Ask these in any first interview with a buyer's agent. The right answers come back in specifics — streets, numbers, dates. Vague answers are the answer.
"Which three streets in my target neighbourhood hold value best — and which three underperform?"
Not every street in Burke Mountain or Heritage Mountain appreciates at the same rate. An agent who can't name them isn't walking the market.
"If I'm selling my current home while buying the next one, how do you avoid me owning two at once — or being homeless for two weeks?"
If the answer is "we'll figure it out" or "talk to your mortgage broker," they don't have a bridge strategy.
"Which SD43 catchment produces the highest resale premium — and which one has buyer fatigue right now?"
School catchment is the single biggest invisible price driver in the Tri-Cities. An agent who can't answer this off the cuff isn't specialized in your market.
"What do you do in week 4 after the deal closes?"
If the answer is "we don't — the deal's done," they don't do Soft Landing. Your referrals will go to someone else.
Those four questions are how I was trained to be evaluated. Every one of them traces back to a step in the Coquitlam Move-Up Protocol.
Book the 20-minute Move-Up Fit Call →This is the single most important step on this page. It's the same intake form I send every move-up client — timeline, budget, target neighbourhoods, current home, financing, and what "the right place" actually looks like for your family.
Two minutes in, twenty-four hours out: you get a written read-back with Craig's honest take on your timing, your neighbourhood fit, and what your next three moves should be — before you book a call, and before you tour a single property.
Most move-up buyers come to me after losing on two offers, or after looking at forty listings and feeling more confused than when they started. They aren't unsure because they lack information — they're unsure because they're comparing homes across three different submarkets with different price ceilings, school catchments, and ten-year resale curves.
The goal isn't to find a house you can tolerate. The goal is to find the specific neighbourhood, block, and property type that fits how your family will actually live for the next seven to twelve years — and then buy it strategically, not emotionally.
If you're writing offers this quarter, these are the numbers you're negotiating against. Coquitlam is my home market — I also work Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, Vancouver, and beyond when families cross boundaries. Submarket ranges vary widely — Burke Mountain detached runs $1.74M median while Central Coquitlam can be $1.3M for older inventory.
This page is the top of the funnel. Each link below goes deeper on a specific neighbourhood, property type, or buyer decision. Start with the one that matches where you are right now.
Every move-up buyer I take on runs through the same process. Not because it's clever — because it's the only way to keep a multi-six-figure decision from becoming an emotional one.
Before we talk about houses, we talk about your numbers. Current equity, mortgage carryover, tax exposure, timeline. Twenty minutes, no pressure, no listings yet.
We narrow from "somewhere in Coquitlam" to two or three specific submarkets. Burke Mountain vs. Heritage Mountain vs. Westwood Plateau isn't a coin flip — the right fit depends on your school catchment, commute, and ten-year horizon.
MLS is the menu, not the filter. I screen out the homes with drainage issues, strata surprises, or comps that won't support the ask — before you spend a Saturday driving to them.
Every home you walk through, you walk through with the three most relevant comps on your phone. You leave knowing whether the ask is fair — not whether the home is pretty.
Price, subjects, inspection, financing, deposit structure, possession date. Every clause is a lever. I use them all — because on a $1.8M home, a 3% discount is the difference between "we love it" and "let's pass."
Subject removal through completion through week 4 after move day. Most buyer's agents disappear at the signing of the contract. I stay through the mess — because the referrals come from week 4, not week 1.
I'm not a relocator. I'm not a generalist. I grew up in the Tri-Cities, my kids are in SD43, and I live on Burke Mountain. I know which Shaughnessy Woods cul-de-sacs have the lot sizes buyers actually pay for. I know which Heritage Mountain streets flood in November. I know which Westwood Plateau floor plans still move in four days versus the ones that sit for forty.
Move-up buyers choose me because they want more than MLS access. They want a real read on the neighbourhood, the home, and the negotiating room — before they write the offer.
I combine deep local knowledge with strong negotiation, patient diligence, and a buyer process designed to protect your equity while finding a home you'll still love in ten years.
The right buyer's agent protects your equity, reads the comps, and pushes back when a listing is mispriced. The wrong one drives you from listing to listing and lets you fall in love with whichever one is tidiest.
These uncover whether an agent has the local knowledge, strategy, and leadership to guide a seven-figure purchase.
Don't start with listings. Start with the three criteria that actually shape a ten-year outcome.
SD43 catchment is the invisible premium. Know which schools are over-enrolled, which have projected boundary changes, and which draw buyers from Vancouver.
Family neighbourhood guide →Every Coquitlam submarket has a different ten-year curve. Burke Mountain is still appreciating; Central Coquitlam is flattening; Westwood Plateau is segmenting by vintage.
See value trends →Trails, cafes, commute, community centres. Lifestyle only matters if the first two criteria are solid — otherwise you're just decorating a decision you'll regret.
