Uptick In International Buyer Interest In US Real Estate

A new report from Realtor.com reveals a modest uptick in international interest in U.S. real estate, with 1.9% of the platform's traffic in the first quarter of 2025 coming from global home shoppers -- up slightly from the same period in 2024.

However, this overall growth masks notable shifts among individual countries, particularly a sharp decline in demand from Canada, historically the top source of international buyers.

Canadian interest dropped from 40.7% of international traffic in Q1 2024 to 34.7% in Q1 2025, underscoring how recent trade policy tensions may be cooling cross-border real estate interest.

"Despite the overall uptick in international demand for U.S. housing, the drop from potential Canadian shoppers underscores the impact of recent trade policies on cross-border real estate interest," said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com. "The growing appeal of Texas markets to international buyers signals a noteworthy regional shift in investment focus, potentially driven by economic factors and business-friendly environments."

Canadian buyers still account for the largest share of international home search traffic to the U.S. in Q1 2025. They were followed by buyers from the UK (5.7%), Mexico (5.4%), Germany (3.8%), and Australia (3.2%).

Miami remained the most searched U.S. metro by foreign buyers, attracting 8.7% of international demand. Rounding out the top cities were New York, Los Angeles, and Orlando.