Market Journal
Home buying and selling in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam
The Market Journal covers single-family home decisions in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, with practical buying and selling guides from across the Lower Mainland.
Pitt Meadows Buyer's Guide: The Small City Between Port Coquitlam and Maple Ridge
The great majority of Pitt Meadows sits inside the Agricultural Land Reserve, so the whole city lives on a small patch of urban land beside the Fraser and the Pitt River. That one fact sets the supply, the prices and the commute. Here is how the residential areas compare and what the trade-offs are.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
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Buying With Family or Friends in BC: The Ownership Structure Decides Everything Later
Two or more people buying one home in BC choose between joint tenancy and tenancy in common at the moment of registration, and that one line on the title decides who inherits a share, whether the shares can be unequal, and how hard it is for one owner to leave. Sort it out before the offer, because changing it later can trigger property transfer tax.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Queensborough or the Quay: Two New Westminster Waterfronts, Two Different Buys
Both sit on the Fraser River and both are New Westminster. Queensborough is flat, newer townhomes on a diked island with no SkyTrain. The Quay is concrete towers a short walk from the Expo Line, in buildings old enough that the depreciation report decides the deal.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Buried Oil Tanks on Metro Vancouver Lots: The Search, the Cost, and Who Pays
Homes built before the 1960s were often heated with oil, and when gas arrived many of those buried tanks were left in the ground. A tank scan takes about an hour on a detached lot. The owner on title when the contamination is found is the one who pays to clean it up.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Langley and the Willoughby Townhome Belt: A Buyer's Guide
There are two Langleys: a small city around the Langley Bypass, and a large township holding Willoughby, Walnut Grove, Murrayville, Fort Langley and Aldergrove. Willoughby is where the townhomes are, and the SkyTrain being built along Fraser Highway changes what you are buying into.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
The Property Disclosure Statement: What a Seller Must Say, and What a Buyer Should Do With It
No law in BC forces a seller to fill out a Property Disclosure Statement, and almost every represented seller does. The form asks what you know, and the line that decides most disputes is whether a problem was hidden or visible.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Ambleside and Dundarave: A Buyer's Guide to West Vancouver's Walkable Waterfront
Two waterfront villages sit side by side along Marine Drive, joined by a 1.7 kilometre seawalk. Ambleside is the larger town centre near the Lions Gate Bridge, Dundarave is smaller and quieter. The housing runs from older low-rise apartments on the flat to view homes climbing the hillside behind.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Rent-to-Own and Vendor Take-Back Mortgages in BC: How They Work, and Where Buyers Get Hurt
Rent-to-own gives you a lease plus the right to buy later, and the option fee you pay for that right is usually gone if the purchase does not close. A vendor take-back has the seller lending you part of the price, sitting behind your bank in second position. Both are legal in BC, and both need a lawyer before you sign.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Maple Ridge Buyer's Guide: What the Commute Buys You in Square Footage
Maple Ridge sits at the east end of Metro Vancouver on the north side of the Fraser River. Buyers move here for a detached house on a real lot at a price the Tri-Cities stopped offering. The cost is measured in travel time, and the West Coast Express runs five trains each way on weekdays only.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Staging a Metro Vancouver Home: What It Does and Where the Money Goes
Almost every buyer sees your listing photos before they see your home, so the photos decide whether a viewing gets booked at all. That makes the order of the work matter more than the furniture: declutter, clean, repair, paint, stage, then photograph.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Home Insurance Before Completion: The Step Buyers Forget Until the Last Week
Your lender will not release the mortgage money until it has proof of fire insurance naming it as loss payee. That proof is usually wanted several days before completion, not on the day. Start the insurance conversation the week your subjects are removed.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Ladner and Tsawwassen Buyer's Guide: Living in South Delta
South Delta gives you a village core, farmland on three sides and a beach at the end of the road. It also gives you no SkyTrain, a ferry terminal feeding Highway 17, and a stretch of newer housing that is leasehold on treaty land rather than freehold.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Multiple Offers in BC: What the Seller Actually Controls
