Recreational buyers stayed cautious but kept betting on Canadian lakes and forests
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Recreational housing markets across Canada continued to defy broader uncertainty in 2025. Prices in many cottage regions edged higher even as buyers took longer to commit, and cross‑border travel to the United States fell sharply.
Royal LePage forecast that the median price of a single‑family home in recreational areas would rise a further 4.0% in 2026 to $604,552, following a 4.3% gain last year to $581,300 in 2025.
Royal LePage said constrained supply remained the key driver, even as geopolitical tensions and higher borrowing costs weighed on sentiment.
“Concerns about the state of global affairs are certainly on the minds of many Canadians, including recreational property buyers, and are tempering demand in parts of the country,” Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage, said.
“At the same time, limited supply is supporting price gains in many markets. New developments in these regions remain relatively rare, and many properties are tightly held by families for generations.”
Buy‑Canadian shift met thin cottage supply
The report pointed to a pronounced “Buy Canadian” undercurrent.
Royal LePage’s internal survey found that 40% of recreational specialists saw more domestic inquiries tied to that trend.
That echoed earlier Royal LePage report about ski regions, where Soper said a growing “Buy Canadian mindset helped reignite demand for slopeside chalets and mountain retreats.”
“Canadians are continuing to swap traditional cross‑border getaways for at‑home alternatives, trading Florida oceanfronts for Ontario lakes, or Arizona deserts for British Columbia forests,” Soper said.
He added that mid‑2025 research indicated that 54% of Canadians who owned property in the US planned to sell, with many intending to reinvest in Canadian real estate.
Return‑to‑office cooled some full‑time cottage moves
The pendulum on pandemic‑era relocations also swung back.
More than one‑third of Royal LePage’s recreational experts reported an uptick in full‑time cottage residents moving back to cities as employers tightened office attendance.
“In Atlantic Canada, demand and inventory levels are similar to last year, though buyers are taking more time to evaluate their options, resulting in slightly longer days on market,” South Shore–based Royal LePage Atlantic sales representative Corey Huskilson said.
In Quebec, senior vice‑president Dominic St‑Pierre said “the lack of new developments in sought‑after areas keep constant pressure on prices,” while in Alberta, associate broker Brad Hawker said demand in Canmore stayed firm as buyers sought “world‑class skiing, hiking and biking.”
Regional markets diverged, but demand endured
Atlantic single‑family recreational prices climbed 11.8% in 2025, compared with a marginal 0.4% rise in Ontario and 2.8% in British Columbia.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan saw a 4.6% gain, while Alberta posted a 10.8% increase off the back of Canmore’s high‑end segment.
Local experts stressed that most buyers now treat cottages as long‑term lifestyle assets rather than speculative plays.
“Most activity today is being driven by Canadians purchasing recreational properties for personal use as a secondary residence rather than purely as an investment opportunity,” Huskilson said.
In Quebec, St‑Pierre said demand is “driven by a diverse range of profiles, from city dwellers seeking an occasional retreat to households that now view the vacation home as a cornerstone of their lifestyle and a safe haven for their family wealth.”
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