U.S. searching Canadian real estate on Inauguration Day

According to real estate provider Royal LePage, American interest in Canadian property has risen following the U.S. Presidential Election, with an increased number of Americans conducting research into real estate markets across the country.

American web traffic on the Royal LePage website has been highly correlated to recent U.S. political events. U.S.-originated sessions surged about 330% the day after the election and climbed over 200% the week after Donald Trump's victory.

Looking at the full month of November, 2016, U.S. web traffic grew 74% over last year, when compared to the same period in 2015. This trend continued throughout the remainder of 2016, with American web traffic rising by 40% during the last part of the year.

Nearly 40% of agents surveyed are forecasting that American inquiries into Canadian real estate will rise under President Donald Trump. In the fourth quarter of 2016, when it’s usually quieter for North American real estate activity, 15% of the advisors polled received inquiries from south of the border.

"The United States was already a top source for immigration into Canada, and now in the period following the recent U.S. election, we are witnessing a material bump in American interest in Canadian real estate,” said Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage.

During the fourth quarter of 2016, American interest was primarily focused on Canada's largest markets, with Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec receiving 73% of all U.S. regional pageviews.

Specifically, British Columbia accounted for 17% of U.S. regional pageviews, while also showing a 63% per cent increase year-over-year. Victoria garnered the most attention among B.C. cities from prospective U.S. home-buyers, being cited as the preferred location by approximately one third of people. Looking ahead to 2017, 44% of B.C. agents anticipate American inquiries into Canadian real estate will increase after Donald Trump takes office.