• One-in-four young prospective home buyers in Canada are considering purchasing a home with a friend
• Across the country, intent to purchase a home is up four percentage points over 2015
• Thirty-six per cent of Canadians say choosing the right property is the biggest challenge when purchasing a home

TORONTO, April 12, 2016 /CNW/ - Millennials are showing a marked increase in intent to buy a home, with 43 per cent of 18-to-24 year olds saying that they are considering purchasing a home in the next two years, up from 34 per cent in 2015, according to the 23rd Annual RBC Home Ownership Poll. Young buyers are also significantly more likely to consider purchasing a home with a family member (24 per cent versus 13 per cent for the general population) or with a friend (24 per cent versus nine per cent of the general population). Seventy-six per cent of young Canadians believe that home ownership is a very good/good investment.

"For many millennials, home ownership is a natural part of their journey and we're seeing the next generation eager to get into the market, even if that means exploring alternate options like buying with family or a friend," says Erica Nielsen, vice-president, Home Equity Finance, RBC. "Whether purchasing on your own or with a partner, stress-test your mortgage to ensure affordability so you're prepared, no matter what life throws your way."

More Canadians planning home purchase within the next two years
The poll showed that 29 per cent of Canadians are considering purchasing a home within the next two years, up four percentage points over 2015. People living in BC, Alberta and Ontario are most likely to be considering a purchase.

Regional comparison: percentage of Canadians considering a purchase within next two years

Buyers looking for the right fit
To get closer to the goal of owning their ideal home, buyers are taking more steps to ensure they are prepared. One-third (34 per cent) of first-time home owners looked at more than 10 homes in the purchase process. Buyers are taking the time to find the right property as 36 per cent of buyers say this is their biggest challenge, followed by 22 per cent who say that deciding how much they can afford is the most difficult factor.

"Buying a home is often about compromise and home buyers should go into the process with a clear picture of their absolute must-haves," says Nielsen. "Set your priorities but be realistic and flexible. All parties should be on the same page, know their needs and get the best property for everyone's lifestyle."

Erica Nielsen offers the following tips to home buyers considering purchasing with a friend or family member:

• Get on the same page: Open the dialogue on your absolute must-haves. There will likely be some different items on each of your lists so work together to come up with one list that you can both agree on.
• Stress-test for affordability: Try out different financial scenarios to see how much you can really afford. Talk about what would happen if one of you lost your job or had a change in financial circumstances, and come up with a plan.
• Get it on paper: Create a simple agreement that outlines your arrangement including what costs each party are responsible for, and don't forget utilities, maintenance and moving costs. You both might agree on how to handle the home purchase in theory, but life and relationships change, so having a contract in writing is key to solving disputes going forward.
• Have an exit strategy: Include in your agreement how you will deal with the property if one party would like to sell.

ABOUT RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 37 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.‎

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2015, we contributed more than $121 million to causes around the world.

ABOUT THE 23RD ANNUAL RBC HOME OWNERSHIP POLL
These are some of the findings of the 23rd Annual RBC Home Ownership Poll conducted by Ipsos from January 28 to February 4, 2016 on behalf of RBC, through a national survey of 2,000 Canadians ages 18+ who completed their surveys online. Quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±2.5 percentage points had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

SOURCE RBC