Redfin data shows a sharp year-over-year decline in Canadian searches for U.S. homes in June, with Sun Belt metros hit hardest and cumulative two-year losses now approaching 40%.
Source: Original report
Fewer Canadians are browsing the U.S. housing market. The number of Canada-based users on Redfin.com searching for American homes — whether to buy or rent — slid 15.3% year over year in June, according to a new analysis by Redfin. That marks a steeper decline than the 10.1% drop recorded in May and extends a downturn that, over the past two years, has now erased roughly 37% of Canadian search activity on the platform.
A Two-Year Slide With No Clear Floor
The pullback is not a new phenomenon. As recently as June 2025, Canadian search traffic for U.S. listings was already down 25.7% compared to the prior year. The continued deterioration suggests cross-border housing interest has not stabilized, even as parts of Canada's domestic economy begin to show early signs of recovery.
Redfin's chief economics researcher Chen Zhao attributed the decline to a combination of lingering financial anxieties north of the border. Trade policy uncertainty, labor market concerns, domestic real estate conditions and inflation pressures are all giving Canadian households reason to reconsider large-ticket purchases — and few commitments are larger than buying property in another country.
Sun Belt Cities See the Sharpest Declines
Of the 50 most populous U.S. metros, 45 recorded a year-over-year drop in searches originating from Canada. The steepest declines clustered in Sun Belt and Texas markets:
- San Antonio: down 51.8%
- Austin: down 48.6%
- Nassau County, NY: down 33.4%
- Houston: down 32.5%
- Cleveland: down 29.3%
These markets had been popular targets for cross-border interest in recent years, making their sharp declines particularly notable.
A Few Markets Buck the Trend
Not every metro is losing Canadian attention. Five cities posted year-over-year increases in searches from Canada-based users:
- Kansas City: up 17.6%
- New Brunswick, NJ: up 11.6%
- Nashville: up 9.4%
- Sacramento: up 9.3%
- St. Louis: up 9.3%
What draws Canadian interest to these specific cities is unclear from the data alone, but affordability relative to major coastal markets and lifestyle appeal may be contributing factors.
What Search Data Can and Cannot Tell Us
Redfin's search figures track unique users who viewed U.S. listings during a given month — each person is counted once regardless of how many properties they examined. The company notes that search activity serves as an early-stage demand signal but does not directly correspond to completed transactions or relocations. Even so, a sustained two-year retreat in browsing behavior typically reflects genuine shifts in buyer sentiment rather than seasonal noise.
For U.S. sellers and agents who have historically courted Canadian buyers — particularly in Florida, the Southwest and other warmer-climate destinations — the data adds to a broader picture of softening international demand at a time when the domestic market is already navigating elevated mortgage rates and affordability constraints.