A seller in British Columbia is under no obligation to accept any offer, including a full-price offer with no conditions. Here is how competing offers are presented, what your agent may tell the other buyers, and why the highest number on the page is often not the strongest offer.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Leasehold Property in Metro Vancouver: What You Own and Why the Remaining Term Decides Everything
A leasehold buyer purchases the right to occupy a home for a fixed number of years, while a public landlord keeps the land. The remaining years on that lease drive both the price and whether a lender will fund the purchase. Check the expiry date on title before anything else.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
South Surrey and White Rock Buyer's Guide: Two Places, One Peninsula
White Rock is its own city of 5.17 square kilometres, surrounded on three sides by Surrey. South Surrey is the much larger area around it, holding Morgan Creek, Grandview Heights, Ocean Park and Crescent Beach. The two get named together in listings and they are separate places with separate rules.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
How to Read a BC Title Search, and What Every Charge on It Means
A BC title search fits on one or two pages and tells you who owns the property, what the parcel is, and every registered interest somebody else holds in it. Some of those interests disappear on completion. Others belong to you for as long as you own the place.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Burke Mountain or Westwood Plateau: What Each Coquitlam Hillside Costs and Gives You
Burke Mountain houses are newer and ask $121,884 more at the median than Westwood Plateau houses. Westwood Plateau houses have 749 more square feet and a lot 2,918 square feet larger. Here is the full comparison for houses and townhomes.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Burquitlam Buyer's Guide: Towers, Walk-Ups and the Burnaby Border
Burquitlam Station opened on December 2, 2016, and the towers around it have been arriving ever since. This is the southwest corner of Coquitlam, one stop from Burnaby, with a bus straight up the hill to Simon Fraser University. Here is what a buyer should check before writing an offer.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Coquitlam or Port Moody: House, Townhome and Apartment Prices Compared in September 2026
A typical detached house costs $319,100 more in Port Moody than in Coquitlam. A typical townhome costs $35,700 less. Here are the September 2026 benchmark prices, price changes and sales for both cities.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Strata Bylaws in BC: What They Can Restrict, and What They Cannot
Since November 24, 2022, no strata corporation in BC can stop you from renting your unit to a long-term tenant. Pet bans, smoking bans and renovation approvals are still enforceable. Read the registered bylaws before you remove your subjects, because the version on the building's website may be out of date.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Closing Costs in BC: Everything You Pay Beyond the Down Payment
Lenders want to see 1.5% of the purchase price set aside for closing costs before they will approve an insured mortgage. That money covers property transfer tax, legal fees, title insurance, registration at the land title office, and the adjustments your notary calculates on completion day.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
New Westminster Buyer's Guide: Five SkyTrain Stations and Six Different Cities
New Westminster has five Expo Line stations inside one 15 square kilometre city, and each one sits in a neighbourhood that prices differently. The concrete condo stock is older than Burnaby's, which is what drives both the lower entry price and the strata fee you need to read carefully.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
The Mortgage Stress Test: Why You Qualify for Less Than You Expect
Federally regulated lenders must qualify you at the higher of your contract rate plus two percentage points, or 5.25%. On a Metro Vancouver purchase that gap decides which listings you can write an offer on.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
What Your BC Assessment Measures, and Why It Differs From Market Value
The assessment that lands in your mailbox each January reflects what BC Assessment estimated your property was worth on July 1 of the previous year. By the time you read it, that valuation date is six months old. Price a sale from comparable sales instead.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Buying a Tenanted Home in BC: The Three Month Notice and What It Means for Your Move-In Date
If you are buying a home with a tenant in it and you intend to live there, the seller gives the tenant a three month notice, the tenant gets one month's rent as compensation, and the tenant has 21 days to dispute it. Your possession date depends on all three.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Strata Insurance in BC: The Deductible Gap That Can Cost an Owner Six Figures
