Profile 1
First-time buyer (no prior sale)
8-12 week typical window. Heavy upfront on pre-approval, deposit sourcing, and education. Fastest from offer-to-close because no sell-side dependencies.
For buyers planning a Coquitlam purchase in the next 3–12 months — the clear sequence from pre-approval to possession.
Book a Strategy Call →Craig Johnston · REALTOR® · 604-202-6092
Quick Answer
What should you know about Coquitlam Buyer Timeline?
The complete week-by-week Coquitlam buyer timeline — pre-approval, search, offer, subject removal, conveyancing, and possession. Craig Johnston, Top 1% Team Member — Greater Vancouver REALTORS® and 47+ year Tri-Cities resident, can walk you through the local context. Free Strategy Call ends with a written one-page plan in 24 hours.
Once you write your first offer, the clock becomes real. A typical Coquitlam timeline runs 45–75 days from accepted offer to possession. The prep phase before that — pre-approval, search, shortlisting — can take anywhere from a weekend to three months depending on you.
The controllable part is the prep. The fixed part is after an offer is accepted: 7–10 days of subjects, then 3–5 weeks to complete. Understanding this rhythm prevents most first-time-buyer panic.
Pull credit, check debt-to-income, open a First Home Savings Account if applicable, talk to a lender about stress test and qualifying rate.
Written pre-approval from one lender. Ideally a rate hold of 90–120 days.
Decide on 3 neighbourhoods that fit budget and life. Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Heritage Mountain, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam Centre.
Book 8–15 tours in a structured sequence. First round is elimination, second is comparison.
You have seen enough to know the right one. Offer price, deposit, subjects, possession date.
Usually 7–10 calendar days. Inspection booked. Strata docs ordered if applicable. Lender re-confirms financing against specific property.
Once conditions satisfied, deposit paid (usually 5% of price) within 24 hours. Deal is firm.
Most of closing is your lawyer and lender coordinating. You line up movers, insurance, utility transfers, possession-day logistics.
Your lawyer books you in to sign mortgage + transfer documents, typically a week before possession.
Keys. Final walkthrough that morning. Funds flow. You own the home.
Between pre-approval and first tour — emotional readiness is usually the bottleneck, not the bank.
Subject removal — the 7–10 day pressure window. Inspection surprises and strata doc red flags both show up here.
Week of possession — utility transfers, mover confirmations, wire transfer for balance of down payment. Small details that can stack fast.
See the closing costs guide for the exact money flow and the affordability page for the front-end math.
If you want to move faster, the lever is prep. Buyers who come in with a written pre-approval, a 3-neighbourhood shortlist, and a clear top number routinely go from first tour to accepted offer in two weeks. Buyers who skip those three pieces take four months.
You cannot compress subject removal below 5 days safely. You cannot compress conveyancing below 2–3 weeks reliably. What you can compress is the part that is entirely in your control.
Most buyers: 60–90 days end-to-end once they have a pre-approval. The first-tour-to-possession portion is typically 45–75 days.
About 35 days from accepted offer to possession if the seller cooperates and your lender is ready. 5–7 day subjects, 3-week completion, possession same day as funding.
Sometimes. 5-day subjects are common in hotter segments. Anything under 5 days is aggressive and should only be used when you have genuinely finished your due diligence.
Your deposit (typically 5%) goes into the brokerage trust account within 24 hours of subject removal. Balance of down payment goes to your lawyer via wire the week of possession.
Booking the movers before subject removal is done. Plan everything after subjects are off. If the deal doesn't go firm, you have nothing to unwind.
Your timeline looks different if you are a 30-day buyer or a 3-month buyer. A strategy call starts with where you are today and builds the week-by-week sequence backwards from your ideal possession date.
The full Coquitlam buyer playbook.
I have spent the last 47+ years living in Coquitlam, 9+ years on Burke Mountain, helping 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.
Your timeline compresses or stretches depending on where you're starting from. Match yourself to one of these four profiles to see which phases will dominate your calendar.
8-12 week typical window. Heavy upfront on pre-approval, deposit sourcing, and education. Fastest from offer-to-close because no sell-side dependencies.
14-20 week window with two transactions. The Tax Trap decision (sell-first vs. buy-first vs. bridge) is the first week's work — everything else sequences from there.
6-10 week accelerated window. Virtual tours, zone tutorials, and SD43 catchment confirmation happen in Week 1. Inspection and subject-removal are tighter because you're often flying in.
10-14 week window. Longer Phase 1 (portfolio modelling, cap-rate targets, tenant-profile decision) and longer diligence. Speculation Tax and Foreign Buyer Ban need Week-1 screening.
After 5+ years of running these sequences, here's what shaves weeks off — and the one shortcut that always costs more than it saves.
Not a rate quote — a full credit-pull, income-verified approval. Saves 5-10 days at offer time and lets you compete against cash offers in tight Burke or Plateau listings.
Good CAPHI inspectors book 5-7 days out. Pre-booking against a tentative offer window gives you a 2-3 day subject-removal instead of 5-7.
Most delays at close are conveyancing-side. A pre-selected lawyer with your file opened Week 1 runs ~4 days faster than a Week-8 scramble.
5% deposit needs to clear within 24 hours of offer acceptance in BC. Locked-in investments or overseas transfers kill more deals than financing conditions.
The 3-day timeline save on subject-free offers has cost me at least six clients material repair bills. Price your offer sharper, don't strip protections.
Six things about BC buyer timelines that don't show up on checklists — but dictate what's actually possible in any given week.
Financing, inspection, title review, strata docs (if applicable). Shorter windows in hot markets, longer on complex properties.
Strata corporation must deliver Form B, bylaws, minutes, and financials within 10 days of request. This is often the binding constraint on a condo timeline.
BC's Home Buyer Rescission Period. Applies to most residential resale. 0.25% rescission fee if exercised. Doesn't replace subject clauses.
From complete application to firm commitment. Longer if appraisal is required or if the property is non-standard (acreage, unique zoning).
Completion (title transfers) and possession (you get the keys) are usually split by a day in BC. Matters for move logistics and insurance start date.
Property Transfer Tax, home insurance binder, and lawyer retainer all need to be locked 7-10 days before close. Last-minute scrambles move closing dates.
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. I'm 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
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