Some Canadian snowbirds selling homes in U.S. amid tensions, rising cost of living
Posted Feb 5, 2025 9:37 am.
Despite the significant difference in temperatures this time of year, some Canadians say they’d prefer to be up north than in a cozy second home in the U.S.A.
This comes as tensions rise between the two countries, following several comments made by President Donald Trump about making Canada the 51st state, and calling for a 25 per cent tariff on most Canadian goods and a 10 per cent tariff on oil, gas, and electricity.
The lower Canadian dollar, interest rates, and the rising cost of living down south also have many snowbirds thinking of getting rid of their properties, and the way Trump has been treating Canada lately has been the nail in the coffin for some to pull the trigger, according to Laurie Lavine, a former Calgarian who now helps Canadians buy and sell homes in Phoenix.
“They are fed up with the political climate, they are fed up with feeling bullied, with sovereignty issues, and the threat of tariffs,” he said.
Snowbird Rick Mauro hasn’t made that decision yet; he’s from Ontario and has a seasonal home in Florida, but says with the lower Canadian dollar and Trump’s latest remarks, he says he’s seriously considering it.
“It’s really hard to go, I want to leave here when I know what the temperatures are like back in Toronto,” he said from the desert.
But, spending the winters down south isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Mauro.
“Everything is 50 per cent more; when you go out for a $20 lunch, it’s now a $30 lunch… It starts to tug at your patriotism and makes you go, ‘Is this a comfortable place to be at the current time?’”
If he does end up leaving the U.S., there are options Mauro and other snowbirds like him have on their radar.
“Portugal, not quite as warm as Florida this time of year, and Mexico,” he said.
Lavine says he’s been very busy, carrying twice as many listing as last year.
“I’m Canadian first, I’m not liking the political climate either and I’m counting down the days of this four-year term coming to an end,” he said.
