President’s Corner / Helping Canadians Find Their Way Home
By Jeff Belanger, President, Canadian Association of Rent-to-Own Professionals
Happy Canada Day!
Canada Day is a celebration of opportunity, resilience, and community. It reminds us why so many people choose to build their lives in Canada and why homeownership continues to represent one of the most meaningful milestones for Canadian families.
Unfortunately, for many Canadians, that dream has never felt further away.
The State of Homeownership in Canada
These numbers are more than statistics. They represent real Canadian families searching for hope, guidance, and a pathway to homeownership.
According to Ipsos Canada, nearly 80% of Canadians believe homeownership is now only for the wealthy, while 72% of Canadians who do not currently own a home believe they may never become homeowners.
The housing affordability challenges facing Canadians are real.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reports that today’s first-time homebuyers rented for an average of 7.6 years before purchasing their first home. In addition, 72% of first-time buyers were renters before becoming homeowners, highlighting that the path to homeownership has become longer and more challenging than it has been for previous generations.
Canada also faces a significant housing supply challenge. According to CMHC, the country will need to build approximately 430,000 to 480,000 new homes every year through 2035 to restore affordability and meet future housing demand.
These statistics paint a sobering picture.
Yet they also reinforce why organizations like the Canadian Association of Rent-to-Own Professionals (CAROP) exist.
At CAROP, we believe that a mortgage decline is not the end of someone’s homeownership journey. More often than not, it simply means they need a different pathway, additional preparation, and a team of professionals committed to helping them succeed.
Helping Canadian Families Achieve Homeownership
Every day, CAROP facilitators work with families who have experienced setbacks—whether due to limited savings, damaged credit, self-employment income, divorce, illness, temporary financial hardship, or simply the realities of today’s lending environment.
Rather than seeing these families as unqualified borrowers, our members see potential homeowners.
Homeownership is never achieved through the efforts of one person alone.
It is a collaborative effort involving REALTORS®, mortgage professionals, investors, lawyers, financial coaches, appraisers, home inspectors, lenders, and many other professionals. Together, they share one common objective—helping Canadian families become mortgage-ready.
Together, these professionals guide families through a structured process that emphasizes financial education, responsible budgeting, credit improvement, disciplined savings, and long-term planning. The goal is not simply to help someone buy a home today—it is to prepare them for sustainable homeownership tomorrow.
Every successful family represents more than a completed transaction.
- It represents renewed confidence.
- It creates financial stability.
- Children gain the opportunity to grow up in a permanent home.
- Communities become stronger, and
- Most importantly, it reinforces the belief that homeownership remains achievable—even when the traditional path is no longer available.
As we reflect on Canada Day, we also celebrate the dedicated professionals who quietly work behind the scenes to create these success stories every day.
To every CAROP facilitator, REALTOR®, mortgage professional, investor, lawyer, financial coach, lender, and industry partner—thank you.
Your expertise changes lives.
Your commitment creates opportunities.
And your work helps keep the dream of homeownership alive for Canadian families from coast to coast.
Together, we are building stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger Canada—one homeowner at a time.
Research & Data Sources
CAROP is committed to providing members and the public with accurate, evidence-based information. This article was developed using publicly available research and housing market data from leading Canadian organizations, including Statistics Canada, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Ipsos Canada, Royal LePage, Equifax Canada, the Bank of Canada, and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). Where specific statistics are referenced, they reflect the most recent data available at the time of publication.
Continue the Conversation
If you’re a REALTOR®, mortgage professional, investor, lawyer, or housing advocate who believes more Canadians deserve a pathway to homeownership, we invite you to learn more about the Canadian Association of Rent-to-Own Professionals (CAROP). Together, we can strengthen professional standards, expand access to homeownership, and create brighter futures for Canadian families.
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