Snowbird selloff: Canadians are parting ways with U.S. properties

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Over the last 15 years, grain farmer Dale McMullen has escaped the Alberta cold for sunny Arizona. But after this winter, he doesn’t plan on returning.

“The papers are signed,” said the Innisfail, Alta., resident.

“I don’t want to spend another one of my dollars down there.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I don't want to spend another one of my dollars down there."

He and his wife sold their winter home in Phoenix. It closed this Friday.

View image in full screen Alberta residents Dale and Tracy McMullen recently sold their winter home in Arizona because of the U.S. political climate. Source: Dale McMullen

“We’ve been tolerating the poor dollar for a few years, hoping that it would get better. But now this political mess with the U.S. and Mr. Trump. It’s very, very insulting,” said McMullen, who returned to Canada last Sunday.

“It was just almost like a relief to be home.“ Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was just almost like a relief to be home.<em>"</em>

He says he’ll miss his second home, the wonderful weather, and his American friends.

“We had many people stop and apologize for what’s happening. And they feel terrible,” said McMullen.

“But I mean, it is what it is. They elected the man.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "But I mean, it is what it is. They elected the man."

The McMullens are part of a real estate exodus.

In the face of a trade war with the U.S., President Donald Trump’s annexation threats, and the falling Canadian dollar, snowbirds are increasingly getting rid of their U.S. properties, say realtors.

1:50 Trump is turning Quebecers off from traveling to the U.S.

Nathalie Mancuso, who lives just outside Montreal, recently sold her condo in Pompano Beach, north of Fort Lauderdale.

“We didn’t want to keep investing and giving our money to a country that is led by a fool,” she told Global News. “[Trump] was insulting Canadians like they’re a piece of carpet under your feet.”

View image in full screen Quebecer Nathalie Mancuso and her husband sold their Florida property, fed up with Trump’s 51st state comments and tariffs against Canada. Source: Nathalie Mancuso

She and her husband vacationed in the Sunshine State for more than a decade, but the appeal has started to fade, since Trump’s return to the White House, says Mancuso.

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“We were really disappointed to have to take this decision,” she said from her home in Vaudreuil-Dorion. “But we felt like we couldn’t betray our souls.”

1:41 N.B. couple says they are done being Florida snowbirds amid tensions between Canada and U.S.

Catherine Spino, a real estate agent in south Florida, is witnessing what she describes as a “major shift,” as the market becomes more expensive and less predictable for Canadians.

“There are multiple reasons,” she told Global News. “But definitely they want to sell, and they want to cash out and bring back their money to Canada.”

Arizona Premier Realty realtor Laurie Lavine has also seen listings jump.

“My phone’s been ringing off the hook. I normally have two, three listings at a time at this time of the year,” said Lavine. “Right now I have 16.”

Canadians top the list of foreign buyers in the U.S. making up 13 percent of home purchases — most in Florida and Arizona — last year, according to a report from the U.S. organization the National Association of Realtors.

But escaping the cold appears less attractive when the relationship between the U.S. and Canada is also frigid.

“When they say that they’re going to invade or they’re gonna crush our economy, you have to wonder,” said retiree Bob Gass.

The Manitoban has been a snowbird for the last 15 years and owns a home with his wife in south-central Florida.

Gass says several Canadians have put up “for sale” signs in the neighbourhood.

“If you’re Canadian, you’re either putting your house up for sale and leaving or you’re talking about it. And that’s where my wife and I are now,” he said.

“We’d like to go there a few more years in the wintertime, but we’re just not sure what we’re going to do.”

2:01 Saskatchewan snowbirds reconsider U.S. travel

The 72-year-old from McCreary, Man., is concerned with the costly currency exchange, the U.S. tariffs against Canada and a thickening of the border.

On Friday, new rules went into effect, requiring visitors staying in the United States for more than 30 days to register with the U.S. government.

“We’d like to comply, but if that becomes a problem, then we’ve got to sell our house and get out,” said Gass.

McMullen said he made up his mind after Trump threatened Canadian sovereignty and called former prime minister Justin Trudeau ‘”governor.”

“Enough is enough. We don’t want to support that anymore. We came home and we’ll join in and get our elbows up.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Enough is enough. We don't want to support that anymore. We came home and we'll join in and get our elbows up."