New Zealand property searches by US residents spiked dramatically following Donald Trump’s election victory, particularly from Democratic-leaning states.
Data from realestate.co.nz shows a significant 123% increase in property searches from the US on 7 November (NZST), the day after Trump’s win, marking one of the highest single-day spikes in searches from the United States this year.
The data reflects heightened interest from key Democratic states like California and Virginia, where year-on-year search activity increased by 96.6% and 30.9%, respectively.
As political uncertainty continues to stir in the US, New Zealand’s appeal seems to be growing among residents from states that supported Kamala Harris, suggesting political motivations behind the interest.
Realestate.co.nz spokesperson Vanessa Williams said that the election-related spike aligns with a larger trend.
Property searches from US-based users on the site nearly tripled on 6–7 November, covering the vote count and the day following Trump’s victory.
In addition, search activity in the two weeks before the election (25 October – 7 November) was up by 36.6% compared to the preceding period, indicating that many US users were exploring New Zealand property options in anticipation of the election outcome.
This interest continued after the result, with US-based searches on realestate.co.nz increasing by 159.4% year-on-year between 7–10 November.
“Both the timing of the election and the increase in search activity from blue states support the idea that political factors are driving some Americans to look at New Zealand as a viable relocation option,” Ms Williams said.
