Quick answers

Quick answers about the Seller's Starter Kit

Pricing postures, pre-listing preparation, and the questions most Coquitlam sellers ask before they commit to a listing date.

What's inside the Seller's Starter Kit?

A 17-page guide covering pricing anchors and the three pricing postures, the pre-listing checklist, staging playbook, 60-day pre-list countdown, timing decision tree, negotiation primer, closing-cost stack (including mortgage-penalty math), and the next-step sequence from first inquiry to keys-handed-over.

Is the Seller's Starter Kit free?

Yes — no charge, no credit card, no paywall. Opt-in delivers the PDF instantly and kicks off a seven-email onboarding sequence over two weeks covering the core pricing decisions and the strategy-call offer. Unsubscribe is honored immediately on any email.

What's the best month to list a home in Coquitlam?

The two strongest seasonal windows in Coquitlam are mid-March through early May, and mid-September through early November. The spring window delivers the tightest days-on-market; the fall window delivers the most serious buyers (families moving by year-end for school or financial reasons). Late June through August and December through February are noticeably weaker.

How long does it take to sell a home in Coquitlam?

Well-prepared, correctly-priced detached homes in strong catchments commonly sell inside 21 days in active seasonal windows. The 2026 Coquitlam average days-on-market across all listings runs 28–42 days depending on season. Over-priced or poorly-prepared listings routinely sit 60+ days before a price drop forces a sale.

How much does it cost to sell a home in BC?

Typical costs on a Coquitlam home sale include 3.5–5% total commission, $2,000–$3,000 legal/notary, any mortgage pre-payment penalty (often $10,000–$40,000 on a fixed-term mortgage with time remaining — check your IRD), and $5,000–$15,000 pre-listing prep. On a $1.5M sale, after-cost net is typically $1.41M–$1.44M.

Should I list my Coquitlam home now or wait?

Depends on three inputs: whether your home is listing-ready (paint, declutter, small repairs), whether your block's 90-day comp set is strong enough for buyer agents to underwrite confident offers, and whether your next-home plan is in place. When all three are green, list into the next seasonal window. When any is red, waiting usually nets more.

Sources referenced on this page include the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, BCREA, CMHC, the Government of British Columbia, School District 43, and the City of Coquitlam. Last reviewed 2026-04-20.

FREE DOWNLOAD — 17 pages

Craig Johnston · Top 2% Nationwide Team · Coquitlam

The Seller's Starter Kit — Coquitlam homes, priced and listed properly

A 17-page preparation guide for Coquitlam sellers who want to list with confidence, price accurately, and avoid the expensive mistakes that cost sellers 3-8% on final price. Written from experience with dozens of Tri-Cities listings.

  • The three pricing postures explained — below-market tactical (draws offers), at-market (safe), above-market test (protects ceiling) — and which fits your situation.
  • The room-by-room pre-listing checklist — exterior, kitchen, bathrooms, living areas — the real work that moves list-to-sale ratio.
  • The 60-day countdown from 'we should sell' to 'completion' — week-by-week tasks so nothing is rushed or forgotten.
  • The seller closing-cost stack — real-estate commission, legal fees, mortgage payout penalty (including the IRD trap), capital gains if it's a rental — the full number.

No sales calls. No drip of 30 emails. One download, one monthly market update, unsubscribe any time.

Get the Seller's Starter Kit

Where should I send it?

Enter your email and I'll send the PDF directly. You'll also get my monthly Coquitlam market update — the same one REALTORS in my office read first.

I respect your inbox. No sales calls. Unsubscribe any time.

What's inside

Every page in the Seller's Starter Kit — built from real Coquitlam deals

No filler, no generic advice you've read ten times. Every section pulls from the conversations I have with clients in my office each week.

01

Three pricing anchors, three pricing postures

Comparable sales, market-level pricing, and strategic posture — how to choose between below-market tactical, at-market, and above-market test.

02

Pre-listing room-by-room checklist

Exterior first impression, kitchen showcase, bathroom refresh, living room presentation — priority order so limited budget goes where it counts.

03

Staging playbook

Keep / box / replace matrix for every room. What to leave as-is, what to remove, what to invest in before listing.

04

60-day countdown

Days 60-45 (prep), 44-30 (photos + listing prep), 29-14 (on-market), 13-0 (offers + subject removal + completion).

