2025 was a weird, wild, and transformative year. The forces reshaping global politics, economics, and security had been building for some time, but this year brought them into sharp and undeniable focus.
Donald Trump returning to the political stage on an explicitly nationalist platform was definitely the biggest story of the year. In his first sixty days in office, he moved aggressively to unwind key pillars of the global economic framework—challenging long-standing trade arrangements, alliances, and norms that had underpinned decades of relatively stable geopolitics and integrated commerce. Together, these developments signaled not a temporary disruption, but a structural transformation of the global order, the consequences of which are still unfolding.
This environment has created a lot of fear and confusion. Interest rates continued to come down in 2025 (see graphs below), yet buyers are moving forward cautiously.
Looking ahead, both the Squamish and Whistler markets are sensitive to what’s happening in Vancouver. From my perspective, the two biggest factors affecting Vancouver market sentiment are interest rates and economic jitters. Hopefully we’re through the worst of it with Trump and people start feeling less nervous about his next crazy antic. I’m optimistic we’ll see some improvement of Vancouver market conditions this spring – which will most definitely help the Whistler market out. The elimination of the Underutilized Housing Tax will also be helpful to the Whistler market.
Squamish is cruising along and prices have continued to broadly drift upwards (see chart below). When you pull off the highway and spend any significant time in the town, it is not hard to see why it’s such a nice place to live. My call is that the biggest opportunity in the whole Sea to Sky region is single family houses under $1.5M in Squamish, particularly along corridors that will densify significantly in the coming decades (similar to what’s happened along Cambie in Vancouver). This is also the most competitive segment – a few times this fall, I represented clients in multiple offer scenarios where up to 7 offers were on the table.
At the end of the day, both Squamish and Whistler are highly desirable places to live and play. In my mind, as the wider world feels more uncertain or chaotic, places rooted in nature and which offer healthy, joyful lifestyles will become even more attractive.
I want to thank you sincerely for your trust and for being part of my business. I hope this letter finds you well and that 2026 is a successful and fulfilling year.
~
Lindsay
604-612-1484
lindsay@lindsaymcivorrealestate.com
Follow me on Instagram @squamish_whistler_real_estate