Number of Canadians Considering US Move Rebound
The number of Canadians looking to buy homes in the United States has quietly rebounded this year after plunging in the wake of the Trump administration's tariff policies in 2025, according to a new report by Realtor.com.
In the first quarter of 2026, Canadian home shoppers were the number one source of international demand in the nation, accounting for 37.8 percent of total international traffic.
It is a significant increase from the 34.8 percent share they held in the first quarter of 2025, though demand for homes in the U.S. among Canadians has not yet returned to previous levels. In the first quarter of 2024, by comparison, Canadians represented 41.8 percent of international online traffic.
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This modest recovery suggests that Canadian buyers are cautiously reengaging with the U.S. market, even if not with the same enthusiasm they once had.
This might still be partly the consequence of President Donald Trump's high tariffs on Canada, which have angered many in the country, but a weak Canadian dollar is also diminishing Canadians' purchasing power in the U.S.
Canadians Are Still the Majority of U.S. Buyers
While Canadians are trickling back into the U.S. housing market, non-U.S. homebuyers in the country now represent a smaller share of total online shopping demand than last year, at 1.6 percent versus 1.8 percent.
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Despite recent ups and downs, Canadians still represent the overwhelming majority of non-U.S. homebuyers. The second-biggest share was claimed by Mexico, at 6.4 percent, followed by the United Kingdom (5.9 percent), Germany (3.9 percent) and Australia (3 percent).
These numbers were based on international views of for-sale listings in the U.S. Realtor.com marketplace from January to March 2026 and previous quarters.
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Where Are Canadians Buying Homes?
Canadian homebuyers, who for decades have been known predominantly as snowbirds in states like Florida, continue to dominate international views in the Sunbelt and Southwest markets, Realtor.com found.
Cape Coral, Florida, was the most popular destination among Canadian buyers, with 71 percent of its international demand coming from the country.
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Another Florida city, Naples, followed it with 70.9 percent. In third place was Phoenix, Arizona (66.9 percent), followed by North Port, Florida (66.2 percent), Tampa, Florida (58.8 percent), and Riverside, California (56 percent).
These same markets also posted the largest year-over-year increases in Canadian interest between the first quarter of 2025 Q1 and the first quarter of 2026, led by Cape Coral (+9.2 percentage points), Naples (+8.8 percentage points), and Phoenix (+6.7 percentage points).
On the other end, Canadians' interest in certain U.S. markets continued to falter this year. Traffic in Chicago, Illinois, was down 2.2 percentage points from the first quarter of 2025, while in Atlanta, Georgia, it was down 0.2 percentage points year-over-year and 5.8 percentage points since the first quarter of 2024.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 7:45 AM.