05

Timing decision tree

14-day, 21-day, 30-day, and 60-day listing strategies — which fits your situation, which minimizes time on market, which protects your price.

06

Negotiation primer

The five terms that actually matter (price, completion date, subjects, deposits, inclusions), plus how to evaluate a multi-offer situation.

07

Seller closing-cost stack

Commission, legal, mortgage payout penalty (with the IRD trap explained), strata move-out fee, capital gains if applicable — the honest number.

08

The next-step sequence

After sale accepted: subject-removal period, completion-day logistics, possession, keys, and the 'gotchas' sellers miss in the final 14 days.

What happens after you sign up

No pressure, no spam, no surprise calls

Here's exactly what lands in your inbox over the next week — and what doesn't.

01

Minute 1 — you get the PDF

A confirmation email arrives within a minute with a direct download link. The PDF is yours, no strings attached.

02

Day 3 — one short follow-up

A brief email asking if anything in the guide raised a question. Reply if it did. Ignore it if it didn't. That's the entire sequence.

03

First of each month — Coquitlam market update

Current inventory, pricing by neighbourhood, DOM trends, and one commentary note on what it means if you're preparing to sell your Coquitlam home. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.

What you will not get

No phone calls unless you ask. No 30-day drip with urgency tactics. No list-rental or shared-with-partners. No "are you ready to buy?" emails every week. This is a signup, not a sales funnel.

Craig Johnston, REALTOR

About the author

Craig Johnston, REALTOR® — The Macnabs

I've been in the Tri-Cities since 1982 and on Burke Mountain for the last nine years. I built this guide the way I'd build a briefing for a close friend — honest numbers, genuine trade-offs, and specific streets and buildings named where naming them mattered. You don't get that from templated PDFs.

If the guide answers your questions, great. If it raises new ones, my contact details are on the last page and you're welcome to email or text. I reply personally within a business day — no assistant, no call centre.

How I actually work with you

A five-step process built around clarity, strategy, and no-surprise execution — whether you're selling for the first time or a long-held property.

  1. 01

    Evaluate — where you actually stand

    We start with a real conversation about your goals, timeline, and numbers. I'll pull current comps, assess your buying power or home's true market value, and tell you exactly what the data says — not what you want to hear.

  2. 02

    Strategize — a plan built for your situation

    I build a written strategy around your priorities: target neighbourhoods, pricing strategy, timeline, financing structure, and the trade-offs at each decision point. Every recommendation comes with a reason.

  3. 03

    Prepare — listings, offers, and due diligence

    For sellers: pre-list prep, staging direction, pro photography, and a pricing framework that draws interest without leaving money on the table. For buyers: offer structure, subject clauses, and the due-diligence checklist for every property that matters.

  4. 04

    Negotiate — protecting your position

    This is where experience pays for itself. I negotiate price, terms, subjects, deposit, completion dates, and the small details that don't show up in listings but decide whether a deal closes well or falls apart.

  5. 05

    Close — and stay with you after

    From subject removal through completion and possession, I coordinate with lawyers, lenders, inspectors, and trades so nothing drops. After closing, I stay in your corner for everything from tax-assessment appeals to the next move.

Book a Strategy Call →

Frequently asked

Questions about the Seller's Starter Kit

Is this kit just a sales pitch for listing with you? +

No. It's a prep guide. If you read it and decide to list with another REALTOR, or sell privately, or not sell at all, the kit still does its job. My business model works over years, not single transactions — I'd rather you list better informed (with me or without me) than have you list poorly.

How should I price my home if I want a fast sale? +

The below-market tactical posture — price 2-4% below the most-recent comparable sale. Done well, this triggers multiple offers inside a week and usually sells at or slightly above true market. It requires nerve from the seller and an agent who actually understands offer psychology. The kit walks through the math and the risk management.

What's the IRD penalty you mention? +

If you have a fixed-rate mortgage and you break it before maturity, your lender charges the higher of three months' interest or the Interest Rate Differential. For sellers of homes bought at higher rates that have since dropped, this can be $8K-$40K. The kit shows you how to calculate yours before you list so you price the sale to net what you actually need.

