Ian Charlebois
| Charlebois Real Estate & Mortgages
or another way
Buy · U.S. property
A winter home in the sun, a place near family, a condo in a city you love: buying in the U.S. means a purchase under state law, U.S. tax rules on rent and on the sale, and Canadian rules on your tax return and health coverage. We arrange the financing from here, and I introduce you to an agent I know in the market you’re buying in.
The network
I was the first honouree from outside the United States in REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30. That class of agents still meets every year in a different part of the country, and we stay in constant contact in between.
So when you buy in the U.S., I introduce you to an agent from that network who works the market you’re buying in, whether that’s a major city or a far-reaching county. In Florida, where many Canadians buy, that’s a trusted partner I work with directly. My team stays with you on the Canadian side: the financing, your Ontario home and the timing.
You don’t start with a search engine and a stranger. You start with an agent I know.
Who does what
Charlebois Real Estate & Mortgages is licensed to trade real estate in Ontario. In the U.S., you buy through an agent licensed in that state, and a local closing agent, such as a title company or a real estate attorney, handles the closing. Here’s who handles each part.
An agent from my network, licensed in the state you’re buying in, finds the home and negotiates the contract under local rules.
Our mortgage team arranges all types of financing for the purchase: a refinance or home equity line of credit on your Canadian home, or a mortgage on the U.S. property itself.
We work with financial partners on both sides of the border who specialize in cross-border accounting. Bring them in before you choose how to finance and hold the property.
Sell it, keep it or rent it out. Our real estate team plans it, and our property management team can look after it.
Your days
A U.S. home invites long stays. Three separate sets of rules count your days, and each has its own limit.
U.S. immigration, U.S. tax and Ontario health coverage each keep their own calendar.
Canadians can usually visit the U.S. for up to 6 months without a visa; the border officer sets your authorized stay, and you declare how long you plan to stay. Visits longer than 30 days require registration with the U.S. government.
The substantial presence test counts your days over three years. Reach 183 and you may be a U.S. resident for tax, unless you were present fewer than 183 days this year and file Form 8840 to claim a closer connection to Canada.
Ontario generally lets you be outside the province for up to 212 days in any 12-month period and keep OHIP, as long as Ontario stays your primary home. Longer absences have their own rules.
The arithmetic of the substantial presence test: all of this year’s days, a third of last year’s and a sixth of the year before.
Costs
Every state sets its own transfer taxes and property tax rules, so ask your U.S. agent for each number before you make an offer. Florida, where many Canadians buy, shows the kind of items to budget for.
Documentary stamp tax is 70 cents per $100 of the price in every county except Miami-Dade, which charges 60 cents plus a 45-cent surtax unless the property is a single-family home. All parties are liable, whoever pays under the contract.
A mortgage recorded in Florida carries documentary stamp tax too: 35 cents per $100 of the amount it secures.
Florida’s homestead exemption, worth up to $50,000 of assessed value, requires the home to be your permanent residence on January 1. If your permanent home stays in Canada, budget without it.
Get insurance quotes, including wind and flood coverage where it applies, and the condo or homeowners’ association fees and rules before you firm up the purchase.
Renting the home out or selling it can mean a U.S. tax return, and an ITIN if you don’t have a Social Security number.
You buy in U.S. dollars. When and how you exchange is part of the cost, as is any Canadian borrowing you convert.
The steps
The order matters: the money and the ownership decisions come before the house.
The best time to plan the sale of a U.S. home is before you buy it.
Rules checked on October 16, 2026 against the IRS (FIRPTA withholding and its exceptions, rental income, the substantial presence test and Form 8840, estate tax for nonresidents, ITINs), the Canada Revenue Agency (Form T1135, the foreign tax credit, property at death), the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the Florida Department of Revenue (documentary stamp tax, homestead exemption), Ontario (OHIP outside Canada) and Global Affairs Canada.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, and how they apply depends on your situation, so confirm yours with a cross-border accountant, such as our partners on both sides of the border, and a lawyer before you act.
Questions
Yes. The purchase itself goes through an agent licensed in that state, and I introduce you to one from my own network: the agents I was named with in REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30, who meet every year and stay in constant contact. Our mortgage team arranges the financing, and we plan what happens to your Ontario home.
Every major U.S. market, and far-reaching counties well beyond them. For Florida, that’s a trusted partner from my U.S. network. Tell us the city, county or region you’re considering, and I’ll introduce you to an agent who works there.
As a visitor, Canadians can usually stay up to 6 months without a visa; the border officer sets your authorized stay, and visits longer than 30 days require registration with the U.S. government. Separately, U.S. tax rules count your days over three years, and OHIP generally allows up to 212 days outside Ontario in a 12-month period. See Global Affairs Canada.
Only if the home is your permanent residence on January 1. The exemption, worth up to $50,000 of assessed value, is for permanent Florida residents. If your permanent home stays in Canada, budget your property tax without it. Other states have their own rules. See the Florida Department of Revenue.
A vacation home you use primarily yourself is personal-use property and isn’t reported on Form T1135. If you rent it out with a reasonable expectation of profit and your foreign property costs more than $100,000 in total, it is. Rental income is reportable in Canada either way. See the CRA’s T1135 questions.
The buyer generally must withhold 15% of the price under FIRPTA and send it to the IRS, with exceptions such as a sale of $300,000 or less to a buyer who will live in the home. See U.S. tax and estate basics.