buy before prices rise again is short. That is one of the sharpest findings in RBC’s 2026 Home Ownership Poll, released July 7, 2026 by Realist.
Only 45% of Canadians who plan to buy within two years say now is the right time. The broader population is even less convinced. Just 27% of all Canadians say now is the right time. Twenty-six percent call it a great time.
People planning to buy are more willing to act than everyone else. For active buyers, 45% say now is the right time and 42% call it a great time. But the same group is not confident. Fewer than half, 49%, say they are confident deciding.
Active buyers are almost as uncertain about timing as everyone else. Sixty-seven percent of them say you cannot know the right time, compared with 64% of all Canadians.
One country, two markets
In Quebec, 57% of respondents call it a seller’s market. Twelve percent call it a buyer’s market. Atlantic Canada is similar: 52% see a seller’s market, 9% a buyer’s market. Ontario and British Columbia lean the other way. Ontario counts 38% buyer’s market and 24% seller’s market. BC shows 39% buyer’s market and 26% seller’s market.
“There is no single Canadian housing market right now,” the report says.
First-time buyers are the “eager knife catchers,” Realist writes. Among active buyers, 46% say first-time buyers have an opening now. Ontario comes in at 37%, above the national average. Quebec sits at 19%.
Caution runs high even among those who see an opening. Active buyers say economic uncertainty makes them more cautious at a 75% rate. That is far above the national figure of 57%. Only 49% of active buyers say they are confident deciding. Among all Canadians, that figure is 28%.
Uncertainty weighs on plans. Active buyers name uncertainty as their biggest challenge at 72%. Sixty-seven percent worry their plans will be affected. Just 56% say they have the information they need.
The cost of buying
Trade-offs are heavy. Active buyers report delaying major purchases at 69%. Sixty-two percent are cutting back vacations. Sixty percent are overhauling saving habits. Another 57% plan a side hustle or second job. More than half, 53%, say they may use retirement savings for a home purchase.
Inflation is hitting savings too. Seventy-one percent of active buyers say inflation has reduced their home savings.
Prices and rates remain a worry for buyers. Active buyers expect home prices to rise: 56%. All Canadians: 58%. Ontario: 49%. Interest rate expectations are also split. Forty-nine percent of active buyers expect rates to rise, 50% of Canadians overall, and 53% in Ontario.
Seventy-four percent of Canadians think first-home buyers usually face financial shock.
