RBC Financial Group 13th Annual Housing Survey

Toronto, ON - The second instalment of the 13th Annual RBC Housing Survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid, finds that 90% of Canadians think home ownership is a good investment, up 18 percentage points since 1999. In fact, 43% think it's a "very good investment" (16% in '99) and 17% of Canadians expect their home to be their primary source of income when they retire.

On average, Canadian homeowners estimate the market value of their home to be $214,337 with an average estimated rise of 18% over the last two years. Moreover, Canadians think housing prices will continue to rise--72% of all Canadians think prices will be higher this time next year.

Mortgage ownership continues to rise (60% today, 56% in '05), in an expected age curve. On average, mortgage holders have $95,840 left to pay. When it comes time to renew, half of mortgage holders will opt for a fixed rate mortgage (vs. variable rate or a combination of both at 25% each) and 5 year mortgages will be the choice for approximately half (48%).

Finally, four in ten (38%) homeowners indicate that they have borrowed against the equity of their home, up form 22% in '05. Moreover, 27% have refinanced their mortgage in the last 12 months (even though last year just 8% said they would).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid/RBC Financial Group poll conducted from January 18th to January 24th, 2006. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 2,001 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
(416) 324-2900
[email protected]

Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos-Reid employs more than 300 researcher professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada - including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country - all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2005, Ipsos generated global revenues of Euro 717.8 million ($853.8 million U.S.). Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.