Young Canadians feel high pressure to buy property

A recent national survey conducted by Canadian real estate platform Wahi indicates that young Canadians are experiencing considerably more pressure to acquire property compared to previous generations. This pressure, the survey suggests, is akin to the societal expectations surrounding marriage and starting a family.

Wahi’s 2025 Homebuying Pressure Point Survey revealed that 54% of millennials and 41% of Gen Zers have felt compelled to own a home. This figure significantly surpasses the national average of 34%. In stark contrast, only 30% of Gen Xers and 13% of baby boomers, generations with higher homeownership rates, reported similar sentiments.

“As Canadian home values have increased over the decades, so has the pressure to own real estate,” stated Wahi CEO Benjy Katchen. “While buying a home can be a smart long-term decision, it’s critical for Canadians to take their time, do their research, and buy based on personal readiness—not pressure.”

Further findings from the survey highlight that societal expectations are the primary source of this pressure for Gen Z (59%) and millennials (55%), a marked difference from Gen Xers (33%) and baby boomers (33%). Notably, Gen Z feels an equal amount of pressure to buy a home as they do to have children (43%) or get married (43%). For millennials, the pressure to have children (53%) is nearly on par with the pressure to own property (54%), while the pressure to marry is less at 43%.

Geographically, the pressure to buy is lowest in Quebec (26%) and Atlantic Canada (29%), and highest in Alberta (41%) and B.C. (39%). The survey also noted a significant disparity in homeownership rates: 81% of boomers and 74% of Gen Xers own property in Canada, compared to 61% of millennials and 21% of Gen Z.

The sentiment among non-owners is also notable, with 55% expressing unhappiness about not owning a home. Furthermore, 50% of Canadians believe that renting is viewed unfavourably, and 62% underestimate Canada’s actual homeownership rate, believing it to be 50% or less.

Wahi’s survey underscores a generational divide in attitudes toward homeownership, illustrating how societal norms continue to influence young Canadians’ approaches to significant life milestones.

The survey was conducted by Wahi from June 17–19, 2025, among 1,500 online adult Canadians from the Angus Reid Forum, in English and French. It has a margin of error of ±2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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