A survey finds most Canadians aged 18 to 34 plan to include a recreational property in their portfolio
Almost half of prospective Canadian homebuyers are now eyeing recreational properties as their first purchase, not as a cottage retreat, but as a calculated market entry.
A Leger survey commissioned by REMAX Canada found that 45 percent of prospective buyers plan to use a recreational property as their entry point into homeownership.
Sixty percent of current recreational property owners said the asset forms part of their long-term wealth strategy.
The trend skews younger: 54 percent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 plan to include a recreational property in their portfolio, compared to 30 percent of those aged 35 and older.
In an analysis of 21 recreational markets, REMAX Canada found that more than half are expected to remain buyer's markets in 2026, with one-third projected to be balanced.
The national average price is expected to rise 1.5 percent through the remainder of the year.
Regional dynamics vary.
According to anecdotal broker data, investors in Canmore, Alberta are targeting short-term rental opportunities, while buyers in Ontario cottage country — including Kawartha Lakes — are focused on legacy-driven, long-term holds.
In Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario, buyers are treating recreational properties as lower-cost entry points with appreciation potential.
Buyers are prioritising move-in ready, year-round properties, with 61 percent preferring a recently renovated unit and 59 percent wanting year-round rather than seasonal access, a preference broker surveys identified as especially strong in British Columbia and Ontario.
Maintenance costs present a countervailing risk.
Forty percent of Canadians said costs would not be manageable if they were to inherit a recreational property, and REMAX brokers reported that rising costs are pushing some owners to sell.
Brokers flagged growing buyer demand for infrastructure knowledge, including septic systems and docks, as well as heightened attention to environmental risks such as flooding, fire, and erosion.
Return-to-office mandates are adding further pressure: 28 percent of current recreational property owners said these policies are prompting them to consider selling, while 14 percent of non-owners cited return-to-office expectations as a barrier to buying.
Broker-submitted surveys point to a generational dimension, with buyers in markets such as Peterborough, The Kawarthas, and Sylvan Lake, Alberta increasingly looking to pass recreational properties to the next generation.
Don Kottick, president of REMAX Canada, said recreational properties are becoming a vehicle for building equity "in a different segment of the market while creating something tangible that can be held, leveraged, and passed down across generations."