When America gets turbulent, Canada gets the clicks, says Royal LePage

Royal LePage says U.S. traffic to its website surged to record levels this spring, as tensions surrounding Iran and ongoing political instability in the United States appeared to drive interest in Canada.

The real estate company said visits from U.S.-based users its website climbed sharply during periods of heightened uncertainty in the first five months of 2026, including a record spike in early April that coincided with escalating tensions related to the Iran conflict and ceasefire negotiations.

Traffic levels far above normal

Anne-Elise Cugliari Allegritti, Royal LePage’s vice-president of research and communications, said the company typically sees between 10,000 and 15,000 U.S.-based visitors to its website in a given week.

“So far this year we’ve hit as high as 40,000, but for sustained periods of time, and very recently reached close to 80,000,” she said.

According to Royal LePage, significant surges also occurred during the week of April 26 to May 2 following the shooting that disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington and amid legal and political developments surrounding the mailing of mifepristone, a medication commonly used for abortions outside of clinical settings.

Royal LePage noted that similar surges in U.S. traffic occurred following the first presidential debate between then-president Joe Biden and Republican candidate Donald Trump in 2024 and again after Trump’s re-election later that year.

Citizenship applications also rising

A recent National Post report, citing Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada data, said the federal government received 8,900 proof-of-citizenship applications in January, compared with 5,940 a year earlier. The newspaper reported that Americans accounted for an unusually high number of applications following changes to broaden citizenship rules under Bill C-3.

Cugliari Allegritti said increased interest in Canadian citizenship could eventually translate into housing demand.

“We know that there has been an increase in applications for citizenship to Canada in recent months, and that obviously will translate, possibly to rentals at first, but eventually to sales,” she said.

Interest extending beyond online searches

Although Royal LePage does not track the specific origins of buyers, Cugliari Allegritti said surveys of the company’s agents suggest growing interest from Americans is translating into inquiries on the ground.

“We’ve asked (agents) if they’ve seen an increase in inquiries or appointments with clients that are coming from south of the border, and the answer is overwhelmingly yes,” she said.

The trend has been observed across multiple markets, including recreational property regions and communities near the Canada-U.S. border.

Cugliari Allegritti said Canada offers a combination of familiarity and affordability that may appeal to some Americans considering a move.

“Our country seems very accessible to Americans given that we speak the same language,” she said. “There’s also the fact that their dollar will go a lot further here.”

Royal LePage recently reported that one-third of its recreational property experts across Canada had seen an increase in inquiries from American buyers over the past year.

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