Newcomers to Canada say their dream of buying a home is on hold - for now

After an hour and a half at an infosession on how to buy a house in Hamilton,AhmadLaklhi, new to the countryfrom Iraq,came to a cold realization his Canadian dream of home ownership is much farther away then he thought.

Realtor brokerGusAlchibroke the news. He explainedto the group of about a half dozen people Thursday afternoon exactlywhat it takes to buy a house in Canada. Andthey learned that no matter where you come from,it takes a lot.

"First of all, I told them how lucky they are to be in this country," saidAlchi. "I've been here 20 years now. I started from scratch, which they can do as well, of course."

Most of the questions forAlchiinvolved mortgages. The room was particularly interested in the procedure of getting a mortgage, along with the rules and the regulations.

"They just started their new life so we have to explain how the system works," saidAlchi.

The Immigrants Working Centre hosted the session. AhlamMohammed, a counsellor there, said buying a home isfront of mind for manynewcomers.

"They don't have any knowledge about how they buy a house in Canada and how they can build credit in Canada," she said.

The centreaimed to fix that.

Laklhiasked lots of questions. Others in the roomfrom Syria, Iraqand Palestinesat, listened and nodded.

Laklhiand his wifeFatimahave livedin Hamilton for a year and a half.Through a translator, Laklhisaid the session made him realize how complicated the whole process is. Now, he has more knowledge but less hope.

The dream will have to wait, for now.

That's a hard but true fact for even long-time Hamilton residents who have seen home prices in the city climb out of range.

According to a January analysis by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation,for every 1 per cent house price increase in the GTA, there is a 1.4 per cent hike in Hamilton.

Alchididn'tanticipate any of the people in the room making apurchase any time soon.

"No one asked abouthow long it would take [to save] for a down payment," he said.

"Are they able of purchasing in Canada with these prices, I doubt, but they needed to know the procedure."