Compare submarkets →There's no single answer — the right neighbourhood depends on your school catchment needs, commute, and ten-year horizon. For newer detached, Burke Mountain. For established family streets with less supply, Heritage Mountain. For larger lots and established schools, Westwood Plateau. Compare them all in the Where to Buy in Coquitlam guide.
Presales work if you have a flexible timeline, a long closing horizon, and appetite for deposit risk. Resale works if you need a home in the next 60–120 days, or if you want to see and inspect exactly what you're buying. Presales are typically 5–10% cheaper per sqft at contract — but you're pricing air, not built product. Read the Burke Mountain Presale Homes page before you sign.
That's the core of the Coquitlam Move-Up Protocol. Most families do it with overlapping subject-to-sale clauses, bridge financing, or a short-stay rental between closes. The key is running both transactions on one coordinated timeline — not two sequential ones. See How to Upsize Without Risk for the full playbook.
At current rates (~5.3% insured 5-year fixed, April 2026): $1M home with 20% down needs roughly $180K household income. $1.5M needs ~$260K. $2M needs ~$340K + down. Carry cost on a $1.5M detached in Coquitlam is $6,800–$7,400/month including property tax and insurance. Always stress-test your qualification number against your comfort number — they're not the same.
Yes — and it's where I do my best work. Most Coquitlam move-up families are selling one home and buying another. I run both sides under one plan: timing, pricing, subjects, bridge, and the handoff between close dates. One agent for the whole arc is the entire point.
If you're buying your next home in Coquitlam and want a buyer's agent who specializes in the move-up transaction — not a generalist — start here. Twenty minutes. No pressure. You'll leave with a clearer read on your timing, your neighbourhood, and your number.
Craig Johnston
I've spent the last 5+ years helping Coquitlam move-up buyers get from the home they're in to the home they want — without panic-buying, without owning two homes at once, and without overpaying for the wrong street. 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 target neighbourhood, the fastest next step is a short call.
The $40,000 most Tri-Cities move-up buyers leave on the table — capital gains, principal residence exemption, and PTT timing. No sales pitch. Just the math, the dates, and the traps I see Monday-to-Friday.
Real reviews pulled from Google. Most clients closed with Craig — many on their second or third transaction.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
More for Buyers
Every page below is Coquitlam-specific, written from real transactions, and built to answer the question buyers are actually asking.
You want an operator, not a broker. Craig runs every file through the same five-step protocol — Top 2% Nationwide Team results, zero improvisation at your expense.
You've earned the move. Craig protects the equity while you make it.
Craig teaches the playbook while he runs it.
"The Tri-Cities reward patience and punish improvisation. I don't guess — I run the protocol, every file, no exceptions. That's the promise."
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.
Because the generic version is what every other Coquitlam realtor publishes. Craig's clients do their homework — this page is the homework.
A short call (no pitch, no pressure), a written summary of options, and a clear next move that's right for you — even if it's not hiring Craig.
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.
“Craig worked with my wife and me for over 3 years to find the perfect home. He was endlessly patient with us through the process. Eventually, we found our perfect home and he moved fast to execute on our behalf. He negotiated fairly and thoroughly with the sellers and was our advocate all throughout our first home purchase.”
“After searching for several years, I knew exactly what I was looking for—and Craig delivered. We viewed a handful of properties, and the home he ultimately found was exactly what I had been searching for. I couldn’t believe how quickly he nailed it.”
“As first-time home buyers, we had a myriad of concerns, questions, and preconceptions about the process. Craig immediately put us at ease by taking the time to address each of our questions thoroughly and patiently. He never made us feel like any question was too small or insignificant.”
“We recently moved from overseas and were not familiar with the purchasing process in BC. Craig was fantastic spending the time to explain everything thoroughly so we had a good handle on things. We felt we were in very experienced hands.”
“Craig is one of the best realtor to work with, highly knowledgable and very patient. Guided us through the whole process stress free. Highly Recommend Craig Johnston.”
“He spent time getting to know us, visiting homes on our behalf until we were in the market. Craig prepared us to better understand the local market, city planning and developments all to refine our search. He is professional and works well with other realtors — a true partner in the process of purchasing a home!”
“Craig is what everyone hopes they will find in a realtor, yet is so incredibly rare. His foundation of genuine care and generosity with his time is outstanding… We never felt rushed, pressured or stressed by what is fundamentally a rather daunting experience, and it was because he created a dynamic of collaboration and support.”
“Craig extended such patience, excitement and professionalism in helping my husband and I buy a townhouse in Port Coquitlam (my hometown!) so we could continue raising our two girls where I also grew up. When we faced a hurdle getting financing approval because of a lien on our desired townhome, Craig worked tirelessly with our broker to get the lien removed.”
“Craig was a pleasure to work with for the purchase of our home. Craig was very patient as we debated between a condo and a townhome. Craig found us a home that ticked all of our boxes plus some! He made the whole process smooth and enjoyable.”