Rising Political and Economic Uncertainty Pushes Canadians to Sell U.S. Properties

Trade tensions between Canada and the United States are prompting many Canadians who own property in the U.S. to consider selling their homes due to economic policies introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

A recent survey by Royal LePage, conducted by Brunson, found that 54% of Canadians with real estate holdings in the U.S. are planning to sell their American properties within the next year.

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“These are significant numbers, especially considering that around one million Canadian snowbirds travel to the U.S. annually—mostly during the fall to spring months—and more than 60% of them own property there,” said Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage, in an interview with BNNBloomberg.ca.

Among those considering a sale, nearly two-thirds (62%) cite concerns over the Trump administration and the current political climate in the U.S. Another 33% are motivated by personal or financial reasons, while 5% are concerned about extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.

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“I believe most Canadians view the current state of American politics as extreme, and expect the pendulum to eventually swing back to something more moderate,” Soper noted. “But four years is a long time—Trump is only six months into his term—and there’s a great deal of uncertainty about where the U.S. is headed post-Trump.”

Among those who have already sold their U.S. property in the past year, 44% said the political environment was the main reason for their decision. Personal reasons accounted for 27%, while 22% cited increasingly severe weather.

Meanwhile, a growing “Buy Canadian” sentiment appears to be influencing homeowners. Canadians have consistently ranked among the top two foreign investors in U.S. real estate for the past 20 years. However, transactions have declined over the past five years compared to most of the 2010s, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Of those who have sold or are planning to sell their U.S. property, 32% say they intend to reinvest the proceeds into the Canadian real estate market.