A strata corporation's policy covers the building. It does not cover the deductible, which can run from $100,000 to $750,000 or higher. If a claim originates in your unit you can be held responsible for it without being negligent.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
The BC Home Flipping Tax: What You Owe If You Sell Within Two Years
Since January 1, 2025, selling a BC residential property you have owned for less than 730 days can trigger a provincial tax of up to 20% of the profit. It sits on top of federal income tax, and a presale assignment counts.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam House Prices, September 2026: What Detached Homes Cost Now
September 2026 benchmark prices for detached houses in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, with the sales and new-listing counts behind them and what each number means if you are buying or selling a house this fall.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
The BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax: Who Declares, Who Pays, and What Changed in 2026
Every owner of residential property in a designated taxable area has to file a declaration by March 31, even when they owe nothing. The rates went up for the 2026 tax year, to 1% for most Canadian owners and 3% for foreign owners and untaxed worldwide earners.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
What Coquitlam's 2026 Southwest Plan Changed Around Austin Avenue and Burquitlam
In May 2026 Coquitlam Council adopted a new land use plan for the neighbourhoods on the edges of the Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre transit areas. It supports 2,300 more homes on the city's estimate, adds a shopping node at Austin and Blue Mountain, and keeps some blocks as they are.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam School Catchments: What to Verify Before You Offer
Catchment is set by exact address, not neighbourhood name, and two houses on the same street can be assigned to different elementary schools. Here is how School District 43 draws its boundaries, how to check one address before you write an offer, and what a cross-catchment application can and cannot get you.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Coquitlam or Port Coquitlam: Prices, Unit Counts and City Charges Compared
Two neighbouring Tri-Cities municipalities with similar names and different numbers. Port Coquitlam prices $355,300 below Coquitlam on a detached house, allows up to six homes on some lots, and charges less than half as much per unit in amenity fees.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Selling a Coquitlam House to a Builder: What Makes a Lot Worth More
Since June 2025 most Coquitlam houses sit on land that can hold three or four homes. That does not make every lot a redevelopment site. Here are the measurable things that decide whether a builder pays more than a family would.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Carriage Houses and Garden Cottages in Coquitlam: What the Rules Actually Allow
A carriage house sits above a detached garage. A garden cottage is a single-storey building in the back yard. Both are ways to add a home to a Coquitlam lot without building a fourplex, and the city treats them differently in several places that matter.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Buying a Unit in a New Coquitlam Fourplex: What to Check Before You Sign
Fourplex units are a new kind of listing in Coquitlam neighbourhoods that used to hold one house. Here is how they differ from a townhome, what the zoning guarantees you, and the questions to ask a small new strata.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Coquitlam's Transit-Oriented Areas: What 800 Metres From SkyTrain Changes
Eight SkyTrain stations put large parts of Coquitlam inside a designated Transit-Oriented Area, where the province sets minimum heights and densities and the city no longer requires residential parking. Here is what that means for owners and buyers.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Coquitlam Townhome Buyer's Guide: Prices, Parking and the Strata Papers That Matter
Coquitlam's townhome benchmark was $987,900 in August 2026, $611,200 below a detached house. Here is what that buys, what the parking and visitor rules mean day to day, and which documents decide whether a complex is a good one.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Bridge Financing: How to Buy Before You Sell in Metro Vancouver
Bridge financing lets you use the equity in your current home before it closes, so you can buy your next one without waiting. It's not automatic, and it isn't your only option. Here's how it actually works.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Deer Lake & Burnaby's Central Park Buyer's Guide
While Brentwood and Metrotown build towers, Deer Lake and Central Park stay low, green, and residential. Here's what buyers should know about Burnaby's quieter, culture-anchored middle ground.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
How to Price a Home Right in a Balanced Market
In a balanced market, pricing mistakes cost you in both directions, overprice and you go stale, underprice and there's no bidding war to correct it. Here's how a CMA works and what GVR's numbers say.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Edmonds & South Burnaby Buyer's Guide: SkyTrain Value
