Snowbirds continue to sell, or contemplate selling, their American recreational properties en masse due to increased political tensions between Canada and the U.S., according to Royal LePage.

Snowbirds refer to Canadians who reside for several months each year in warm, mostly U.S., locations. The reports come from both sides of the border, with both Royal LePage and the U.S.-based National Association of Realtors detailing significant downturns in Snowbird purchases of American properties.

More than half of Canadians who currently own a residential property in the U.S. are thinking of selling it within the next year, Royal LePage reported. Royal LePage based its findings on a survey that it commissioned public relations firm Burson to conduct.

Nearly two-thirds of the survey’s respondents who are considering the sale of their U.S. property point to concerns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s government policies and the political climate.

“It’s a hundred small things and one big dark cloud,” Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage, told The Toronto Star.

“They can’t turn off the channel that is the daily barrage of news out of Washington.”

Almost half (44%) of Snowbirds who sold their U.S. properties within the past year said the transactions occurred because of the current political administration, while 27% said they sold for personal reasons, and 22% were concerned about increasingly extreme weather conditions.

But Canadians were the second-largest group of foreign buyers in the U.S., accounting for 14% of international home sales while transacting US$6.2 billion worth of deals, the NAR reported. China had the highest number of foreign buyers (15%) while completing $13.7 billion worth of deals.

The NAR noted that it surveyed members, and captured its data, before new tariffs were announced in April 2025.

“The polarizing political climate in the United States is prompting many Canadians to reconsider how and where they spend their time and money,” said Soper in a news release.

“Canadians have been the most important foreign investors in America’s residential real estate market for years, and a significant wave of property sales would leave a noticeable mark on the regional economies that Snowbirds support.

“While wealthy buyers from China and other nations also spend a great deal on American residential real estate, purchasing expensive properties in major cities as investments, Canadians actually live in the neighbourhoods where they buy,” said Soper in a news release. “They shop locally, dine out, volunteer and join pickleball leagues. Places like Florida, Arizona and California stand to lose millions in economic activity each year – and thousands of neighbours – if Canadian owners pull their capital from U.S. housing markets.”

Canadian developers, investors and homeowners could stand to benefit from the exodus, according to Royal LePage. About one-third of respondents who have recently sold, or are planning to sell their U.S. home, said they they intend to reinvest their sales proceeds into the Canadian real estate market

Despite the Snowbirds’ ongoing exodus, foreign investment in existing U.S. homes rose 33.2% from the previous 12-month period while completing US$56 billion worth of deals. The total number of properties sold rose 44% to 78,100, marking the first year-over-year increase since 2017.

Foreign buyers paid a record-high median price of US$494,400.

“International interest in buying U.S. real estate increased following the global economic recovery from several years of pandemic-related disruptions,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

But, he added, elevated home prices and interest rates continue to dampen overall potential sales activity, and deals remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

Pictured: Condominium complex in Phoenix.

Photo: Realtor.com