Canadians who own property in the U.S. will be able to come see their properties for the first time since March 2020 when the border reopens Nov. 8. That means Canadians are coming back to Ellicottville.
Realtor Tina Dillon said the Canadians who have places in the village and in the surrounding towns have held on to their properties, even if they couldn't use them during the COVID-19 lockdown. She said the Canadian-owned turnover has been about average, although there is a lot of cash coming in for rental housing in the county or for the possible profits of Airbnb.
She said owners can take in $100,000 a year because Ellicottville has become such a year-round attraction, with ski areas and golf courses.
"A lot of people flocked to Ellicottville for recreational purposes," Dillon said. "They could come down here. They could go for a hike, up at Spruce Lake. They could go to Allegany State Park. They could just come down. We had curbside restaurants, you know, take out. So a lot of people made Ellicottville, even more so, a destination."
Ellicottville Mayor John Burrell agreed, there is a major Canadian presence.
"The majority of residences, both in the village and the town, are owned by part-time users and over half of them are actually Canadians," Burrell said. "It's a huge number of Canadian-owned residences in the village and the town."
He said this past year, and especially since January, the village has seen a tremendous amount of housing inventory go on the market. It's not lasting long and, in many cases, the selling prices are more than asking prices.
Burrell said during the lockdown, local businesses worked to bring in outsiders to replace the Canadian bar and restaurant customers, while the ski areas marketed well outside Western New York successfully. The mayor said the big problem is getting restaurants and retail workers — a national problem. He said even people with an employment track record aren't working.