Is the kit useful if I'm selling a rental property, not my principal residence? +

Partly. The staging, pricing, and timing sections all apply. The capital-gains math is different — you'll want professional tax advice on the gains calculation and whether an RRSP or RRIF contribution in the sale year helps. The kit flags this but doesn't replace a CPA.

Related reading

More guides on the same topic

Seller Resource Hub Seller Timeline Seller Mistakes to Avoid Monthly Market Update Move-Up Planner First-Time Buyer Starter Kit Work with Craig Coquitlam Homes for Sale
Craig Johnston, REALTOR® with The Macnabs — Top 2% Nationwide Team, 44+ years Tri-Cities experience
Craig Johnston · REALTOR® · The Macnabs
Top 2% Nationwide Team 44+ Years Tri-Cities Burke Mountain Resident Move-up Specialist
Who this is for

Three kinds of people get the most out of this page.

Coquitlam homeowners with real equity to protect

You've built serious value over 5-15 years. The wrong list price, the wrong staging, the wrong agent can cost you $40-80K. Craig's listing protocol is the same one that drove Top 2% Nationwide Team results.

Sellers who also need to buy

The sequencing is everything. Sell-first vs buy-first in this market isn't a coin flip — it's a math problem with a right answer for your specific numbers. Craig solves it with you.

Out-of-province or relocating sellers

You need a lister who can run the whole file without you on the ground. Craig's done it for families in Ontario, Alberta, and overseas.

Craig Johnston, Coquitlam REALTOR®
Craig's take
"The single biggest money-leak I see on Coquitlam listings is list-high-and-reduce. It kills the first two weeks of buyer attention — which is where 70% of the real interest lives."
— Craig Johnston, REALTOR®, The Macnabs
The five-step protocol

Every Craig file runs on the same five steps. No exceptions, no improvisation.

Whether you're a first-time buyer at $850K or a luxury seller at $4.2M, the sequence is identical. The scale changes. The discipline doesn't.

01
Frame the file

Your numbers, your timeline, your non-negotiables, your trade-offs — written down before we pick any houses or pick any comps.

02
Run the market

Current supply, current absorption, current days-on-market, current buyer pool — per neighbourhood, per property type, not 'Metro Vancouver' averages.

03
Lock the strategy

Target neighbourhoods, target price band, target timeline, target offer structure. Written. Agreed.

04
Execute on offer / list

Whether buying or selling, the offer / listing is engineered — structure, contingencies, comps, pricing logic — not improvised.

05
Close + follow-through

Conditions, completion, possession, and the six-month check-in. Most agents stop at keys. Craig doesn't.

Ready to talk?

Twenty minutes with Craig is worth a week of internet research.

No pitch, no pressure. Just your numbers, your options, and the next move that's actually right for you.

Book a Strategy Call → Get your home evaluation
Answers Craig gives

The three questions people ask Craig most on this topic.

When is the best time to list in Coquitlam?

Historically late February through May, and then a secondary window in September/early October. But the right window for your specific home depends on property type, price point, and current inventory — Craig runs the specific timing call with you.

How do you price a Coquitlam home correctly?

Three comps from the last 60 days, three comps from the last 120 days, adjust for square footage, lot, finish level, and orientation. Then adjust again for current buyer sentiment. Craig's protocol walks through the exact math in your listing presentation.

What should I fix before listing?

Usually: paint, deep clean, declutter, fix obvious deferred maintenance. Avoid major renovations right before listing — the ROI rarely hits. Craig's listing prep checklist is specific to your home.

What to read next

Pick the next step in Craig's Coquitlam playbook.

Read next · 8-min read
How Craig lists a Coquitlam home →
Read next · 2-min form
Start with your home evaluation →
Read next · 4-min read
Where values are actually going →
Read next · 1-min form
Book the seller strategy call →
Craig Johnston, licensed REALTOR® with The Macnabs — Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam specialist
Work with Craig

Every Coquitlam move runs on the same five-step protocol.

Born in the Tri-Cities. Lived on Burke Mountain for 9+ years. Top 2% Nationwide Team. Craig runs every file — move-up, first-time, seller, investor — through the same repeatable playbook so nothing gets improvised at your expense. Start with the 20-minute fit call or the equity map. No pitch, no pressure, just your numbers and your options.

Book a Strategy Call Home Eval
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