1 in 5 Canadians Eying the U.S housing Market

As a Calgary Realtor, I am often asked about the potential for investment in the local Calgary real estate market, but what about investing in the U.S. housing market?

A Canadian Financial Institution (Bank of Montreal ) conducted a survey recently with Ledger Marketing .The conclusion is that 20% of Canadians are watching the US market with an eye to buy, that is a whopping 1 in 5! Men lead the way in this study (29%men vs 16% woman) Alberta leads the way with 31% of these potential buyers, while British Columbia came in second at 28% are the most interested and likely to buy US property. Overall those in the “Prairie Regions” are most likely to invest across the border. Ultimately it is the strong Canadian dollar and the attractive prices south of the border that are driving this trend.

Investing in U.S. real estate markets could prove to be ideal for those Canadians willing to take their money across the border to buy property.  With the American economy and employment gaining strength the housing market will be affected positively. We should start to see a rise over time. Over the long term the U.S. dollar with gain strength and provide an opportunity for capital appreciation for Canadians who have purchased U.S. property at a low price when the Canadian dollar was high. Combining the investment opportunity to buy real estate at a low price with the potential of a gain in the U.S. dollar, could prove to be a positive long term investment for Canadians.

Canadian economists have predicted that that the U.S. real estate market has bottomed out and a recovery is in sight.  Predictions include a strengthening of the U.S. housing market for 2012. This makes it a perfect time for Canadians to invest in  U.S. housing markets.

About the author: Crystal Tost lives in Calgary, Alberta Canada where she has been a full time Calgary Realtor for over 15 years