Buyer Behaviour Guide
Sellers often focus on what they love about their home. Buyers focus on what makes the home easy to say yes to. That difference matters.
A strong listing strategy should reflect the questions buyers are asking right now. Does the layout work? Does the home feel well maintained? Is the pricing aligned with reality? Does the neighbourhood fit the life they want?
Craig Johnston helps sellers prepare for how buyers actually think, compare, and decide, so the home is positioned to create stronger interest from the start.
Not every buyer wants the same thing, but certain patterns show up again and again in Coquitlam.
Buyers notice flow, bedroom placement, living space usability, and whether the home supports daily routines.
A home that feels clean, bright, and cared for makes it easier for buyers to picture themselves living there.
If buyers feel the home is priced fairly relative to the competition, they engage faster and more seriously.
Schools, parks, commute, shopping, and long-term area appeal all shape how buyers view value.
Families want a home that works in real life, not just one that looks nice in photos.
Even buyers open to renovations usually respond better to homes that feel manageable from day one.
Buyers usually form a strong impression early, often before they have finished the first few rooms. Natural light, layout flow, cleanliness, smell, maintenance, and how spacious the home feels all influence how they respond.
Online, they notice the photos, price point, and how your home compares to nearby alternatives. In person, they notice whether the home feels cared for and easy to live in.
This is one reason why presentation, staging, and pricing work together. One weak area can affect how the others are interpreted.
Many buyers are families comparing bedroom count, flex space, storage, yard usability, and room to grow.
Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Central Coquitlam, and nearby areas each attract different buyer priorities.
Buyers often weigh parks, trails, schools, amenities, and convenience alongside the house itself.
A home that feels well positioned against nearby competition has a better chance of standing out.
A five-step process built around clarity, strategy, and no-surprise execution — whether you're buying your first home or moving up.
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.
Both matter, but layout often has a bigger influence because it affects how the home functions every day. Updates can help, but a strong layout is hard to replace.
Staging helps buyers understand the space, feel the flow, and picture themselves living there. It can strengthen how the home is perceived both online and in person.
Poor pricing, weak presentation, obvious maintenance concerns, awkward layout, and a home that feels less compelling than the alternatives.
Craig Johnston can help you understand how your home compares, what buyers are likely to focus on, and how to position it to create stronger interest.
Keep moving through the ecosystem. These pages connect directly to the decision you are working on.
I have spent the last 5+ years helping Coquitlam move-up buyers and sellers get from where they are to where they want to be — without the panic of owning two homes at once or selling under value. I work the Tri-Cities every day: Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Heritage Mountain, and the rest of Coquitlam’s move-up neighbourhoods.
If you want a straight read on your timing, pricing, or move-up strategy, the fastest next step is a short call.
The short, honest version. Every answer here is what I'd tell you on a call — no fluff, no generic listing-agent talk.
Most people lose money because they read generic advice and act on it. The pages below are the opposite — Coquitlam-specific, opinionated, and built from real transactions. Pick the lane that fits the move you're actually making.
No hedging. No "it depends." If a page above contradicts what another agent told you, ask them to cite their source — every number on this site is checkable.
The resources below go deeper on the same topic. If you’re piecing together a full picture, these are the next logical reads.
Every cost, tax, and legal step in the Coquitlam buying process is spelled out by a government or regulatory authority below. Use these as the definitive source — your agent and lawyer should line up with them, not the other way around.
External links open in a new tab. The Macnabs is not affiliated with these organizations — they are cited as independent authorities. Any time a number on this page differs from the authority, the authority wins.
Real reviews pulled from Google. No paid placements. No curated-only-positives. Every client below closed with Craig — most sold over asking, several within a week.
“Craig sold my property in just 6 days. After receiving one offer, he quickly reconnected with all the other realtors who had viewed the property, and before I knew it, we had multiple offers — all over asking price. Craig didn’t stop there; he negotiated even better terms for me.”
“We worked with Craig on three real estate transactions. In all cases he was extremely professional and efficient. In the case of the two sales, both houses were sold for over asking and within the one week of going on market. Craig analyzed the market accurately and advised on a selling price that was fair and saleable.”
“Craig recently sold my townhouse in West Vancouver in less than 6 days for over asking price. Craig is one of the most prolific and highly motivated realtors I have seen in the Realty business, and I have extensive experience buying and selling properties of all sorts.”
“We consider ourselves lucky to be able to work with Craig over the last 5 years, over multiple transactions. He is a professional who is guided by integrity, honesty, and punctuality. Craig is a seasoned and well-informed realtor who will be a great asset on any real estate journey.”
“As first-time home buyers, we had a myriad of concerns. Craig immediately put us at ease by taking the time to address each of our questions thoroughly and patiently. At no point did I feel pressured or rushed into making a decision. Instead, Craig empowered us with all the facts and options.”
“One of the most dedicated and professional realtors I’ve encountered. No matter the value of the property, Craig puts great care into preparing high-quality marketing content. With his in-depth knowledge of the Coquitlam area, I highly recommend Craig to anyone looking to buy or sell.”
“His creativity, top-notch communication skills, and a solid plan were instrumental in selling high and buying low. His foresight in negotiation skills, predicting outcomes before they happened, truly set him apart. A remarkable professional who exceeded expectations.”
“Craig absolutely delivered on his promise of selling my condo, exceeding my expectations. A++ communications and he kept me informed and educated every single step of the way. Rock solid performance and a very quick above asking sale, I am beyond grateful.”
“We were referred to Craig by a friend and knew from day one we were in great hands. The marketing was outstanding — we received seven offers, and Craig held firm on our priorities. When we re-listed in January, it sold in three days at the price we wanted, and he went on to find us an off-market buy in Vernon.”
More on Buying in Coquitlam
Craig writes the Tri-Cities coverage most realtors won't. Every page below is built on the same ground-truth data and the same negotiation playbook Craig uses for every client.
From $600K condos to $3M+ estate homes, Craig runs the same protocol. The scale changes, the discipline doesn't.
Most of Craig's business is dependent transactions. The orchestration is the edge.
The playbook flexes to your stage.
"Coquitlam has changed more in the last five years than in the previous twenty. The playbook that worked in 2020 doesn't in 2026. Run current data or don't run it."
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.
Yes, for the right buyer with the right hold horizon. The under-$1.8M segment is the most interesting for 2026. Craig's current-quarter brief has the specifics.
Port Coquitlam price-to-livability, Westwood for commuters, Burke for families with schools, Heritage for buy-and-hold. Different answers for different buyers.
Interview three, pick the one who can actually run your specific transaction. Craig is happy to be one of the three.
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.