Expanding home ownership poses a fundament financial challenge arising out of the long-term nature of the asset, which calls for the development of institutions and markets to facilitate the flow of long-term funds. The development of the secondary mortgage market would alleviate classical maturity mismatch and liquidity issues. The public sector can provide an enabling environment with sound macroeconomic policies, corporate governance, rule of law, and the enforceability of contracts. This study draws policy implications using the empirical evidence on the determinants of mortgage depth and penetration across countries. A large part of the variation in these two dimensions across countries is explained by the level of their financial development. The development of long-term sources of funds intermediated through specialized institutions seems particularly important, as we find that the development of pension funds, which are a source of long-term funding, is strongly associated with mortgage market development. Monetary and macroeconomic stability, as indicated by a low and stable rate of inflation, appears to be a strong predictor of mortgage market development. We also detect a positive relationship between the degree of competition in the financial sector and mortgage market development.