I never understood how we can retire and own a house

Easier to achieve if you never have children, and if you have a good steady relationship with a spouse who earns and saves in the same way.
If you don't want children, take personal responsibility to ensure it;
remember that it is a common occurrence for clucky women to deceive men and get "accidentally" pregnant
with the intent of trapping the man into obligations to help care for the child.
You can do it without a partner, which avoids the risk of losing a lot through divorce.
If you don't marry, the laws of who owes what to whom vary between states and countries.

You live frugally throughout your life, necessities only: home cooked meals, no entertainments or alcohol, no pets or expensive hobbies or interests, no travel or holidays, second-hand clothing and cheap shoes. Live close enough to study or work to get there on foot or by bicycle. Minimise use of electricity.

You study to get the qualifications for a well-paid job.
Apart from taxes you also pay superannuation and insurance premiums.
You rent a cheap room or caravan and work in that job till you've saved enough money for a mortgage.
As you save, you take care to invest for the best dividends but with least risk.
You live within your means, never own a credit card and never borrow money other than the mortgage: this saves an enormous amount in not paying interest rates on credit.

By about thirty, you should be able to put a 10% deposit on a very modest house in a very modest area.
Then you keep working till you're around 67 or 70, by which time you've paid off the mortgage.
When you retire, you live modestly from either your superannuation or a pension.

The rates of pay for relative qualifications have been slowly eroded since my parents' generation.
Fewer people now expect to eventually own their own homes, more spend their entire lives as renters.

The better your qualifications, experience and achievements, the better your prospects of rising to the higher wage brackets.

Emotional intelligence is the single best determinant of success.
It involves quite a large set of skills which can be deliberately learned and continuously improved.
They are not learned by accident. One must be proactive about it.
An introduction to what is involved can be learned through self-help books and free sites on line.
A good starting point is Daniel Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence" and any other books by him - the online magazine, Psychology Today.

There is nothing easy about it, but if you choose to make the efforts, it will pay huge dividends by the time you get to old age.
There is no question that it is much harder to be poor in old age.

There are many layers of meaning to the adage, the early bird catches the worm. This post was edited by inky at February 17, 2019 6:24 AM MST

Living within your means and saving.

A lot of people when they die their property is taken for unpaid taxes.  These days a lot of older people are having trouble keeping up so that whole "reverse mortgage" exploitation started up.  But the main point I think is you need to get a good job, apply yourself carefully to it, and save as much as possible.  Which can be done by frugal and healthful living.  To become a valued employee you need to cultivate the respect of your colleagues and higher-ups and do what is expected of you efficiently and well and also come up with ways to suggest for doing it better and for less money. 

I was a hippie in my youth and never made enough to save at all plus often depended on my men for support. In my late 20s I took some secretarial and computer classes and a couple of years later lucked into a job in which I have stayed for 30 years, eventually receiving as pay much more than I ever dreamed I would be able to earn. Mostly because I was agreeable and efficient and did not make waves or challenge anything.  I rented for many years and fortunately lived in a rent-controlled apartment for over 20 years. When I married at age 53 my husband and I purchased an older home together and had it fixed up. In my 40s I also inherited some money from the sale of my father's company. We are both still working and doing very well and are close to paying off our mortgage. We don't live luxuriously but we have what we want.  We are homebodies and do not entertain a lot of take expensive cruises or anything like that.  I make all our meals.  We have enough now we are able to help others somewhat as well.  

It's up to you to prepare for your retirement.  I don't know about your country but in the USA some states have provisions to lower annual property tax for retired senior citizens.  In Florida you must have lived in the house for 25 years which disqualifies many many people.  But, it's your job to know the laws of your land, find yourself an occupation so you can earn and save.  Asking foreigners on a website is not taking care of your own today and tomorrow. 

In the USA you can go to the county recorder and inspect your deed. There will be some codes. Ask what they mean. One will be "RESIDENTIAL". Tell the clerk that is a mistake, it should be "PRIVATE PROPERTY". Suddenly your home is not taxed. It also has no fire protection, so you might want to volunteer to pay that tax.

We are retired and just had a new home built and paid cash for it.  That is the result of working and saving our money for decades in order to prepare for retirement.  We budget our retirement income so we have enough funds to pay taxes, insurance and all the other expenses that come with living in a home.  

It takes a lot of planning and budgeting starting when you're young.  I do realize that not everyone has the earning power to do that though.  Some people find themselves working far beyond retirement age to be able to support themselves.  Retirement isn't always a happy time for people and that's a shame.

Live below your means, one should not spend up to their maximum level of indebtedness. 

I got in financial trouble at 19, maxed out credit cards etc.  Had a very good Sergent counsel me on finances.  Dug myself out of that hole, and never looked back.  While others were spending their pay I was in Barracks or at the Base library.  I started saving and investing.  I was laughed at for my $10 a month, which turned into $20 and more.  Instead of new cars I bought good used ones.  After a time I bought stocks, rental housing. etc.  In short I invested, and did it well.

I could have retired 10 years ago.  I work because I like what I do and I get paid to see some fabulous places around the world.  We are waiting for Doc to complete her legal obligation to Austria which is coming fast - then we are kicking back.  We both have managed to save over the years and have outside income streams; dividends, interest and rental fees.

Neither one of us has had debt in 25-30 years.  Remember it is easier to save up $45,000 for a new car then pay it off.  That $45K will actually turn into you paying $55K plus back.  In short do not spend every dime you ever made

Saving and get a job with a 401k retirement plan (or whatever the equivalent is in Canada)

Lots of good advice.

If you're looking for a home ... buy a large lot, and put a small manufactured home on it.  Leave room for more homes on it.  When you can afford to, put another manufactured home in, and rent it for secondary income.

Hello Franc533
Not knowing your age, income or location, I will, for this question assume you are relatively young and just starting out.
First is you want to establish a career, one that allows you to save for retirement, either through a pension or retirement account.
Second you want to develop a good credit rating, not by using a ton of credit, because you want to keep your expenses down, but by paying your debts on time, regular deposits to your bank account(s) and such.
You want to plan for having your mortgage paid off by the time you retire, so buy appropriately. Realize that your first house will not be your last. Look for a starter home, one you can buy for under comp. value, maybe one you can flip for profit. Get to know your banker or a Mortgage broker who can assist when you are ready.
When you do buy a house, never take a second on it, unless an emergency or opportunity arises.
When I bought my house, I bought the worst one in the neighborhood, but the land was beautiful. I bought it cheap and then sold half the property for roughly 65% of purchase price. I have never taken a second or have done any improvements that would require permitting and thus reassessment, so my payments have always been extremely low. I retire in 5 years and the house will be completely paid off. I will owe low taxes, but that will be paid through an account that will handle insurances and taxes, I have put into this account since I bought the place and it will be enough. I will always work in some fashion, but ill have the retirement account that I can start drawing from when I retire. I will not be selling my house, this is my last one. The only thing I worry about is the taxes my kids will have to pay upon my departure, I am sure they will sell the place, but I hope the state doesn't take the majority of the sale.
Plan ahead, buy smart, and like others have said, Live within your means. Start now...