The number of Canadian 'snowbirds' planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged this spring, many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their homeland and the U.S.
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The number of Canadian “snowbirds” planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged this spring, many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their homeland and the U.S.
Real estate agents say they are seeing more Canadians cashing out, further softening property prices in warm-weather states that have long attracted retirees and tourists from cold and snowy Canada.
Canadians spent close to US$6 billion on U.S. real estate from April 2023 to March 2024 - making up 13 per cent of all foreign transactions - more than any other nationality, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. Nearly half of the homes purchased by Canadians were for vacation purposes, with Florida, Arizona and Hawaii ranking as the top markets.
Last week, Tracy and Dale McMullen sold their vacation home in Buckeye, Arizona, a property they owned for five years. The Alberta residents, who usually spend four to five months in Arizona a year, said they are not planning to come back.
“We decided to sell the property after the current POTUS took office,” said Dale, referring to U.S. President
Donald Trump, who was inaugurated for the second time in January.
“It was time to leave. We felt we could not trust what he might do next to us as individuals and to our country. We no longer felt welcome nor safe.”
Canadians are feeling stung by the actions and words of the Trump administration, which has imposed
steep trade tariffs on its northern neighbor, threatening Canada’s export-dependent economy. Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada should become a
U.S. state, and his derogatory references to now-former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor” have annoyed Canadians and offended their national pride.
As a result, many Canadians are boycotting U.S.-made goods, such as bourbon and produce and
canceling trips to U.S. destinations.
Canadian return flights from the U.S. fell 13.5 per cent in March from a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada. Canadian-resident return trips by automobile fell about 32 per cent.
Real estate is now facing a similar pullback in demand.
Laurie Lavine, a realtor in Arizona who helped the McMullens with their sale, told Reuters that he currently has 18 listings from Canadians looking to sell, compared with the usual two to four per quarter.