Craig Johnston Personal Real Estate Corporation · Brokerage: Royal LePage Elite West
For homeowners in Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and beyond who want buyers to walk in already half sold. Here’s exactly how I run it: a Tuesday launch, a REALTOR® sneak peek when demand is there, a focused weekend, a printed brochure, the right music, a QR sign-in that follows up for you — and your home’s story told at the door.
Reviewed: November 10, 2026 · Market data: GVR October 2026 · BCFSA Licence: 187645 · Brokerage: Royal LePage Elite WestTreat it as one part of a launch, not a stand-alone event. I put the sign up on Friday, take the listing live on Tuesday around noon and build interest through the week. If demand is strong, REALTORS® and their buyers get a one-hour sneak peek on Thursday. Otherwise we hold for the weekend: two hours on Saturday and Sunday, usually between 12 and 4 PM. Every guest gets a printed brochure, the music suits the home and the season, and a QR sign-in sends a thank-you and feedback request about three hours later. I host every open house myself, so the person at the door knows your home’s story.
One goal shapes every step on this page: sell quickly, at the strongest price the market will pay, on terms that work for your next move. The open house is where buyers first stand in the home and picture their own life there. Here’s my record so far.
My own listings only (not my team’s, and not homes I bought for clients), across Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the coast, 2021–2026, from MLS® records. The Tri-Cities figure covers my Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody listings only. “Final list price” is the asking price after any changes. Google rating as of November 2026. Past results don’t predict future ones, and no open house guarantees a price or a timeline.
An open house works best when buyers arrive already curious. That curiosity is built in the days before. Here’s the sequence I use, adjusted for each home and each market.
We listen to your story, clean and declutter, and my stager walks through. Photos, drone video, and measured 2D and 3D floor plans are done and checked. The brochure is written and printed, and I build the playlist. Nothing goes live half-finished.
Neighbours and weekend drivers start talking before a single photo is online.
Right when a lot of people check new listings on their lunch break, with a full working week still ahead before the weekend. I load the listing myself, with my brokerage’s approval, so the first thing buyers see is the complete picture: MLS®, REALTOR.ca and your home’s own property website, all at once.
Social reels go out, the listing reaches my monthly email list, and I talk directly with every agent who calls. I’m listening for how many buyers are serious, how soon they can come through and what they’re asking. That tells us whether a sneak peek is worth it.
A focused hour for agents and the buyers they’re working with. Serious buyers get an early look without waiting for the weekend, and their agents see the competition in the room.
Saturday and Sunday, two hours each. That window fits how most families spend a weekend: after the morning’s sports and errands, before dinner. Two focused hours keep the energy up and your family’s disruption down.
Every guest who signed in gets a thank-you and a request for feedback while your home is still fresh in their mind.
Who came, what they said, which agents are writing, and what I’d change, if anything. Ideally, we review offers 5 to 10 days after launch, so the first weekend’s feedback shapes how we handle them.
Not every listing gets a sneak peek. It’s a call we make together midweek, based on what agents tell me from Tuesday onward.
Thursday at 6 PM, for REALTORS® and their buyers. Signs that it’s worth doing:
Saturday and Sunday, two hours each. This is often the better choice when:
On a real listing: at 2930 Cougar Court on Westwood Plateau, the Thursday sneak peek brought 15 groups through in one hour. The home went on to sell with multiple offers.
Buyers decide with their senses before they decide with a spreadsheet. A buyer who feels at home stays longer. A buyer who stays longer comes back for a second look, and second looks lead to offers. So I plan the whole visit, not just the open door.
Directional signs go up only where the city’s bylaw allows. The For Sale sign has been up since Friday, so the neighbours are already talking. First impressions start at the curb: a tidy entry, the porch light on, a clear path to the door.
A “Scan to Explore” sign at the door. Guests sign in on their phone, and returning guests are recognised automatically. I’m the one who greets them, every time. My first question is always whether they’re working with a REALTOR®.
Lights on, blinds open and a comfortable temperature. A playlist of good music plays at a low level, chosen for the home, the setting and the time of year, with local events in mind. In December that means a gentle holiday mix. It’s never so loud that buyers can’t talk.
Not a one-page flat sheet: a heavy, folded brochure with measured floor plans, the photos, the full property details and a QR code to the home’s own website. See a real one below.
“Walk me through it” follows the floor plan from the front door, with each room’s photos and measured size. I’m there to tell the story behind each room: what you’ve loved, what you’ve improved, how the street really lives.