Edmonds is South Burnaby's most affordable SkyTrain neighbourhood, here's what buyers should know about prices, the Edmonds Town Centre redevelopment plan, and how it compares to Metrotown and Brentwood.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
What a Coquitlam Multiplex Costs in City Charges Before You Lay a Brick
Coquitlam charges $43,483 per unit in development cost charges plus $21,205 per unit in amenity cost charges on a multiplex. Here is how the published rates add up, and how the city classifies a house with a suite and a carriage house.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Oakridge Buyer's Guide: Vancouver's Next Transit Hub
Oakridge Park opened its retail doors in May 2026 and residential towers are filling in through the rest of the year. Here's what's actually built, what's still coming, and what it means for buying in Oakridge right now.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Mortgage Pre-Approval: What Lenders Actually Check in 2026
A pre-approval isn't a five-minute estimate, it's a documented, credit-checked review that also has to clear OSFI's stress test. Here's what lenders actually verify, and how it differs from pre-qualification.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
West End & Coal Harbour Condo Buyer's Guide: Downtown Waterfront Living
Two waterfront downtown neighbourhoods, two different price tiers. Here's how the West End's walkable rental-heavy streets compare to Coal Harbour's marina-front towers, and what each actually costs right now.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Can You Build Four Homes on Your Coquitlam Lot? The R-1 to R-4 Zones Explained
Coquitlam rezoned most of its single-family lots in June 2025. Here is what the four new small-scale zones allow, how much floor area you get, how tall you can build, and the questions that decide whether your lot works.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Fraserview & Killarney Buyer's Guide: East Van's Family Pocket
Fraserview and Killarney sit along the Fraser River in Vancouver's southeast corner, golf course, riverfront parks, and a family-oriented mix of houses and townhomes. Here's what a buyer should know about the area.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
The BC New Home Warranty: What 2-5-10 Coverage Means
Licensed BC builders must carry 2-5-10 home warranty insurance, but the three windows cover different things and none of them cover everything. Here's what's actually protected and excluded.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Lower Lonsdale Condo Buyer's Guide: North Van's Walkable Waterfront
Lower Lonsdale trades a backyard for a 12-minute SeaBus ride to downtown. Here's what condos cost, what the Shipyards and Lonsdale Quay lifestyle actually looks like, and who it suits.
Michael Lee · 6 min read
Assignment Clauses Explained: Can You Sell a Presale Before Closing?
Selling a presale contract before closing runs through a developer consent fee, CSAIR reporting, and its own GST/HST and BC home flipping tax rules. Here's what assignors and assignees actually take on.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Renfrew-Collingwood Multiplex Guide: Vancouver East's Value Corridor
Renfrew-Collingwood is one of Vancouver East's more affordable multiplex corridors, with two SkyTrain lines at its edges and a wave of new duplexes and fourplexes replacing older single-family lots. Here's what a buyer should know.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Coquitlam House Prices in 2026: What Detached, Townhome and Condo Buyers Actually Pay
Coquitlam's benchmark prices for August 2026, broken down by detached house, townhome and apartment, with the sales and listing counts behind them and what each number means for your budget.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Steveston Village Home Buying Guide: Small-Town Charm in Richmond
Steveston still feels like a fishing village at the edge of Richmond. Here's what homes cost, how the historic waterfront shapes daily life, and the commute trade-offs buyers should know.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
How Presale Deposit Schedules Work in BC
Presale deposits in BC are legally required to sit in trust, separate from the developer's own money, but the schedule, size, and what happens if a project doesn't complete are all things buyers should understand before signing.
Michael Lee · 6 min read
Dunbar-Southlands Buyer's Guide: Westside Character Homes
Dunbar-Southlands runs from a genuine village high street to acreage-style properties bordering the Fraser River, with Pacific Spirit Park and UBC next door. Here's what buyers should know about this two-part Westside neighbourhood.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
The BC Home Inspection Checklist: What to Actually Look For
A home inspection is your best chance to catch a costly problem before you're locked into a purchase. Here's what a licensed BC inspector actually checks, how to confirm they're licensed, and what to do if they find something serious.
