Canadians Buying Austin Real Estate
Over the last several weeks I have seen a lot of Canadian buyers registering on my website to look at real estate in Austin. Most have been from eastern Canada, but some have been from other parts of our neighbor to the north. These visitors made me wonder why they were looking at buying in the States, specifically in the Austin area.
Part of that must be the weakness of the U.S. dollar - or should I say the strength of the Canadian dollar? The Canadian dollar, which has been weak compared to the U.S. dollar for over 30 years is finally worth around one U.S. dollar. This makes real estate in the States a bit less expensive to Canadian buyers.
Another reason is probably the same reason that I see a lot of people from northern states on my site. They want a place to spend the winter. As U.S. cities go, much of Austin isn’t a very expensive place to buy real estate. The area is also beautiful, with dramatic hills and lakes, making it ideal for outdoor recreation. Winters are mild and people can golf, hike, bike and boat year round. Why spend a February day in Edmonton at minus 40 (this is the only place on the thermometer at which the temp in Celcius is the same as Farenheit) when you could be sitting on your back porch in Austin in shorts and a T shirt? Last week I exchanged emails with a guy in Calgary who was considering a move to Austin. He said that Calgary is great, but he hated the weather.
If you are in Canada and want to look at Austin real estate, give me a call at 512-293-2422.