I ask every guest what caught their eye and what gave them pause. Guests who’d rather not ask in front of a crowd tap “Any offers yet?” or “Monthly costs?” and the question comes straight to my phone.
The brochure sits on their kitchen counter. The property website lets a partner or parent walk the home that night. About three hours later, every guest gets a thank-you and a request for feedback, and their answers go into your report.
The real brochure for 102E-3655 Shaughnessy Street, Port Coquitlam: an 11 × 17 sheet folded into a four-page booklet. Use the buttons to open it, or tap a page to see it full size.
A one-page flyer gets left on the counter. A brochure that opens like a book gets taken home, shown to parents and kept until the offer is written. Every one is designed for the home and printed on heavy, premium stock.
“Which rooms get the sun?” comes up at nearly every open house, and it’s hard to answer on a grey Saturday in November. So the property website I build for your home includes a sun and light view: buyers pick a month, slide through the day and watch the sun move around your floor plan on its real path over the Lower Mainland. The rooms in direct sun light up.
A bright kitchen or a sunny back deck is something most listings only claim. Here, buyers can see it for themselves before the open house, and again at home that night.
Very often, I’m selling your home to the same couple you were a few years ago: the same stage of life, the same reasons, the same hopes for the next chapter. So before the open house, I ask you the questions that turn a listing into a story. Then that story shapes the listing copy, the property website and my answers at the door.
A family tells me their kids learned to ride bikes on the quiet cul-de-sac, and the neighbours still gather there on summer evenings. They bought it as their first detached home, just as their oldest started kindergarten.
Everything is specific to your home, and nothing is invented. Buyers trust what feels real. My full listing process, from the first conversation to the offer, is in How I list a home.
A sign-in sheet tells you who came. Good questions tell you what they thought. These are the questions I ask at every open house, and every answer goes into your report.
I always ask this first. I work for you, so if a guest isn’t here with their own REALTOR® and the conversation turns to their budget or reasons for moving, I pause and give them BC’s Disclosure of Representation in Trading Services form (plus the Disclosure of Risks to Unrepresented Parties if they don’t have a REALTOR® at all) before going any further.
It tells us which features are pulling buyers in, so the next round of marketing leads with them.
It shows where buyers picture their life, and which room is doing the selling.
Live comparison with the competition, in buyers’ own words. It’s the most honest read on price we’ll get.
A concern I can answer on the spot (a strata bylaw, a renovation date, the commute) is one that doesn’t quietly kill an offer later.
Every guest leaves with the floor plans, the photos and every detail in hand, and a reason to come back for a second look.
Buyers ask questions too. Some guests won’t ask in front of a crowd, so the QR sign-in gives them one-tap questions like “Any offers yet?” and “Monthly costs?” that come straight to my phone. Their questions tell me what to put first in the next brochure and the next listing description.
I built this system for my own listings. Guests scan the code at the door and sign in on their phone in about 20 seconds. In return they get a guided tour of your home on their phone. You get names, feedback and follow-up, without a clipboard.
Real screens from my current listing at 11 915 Fort Fraser Rise, Port Coquitlam. The returning guest is a demo name.
As guests move through the house, “Walk me through it” starts at the front door and steps through every room on the floor plan, with its photos and measured size. Buyers understand the layout while they’re standing in it. Later, the same page lets a partner who couldn’t come “walk” the home that evening.
See it on a live listing: 11 915 Fort Fraser Rise. Every listing I take gets professional photography, drone video where it’s permitted, measured 2D and 3D floor plans and its own property website, and I pay for all of it.
Show it at its best
The same rules as any showing, amplified: decluttered, clean, bright and neutral. An open house puts your home in front of many people at once, so a weak first impression multiplies. Lights on, blinds open, a comfortable temperature, and the music low.
Protect the home
Valuables, medications, keys, mail and anything with personal or financial details. Lock or remove small electronics. Before the doors open, we decide which rooms stay closed, and every guest signs in before they walk through.
Your family
Concentrating buyers into a sneak peek and two weekend open houses means your family gets the home show-ready a few times, not every evening. I’ll tell you when to leave and when it’s clear to come back.
The honest part
Open houses by themselves rarely sell homes. I’m not aware of published data on how many Tri-Cities sales start at an open house, so I treat it as one part of a plan alongside MLS® exposure and private showings. In my experience, they work best in the first 7 to 14 days, while interest is highest. If a listing has had weeks of exposure without offers, another open house rarely fixes the cause; that’s usually a price or presentation conversation. For more on when an open house earns its place, read Do you always need an open house?
