Pricing postures, pre-listing preparation, and the questions most Coquitlam sellers ask before they commit to a listing date.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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What's inside
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.
Comparable sales, market-level pricing, and strategic posture — how to choose between below-market tactical, at-market, and above-market test.
Exterior first impression, kitchen showcase, bathroom refresh, living room presentation — priority order so limited budget goes where it counts.
Keep / box / replace matrix for every room. What to leave as-is, what to remove, what to invest in before listing.
Days 60-45 (prep), 44-30 (photos + listing prep), 29-14 (on-market), 13-0 (offers + subject removal + completion).
14-day, 21-day, 30-day, and 60-day listing strategies — which fits your situation, which minimizes time on market, which protects your price.
The five terms that actually matter (price, completion date, subjects, deposits, inclusions), plus how to evaluate a multi-offer situation.
Commission, legal, mortgage payout penalty (with the IRD trap explained), strata move-out fee, capital gains if applicable — the honest number.
After sale accepted: subject-removal period, completion-day logistics, possession, keys, and the 'gotchas' sellers miss in the final 14 days.
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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.
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About the author
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Frequently asked
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
Your numbers, your timeline, your non-negotiables, your trade-offs — written down before we pick any houses or pick any comps.
Current supply, current absorption, current days-on-market, current buyer pool — per neighbourhood, per property type, not 'Metro Vancouver' averages.
Target neighbourhoods, target price band, target timeline, target offer structure. Written. Agreed.
Whether buying or selling, the offer / listing is engineered — structure, contingencies, comps, pricing logic — not improvised.
Conditions, completion, possession, and the six-month check-in. Most agents stop at keys. Craig doesn't.
No pitch, no pressure. Just your numbers, your options, and the next move that's actually right for you.
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.
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.
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.