Canadians are once again showing strong interest in purchasing homes in the United States, with online searches rebounding in the first quarter of 2026 after a sharp decline last year amid President Donald Trump's tariffs. According to a new report from Realtor.com, interest among Canadian buyers increased by 3 percent compared to 2025, signaling a gradual thaw in the unofficial boycott.
Canadians Dominate International Demand
The real estate website analyzed international views of U.S. for-sale listings and found that Canadians accounted for 37.8 percent of total international traffic in the first quarter of 2026, up from 34.8 percent in the same period of 2025. This makes Canada the top source of international demand for U.S. homes, far ahead of Mexico at 6.4 percent, the United Kingdom at 5.9 percent, Germany at 3.9 percent, and Australia at 3 percent.
However, Canadian demand has not yet returned to pre-tariff levels. In the first quarter of 2024, Canadians represented 41.8 percent of international online traffic to Realtor.com. The rebound suggests that Canadians are becoming more open to buying property in the U.S. than they were when Trump’s tariffs were first announced.
Steep Drop and Recovery
Real estate brokerage Redfin saw a steep drop in Canadian searches for U.S. properties last year, beginning in February 2025 when Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on Canadian exports. The biggest drop, 34.2 percent year-over-year, came in April, coinciding with the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs. Phoenix-area realtor Heather Mahmood-Corley told National Post at the time: “All my Canadian clients I had, I sold their homes earlier this year, and they have no interest in buying anything at all. They all left.”
But now, the tide is turning. Canadian buyers dominated international views in the U.S. Sun Belt in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Realtor.com analysis. Cape Coral, Florida, was the most popular location, with 71 percent of its international demand coming from Canada. It was followed by Naples, Florida (70.9 percent), Phoenix, Arizona (66.9 percent), North Port, Florida (66.2 percent), Tampa, Florida (58.8 percent), and Riverside, California (56 percent).
Growth in Sun Belt Markets
Those same markets also recorded the largest year-over-year growth in Canadian interest between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026, led by Cape Coral with an increase of 9.2 percentage points. This indicates that Canadian buyers are particularly drawn to warm-weather destinations.
Broader Travel Trends
The rebound in property interest is mirrored by an increase in travel to the U.S. April 2026 data from Statistics Canada found that return trips by Canadians from the U.S. increased 1.4 percent compared with the same month in 2025. Return trips by automobile rose 5.8 percent. That made April the first month since December 2024 to record a year-over-year increase in overall return trips from the United States.
Despite the ups and downs, Canadians still make up an overwhelming majority of international home buyers in the U.S., according to Realtor.com. The trend suggests that the boycott triggered by tariffs is gradually thawing, as Canadians resume their traditional interest in U.S. real estate and travel.