Michael Lee · 6 min read
Kerrisdale Buyer's Guide: Vancouver's West Side Village
Kerrisdale pairs a genuine village shopping street with some of the Westside's most established character homes, and now a growing crop of multiplex infill. Here's what buyers need to know before shopping this neighbourhood.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Cambie Corridor Multiplex Guide: Vancouver's Quiet Rezoning Boom
The Cambie Corridor has quietly become one of Vancouver's busiest multiplex construction zones. Here's what the Cambie Corridor Plan actually allows, what's already built, and what a buyer should check before writing an offer.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Strata Fees Explained: What's Actually Included
Strata fees aren't a flat tax on owning a condo, they're your share of the operating budget, sized by unit entitlement and topped up by a mandated reserve fund. Here's what's in that number.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Port Moody Buyer's Guide: Newport Village & the Evergreen Line
Port Moody buyer's guide: Newport Village and the waterfront, Evergreen Line access, Rocky Point Park, Brewer's Row, and how prices compare to Coquitlam and Burnaby.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
GST on New Construction Homes in BC: What Presale Buyers Need to Know
New homes and presale condos in BC are subject to 5% federal GST, unlike resale homes. Here's when it applies, and how the regular and new first-time buyer GST rebates work, per canada.ca.
Michael Lee · 6 min read
Coquitlam Town Centre Buyer's Guide: SkyTrain, Schools & New Towers
What it actually costs to buy in Coquitlam Town Centre, how the Evergreen Line changed the neighbourhood, which schools and parks serve it, and who the area suits best.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
North Vancouver Multiplex Guide: Lower Lonsdale to Deep Cove
The City and District of North Vancouver have taken different paths on multiplex zoning. Here's what that means for buyers from Lower Lonsdale to Deep Cove, and what homes cost across the North Shore.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Property Transfer Tax in BC: What First-Time Buyers Actually Pay
BC's property transfer tax catches every buyer at closing, but first-time buyers and buyers of newly built homes can qualify for a full or partial exemption. Here's how the tax is calculated and where the current thresholds sit.
Michael Lee · 6 min read
Richmond Multiplex & Townhome Buyer's Guide
What a multiplex or townhome costs in Richmond right now, how the city's new small-scale zoning actually works, where the Canada Line fits in, and who this market suits.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
How to Read a Strata Depreciation Report Before You Buy a Condo
A depreciation report is a planning document. Check its assumptions and the current strata records before relying on it in a purchase decision.
Michael Lee · 10 min read
What 'Subject-Free' Actually Means When You're Buying a Home
Before considering an offer without subjects, discuss the unresolved financing, inspection, document, and contract questions with the appropriate professionals.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Brentwood vs Metrotown: Which Burnaby Hub Suits Your Family?
Burnaby grew up around its SkyTrain stations, and two town centres stand out for families shopping for a new-build home: Brentwood in the north and Metrotown in the south. Both put shopping, transit, and towers at your doorstep, the differences are in the details.
Michael Lee · 10 min read
Grandview-Woodland Multiplex Guide: Buying Near Commercial Drive
Commercial Drive is the most full-of-life street in East Vancouver, independent cafés, produce markets, patios that spill onto the sidewalk, and the neighbourhood around it, Grandview-Woodland, is one of the more active multiplex-conversion pockets on the East Side right now.
Michael Lee · 10 min read
Kitsilano Multiplex Buyer's Guide: Beach Life on Vancouver's West Side
A buyer's guide to Kitsilano, Vancouver: what multiplex development actually looks like here, beach-and-park lifestyle, getting around, schools, and who the neighbourhood suits.
Michael Lee · 10 min read
Marpole & South Vancouver Multiplex Guide: The West Side's Value Play
Marpole doesn't get the magazine covers that Kitsilano or Cambie get, and that's exactly why buyers priced out of the rest of the Westside are starting to look here, especially now that multiplex zoning has opened up its standard 33x120 lots.
Michael Lee · 10 min read
Mount Pleasant Multiplex Buyer's Guide: Living on Vancouver's Main Street (2026)
A buyer's guide to Mount Pleasant, Vancouver: what multiplex homes cost, the walk-everywhere Main Street lifestyle, the new Broadway SkyTrain station, and who the neighbourhood suits.
Michael Lee · 6 min read
Thinking About a Multiplex Home in Burnaby? What Buyers Should Know
For a long time, buying a home in Greater Vancouver meant choosing between an unaffordable detached house or a too-small condo. Here's what a multiplex home actually is, what Burnaby's zoning now allows, and what to look for when you tour one.
Michael Lee · 9 min read