Days on market show how long the homes that sold took to sell. When many sales happen within a few weeks, the first week and the first weekend carry a lot of weight.
| City | Detached | Townhouse | Apartment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coquitlam | 38 | 23 | 36 |
| Port Coquitlam | 46 | 16 | 31 |
| Port Moody | 36 | 42 | 18 |
| Greater Vancouver | 44 | 36 | 44 |
Source: Greater Vancouver REALTORS® REALTOR® Report, October 2026 data, released November 2, 2026. Days on market for homes that sold that month; it shows how long homes that sold took to sell.
Coquitlam
The largest market of the three cities, with 425 detached, 204 townhouse and 575 apartment listings active in October 2026. With that much choice, buyers compare closely, so presentation on the first weekend carries weight.
Port Coquitlam
Benchmarks typically below Coquitlam’s (detached $1,235,900), which draws buyers stretching a budget. Directional open-house signs follow the city’s Sign Bylaw: side boulevards only, dawn to dusk.
Port Moody
A smaller pool of listings (152 detached, 38 townhouse in October 2026), so fewer homes compete for the same weekend buyers.
Anmore
Detached-only and thinly traded: 3 sold against 36 active listings in October 2026. With so few buyers in the market at once, I plan open houses around targeted promotion rather than drive-by traffic.
Belcarra
The data set I work from has no Belcarra benchmark, and listings are infrequent, so every open-house decision there is made home by home from individual comparable sales.
Beyond the Tri-Cities
I list across Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the coast. The launch plan travels; the sign bylaw, the buyer pool and the best open-house hours are checked for each city.
Judge an open house by what happens next, not by the number of names on the sheet.
The automatic thank-you and feedback request goes out about three hours after each open house.
I contact the buyers’ agents who came through and ask what held their clients back, or what would bring them to an offer.
Who came, second visits, the questions asked and any pattern: price, condition, layout. Consistent comments are worth more than a head count.
If a pattern appears, we talk it through before the next weekend rather than repeating the same open house and hoping for a different result.
“Craig sold my property in just 6 days, which is an incredible feat. 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!”
“We received seven offers, and Craig held firm on our priorities: no subject to sale and achieving our price. We took the home off the market over Christmas, but behind the scenes Craig continued working. When we re-listed in January, it sold in just three days to buyers he had been nurturing — at the price we wanted.”
“Craig kept me informed of the local market for a couple of years before I asked him to handle my Coquitlam sale. He laid out the strategy upfront, the listing generated a lot of interest, and we had an acceptable offer in under a month. I was stressed going in — Craig helped me overcome a lot of my anxiety. I’ve already introduced him to my sister, who plans to sell soon.”
“Craig was there with us everyday. Guiding us to our next step we were kept informed daily sometimes multiple times a day as to what was happening… Our home sold in only 6 days with multiple offers.”
“One of the sales was my Mom’s home. She is 97 and so this was a very emotional issue to be leaving her beloved home of so many years… Craig was extremely patient in explaining the market and was very sensitive to her concerns. We can’t thank him enough for his empathy and understanding in working with an elderly person through a difficult time in a very caring manor!”
“Craig is a true professional and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. His approach is clear, data-driven and resulted in multiple offers for our sale.”
“Craig Johnston 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.”
“Craig absolutely delivered on his promise of selling my condo, exceeding my expectations. Craig met with me prior to listing and gave helpful advice for making my home shine to potential buyers. The media and internet exposure, salesmanship and presentation were all top tier.”
“He went above and beyond what was required and managed to sell our condo at one of the slowest times of the year! From helping with the staging to being available to show to the unit at any time, Craig managed to sell our place when other comparable units nearby had been sitting for weeks!”
“No matter value of the property, Craig puts great care into preparing high-quality marketing content, ensuring each listing is presented at its absolute best. Craig presents very professionally and is very responsive with his communications.”
“His creativity, top-notch communication skills, and a solid plan were instrumental in selling high and buying low. His foresight in negotiation, predicting outcomes before they happened, truly set him apart. He's also humble and very respectful.”
“Throughout our journey, Craig demonstrated immense patience and understanding. He went out of his way to provide extra resources and various options to consider on both the buy and sell side.”
Tuesday around noon is when a lot of buyers check new listings on their lunch break, and it leaves the rest of the week to build interest, talk with agents and decide whether a Thursday sneak peek is worth doing. The sign goes up the Friday before, so neighbours know it’s coming. I load the listing myself, with my brokerage’s approval, so the photos, video, floor plans and property website are all complete the moment it’s live.
