The US election has Americans eyeing real estate in Quebec and their searches have doubled

Interest in Canadian real estate from across the U.S. border has seen a serious boost lately as Americans are starting to feel the weight of their upcoming 2024 presidential election, and so many of them are considering moving to Quebec.

According to Canadian real estate agency Royal LePage, visits to their website from U.S. residents looking to buy a home in Canada more than doubled in mid-June as election season got underway — and it hasn’t slowed down since. A new report from the real estate company reveals some eye-catching details about what’s driving this surge of interest in Canada’s housing market and which Canadian provinces are getting the most attention.

The report shows that U.S.-based visitors to royallepage.ca spiked by 104% in mid-June compared to the previous week and surged an impressive 67% over the same period last year. It seems the first presidential debate in June really stoked curiosity, as American traffic climbed even further the following week, growing by 4% more than the previous week (94% year over year).

Royal LePage notes that this election-driven trend is similar to what happened after the 2016 election, where U.S. searches for Canadian property also spiked after Donald Trump’s presidential win.

Royal LePage President and CEO Phil Soper shared that Canada’s reputation for political and social stability, universal health care and high quality of life has long made it a popular choice for potential U.S. relocators. “Canada’s relative political and social stability, high quality of life, and access to education and universal healthcare, make it a highly attractive country for newcomers from Europe, Asia and around the world,” said Soper.

“Consistently ranking as one of the best countries in the world to live in, Canada continues to be a significant destination for international relocation.”

Key highlights

1. Massive traffic increase: In mid-June, American visits to royallepage.ca more than doubled. July saw the highest monthly U.S. visitor count, with a significant spike on July 15 — the day Donald Trump was confirmed as the Republican nominee.
2. Interest from South Carolina: Among U.S. visitors, the historically Republican state of South Carolina has consistently led in traffic to the site, with states leaning Democrat also showing substantial interest.
3. Canadian provinces in focus: Ontario, B.C. and Quebec received 70% of all U.S.-originated site visits, with Ontario leading at 38%, followed by B.C. at 17% and Quebec at 16%. Royal LePage notes this is consistent with the country’s largest real estate markets, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
4. Possible shift to permanent moves: The report suggests that while Americans have traditionally looked at Canadian vacation properties, the “polarized” nature of this election might lead some to consider a more permanent move.

While browsing online real estate listings doesn’t necessarily translate to a cross-border move, the data suggests that the idea of relocating to Canada is becoming a more appealing thought for some Americans this election season.

As Soper puts it, “Nothing like political and economic uncertainty to get people searching for greener grass!”

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