"In spite of some softness in April, consumer confidence has risen considerably over the quarter and is now higher than it has been since the downturn began in the fall of 2008. It is encouraging to note that a number of Canadians are thinking seriously about getting into the real estate market," said Brook Tyler, research director of TNS Canadian Facts and a member of the firm's financial research practice.

This is not to say that the economic downturn has left the nature of home ownership unchanged. "In addition to delaying home purchases, home mortgages have also been impacted as Canadians have tried to trim their spending. Among Canadians with a mortgage on their principal residence, more than two in five (42%) have attempted to make cutbacks on their mortgage. However, the worst appears to be over. Currently, only about one in five (19%) mortgage holders report that they are still hoping to make further cuts in their mortgages," said Tyler.

The latest wave of the TNS Vibe survey examines the strategies of Canadian mortgage holders to control their mortgage-related spending: specifically, one in 10 have made extra payments to pay down their mortgage faster, 13 per cent have renegotiated for better payment terms, and five per cent have switched from a fixed to a variable rate mortgage.