It’s a one-hour preview, Thursday from 6 to 7 PM, for REALTORS® and the buyers they’re working with. Not every listing gets one. If agents are calling early and buyers are already asking about offers, a focused hour gives serious buyers an early look. If interest is steadier, we hold everything for the weekend open houses. We make that call together midweek, based on what I’m hearing from agents.
Two hours is long enough for buyers to fit your home into their weekend and short enough to keep the home busy. Midday to late afternoon is when most families are free, after morning activities and before dinner. I set the exact hours for each home and season, for example to catch the best light on a view or a garden.
No. I host every open house and every private showing for my listings myself, and I don’t use a lockbox. BCFSA strongly discourages using a licensee from another brokerage to host an open house. For me it’s simpler than that: the person at your door should be the person who knows your home’s story.
Buyers see several homes in a weekend, and by Sunday night they blur together. A brochure on heavy paper that folds like a book, with the photos, measured floor plans, every property detail and a QR code to the home’s website, is what they look at again at the kitchen table and show to family who weren’t there. The property website does the rest, with photos, video and the interactive floor plan.
Yes. The property website I build for every home I list includes a sun and light view. Buyers pick a month, slide through the day and watch the sun move around the floor plan on its real path over the Lower Mainland; the rooms in direct sun light up, floor by floor, and a table shows summer and winter sun for every room. It can’t see trees, hills or neighbouring homes, so buyers are told to check at the time of day that matters to them. You can try it on 11 915 Fort Fraser Rise in Port Coquitlam.
Each sign-in comes to me with the guest’s name, phone number and email, and whether they’re working with a REALTOR®. About three hours after the open house, guests get a thank-you and a request for feedback. Guests are told at sign-in how their details will be used, and they decide for themselves whether to join my monthly newsletter. What they tell me about the home goes into your written feedback report.
Put away valuables, medications, keys, mail and anything with personal or financial details, and lock or remove small electronics. Make sure the host can see every room, or limit access to areas that can’t be supervised. Photograph rooms beforehand so anything out of place is easy to spot afterwards. In a strata building, check how visitors will get through the lobby and elevators so you aren’t propping doors open for neighbours. A short walk-through with your agent the day before catches most gaps.
Yes. BC’s tenancy guidance says tenants may be present when the unit is entered and can’t be made to leave, but they also can’t interfere with the landlord’s legal right to find a buyer. Unless your tenant agrees in writing to a viewing schedule, each entry needs at least 24 hours’ written notice (not a text message) giving the reason, date and time, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The province asks landlords to avoid several open houses in a short period, so in a tenanted home I agree the schedule with the tenant in writing and often skip the Thursday sneak peek.
Yes. Port Coquitlam’s Sign Bylaw allows directional real estate signs on the public right-of-way only on side boulevards, from dawn to dusk, with no more than two per city block and three in total for each property, each no larger than 0.28 m² per face and unlit. The sign on the property itself has separate size limits. Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra each set their own rules, so I check the bylaw for the city a home sits in before placing signs.
Judge it by what happens next, not by the number of names on the sheet. Useful signs are second showings booked, returning guests, buyers’ agents asking for strata documents or disclosure statements, and consistent comments about price or condition that you can act on. If several visitors raise the same concern, that’s feedback worth more than the visit count. A free home evaluation before you list helps you read that feedback against where your home is priced.
I’ve lived in the Tri-Cities for more than 47 years. I host every open house and every showing for my listings myself, I write every brochure and listing description, and I built the QR sign-in that follows up with every guest. If we don’t share the same vision for how your home should be presented and priced, I’ll tell you before you sign anything.
Written and reviewed by Craig Johnston, REALTOR® (BCFSA Licence #187645), Royal LePage Elite West · Last reviewed November 10, 2026. This page describes how I market my own listings. It is general information, not legal advice, and it isn’t a promise of any price or timeline. Not intended to solicit sellers currently under contract with a brokerage.
Each link goes one level deeper on a single part of selling.
Tri-Cities monthly
October 2026 Coquitlam detached HPI is $1,571,400, -7.0% YoY. What that means for your buy or sell decision — without the salesy fluff. One email per month. Unsubscribe anytime.
No spam, no listings flood, no marketing automation games. Genuine monthly update from a 47+ year Tri-Cities resident.
Start with a free Equity Map of what your home is likely worth in today’s market, or book a 20-minute strategy call and I’ll walk you through the launch week I’d plan for your home. No pressure.
