A 47-year Tri-City resident and Burke Mountain dad helping Tri-Cities families think clearly about the biggest move of their lives. Strategy first. Pressure never.
Drop your details and Craig will reach out personally to book a strategy call — same business day, Tri-Cities timezone.
Photographed on Burke Mountain — the neighbourhood my family and I have called home for nearly a decade.
My wife and I bought our first Burke Mountain home in 2017 when most of this neighbourhood was still a construction zone. We raised our kids here. I've walked these streets in every season, watched three subdivisions go from raw lots to finished communities, and learned the small things that make one block feel completely different from another two minutes away.
That's the experience my clients actually pay for. Pricing data is everywhere now. What's harder to find is a Realtor who has lived through the school catchment debates, knows which builders cut corners on insulation, and can tell you why one Burke street commands a premium and the one next to it doesn't.
I specialize in move-up sellers — families ready to trade a starter condo or townhome for a detached home, or detached owners ready to scale up to a view lot. It's the most emotionally and financially complex move most people will ever make. My job is to make it feel quiet, sequenced, and survivable.
— Craig
Before you book a call, spend ninety seconds with Craig. You’ll know in the first thirty whether he’s the right realtor for your move.
Most Tri-Cities Realtors are competent on either the buy side or the sell side. Almost none are built for the simultaneous move — selling the home you live in now while buying the next one before the market shifts under you. That's the work I do every week.
I can tell you in one call why a townhome on Smiling Creek Drive lists higher than an identical floorplan two streets over, why Heritage Woods catchment moves prices faster than Heritage Mountain, and which Westwood Plateau cul-de-sacs hold value through a slow market. That kind of granularity changes pricing strategy.
Listing your home for the highest possible price is meaningless if your buy-side timing leaves you carrying two mortgages or scrambling to bridge-finance. I run the full sequence — sell price, buy price, possession dates, deposit logistics, tax windows — before we set a list price, so the whole move clears cleanly.
You won't see me hammer-bidding above asking on a property that doesn't deserve it, and you won't see me chase ego wins on listings. My clients tend to be analytical buyers and sellers — accountants, engineers, executives — who want a Realtor who matches their tone. Calm, evidence-based, no drama.
I work inside a top 2% Royal LePage team across Canada. That means I have negotiation peers I can pressure-test strategy with, an in-house marketing and photography pipeline that doesn't depend on freelance availability, and a referral network across the country when clients are moving in or out of Tri-Cities.
Most realtor websites promise everything. This one tells you up front what I won't say — because the honest version is the one that holds up six months into a transaction.
I'll promise a defensible price backed by three comparable tiers and current days-on-market data. Anyone who tells you a guaranteed number before walking your home is selling you a listing pitch, not a sale strategy.
The first conversation is a discovery call — 30 minutes by phone or Zoom, no commitment either way. If the timing or strategy doesn't fit, I'll say so and we both move on. I'd rather earn the right listing six months from now than push you into the wrong one today.
You won't hear me run down another agent to get your listing. If you're already working with someone, finish that engagement properly. If you're between agents, we'll talk about fit — not commission discounts as a closing tactic.
If your home needs prep work, repairs, or a different launch window to sell at the price you want, we'll talk about that on the strategy call — before the marketing budget gets spent. A listing that sits is more expensive than a listing that delays a month and clears.
I'm deliberately narrow on geography. I'd rather know six neighbourhoods deeply than thirty superficially. These are the areas I work in week-in, week-out — every page below is a guide I wrote, not a template I bought.
Where I live. Newer detached homes, top-rated schools, and the strongest move-up demand in Coquitlam. Best for families upsizing from a starter detached or large townhome.
Read the Burke Mountain guide →Established executive neighbourhood with mature trees, golf course access, and larger lots. Best for move-up buyers prioritizing privacy and a settled feel over new construction.
Read the Westwood Plateau guide →The view premium neighbourhood. Inlet sightlines, Anmore access, Heritage Woods catchment. Best for buyers willing to pay for terrain and longer-term hold value.
Read the Heritage Mountain guide →Eleven submarkets compared side-by-side: Eagle Ridge, Burquitlam, Klahanie, Maillardville, Ranch Park and more. Best if you're still narrowing the geography.
Compare 11 submarkets →The questions to ask before signing a listing agreement, the difference between move-up specialists and generalists, and how to evaluate any agent (not just me).
Read the buyer's guide to agents →A no-pressure equity map: realistic price range, holding-cost math, and trade-up scenarios. Same-business-day turnaround. No automated bot estimate.
Get my equity map →Source: Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) MLS® Home Price Index & monthly stats package, April 2026 release. Last refreshed May 6, 2026. For the full picture, read the Coquitlam market update or get a private equity map.
I run different playbooks depending on whether you're selling, buying, or doing both at once. Here's the abbreviated version of each — the full breakdowns live on the dedicated pages.
Real outcomes from recent transactions. Tri-Cities clients regularly move to or from Vancouver, the North Shore, the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan — Craig's transaction history follows them. Coquitlam & Burke Mountain sales are also showcased on the neighbourhood pages.
“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!”
“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.”
“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.”
“My West Vancouver home was staged to sell, and it did indeed sell in 14 days in a declining seller’s market. Craig’s marketing tools are amazing. The photographer he hired for the stills of my West Vancouver home and the video that was done of my home and the surrounding area cannot be beat.”
“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.”
“Two of the transactions were house 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.”
The boring-but-important section. Every claim below is supportable and on file with the relevant authority.
If your question isn't here, ask it on the strategy call — we'll cover it before any commitment is on the table.
I was born in Port Moody and grew up in the Tri-Cities — 47 years and counting. My wife and I have raised our family on Burke Mountain for nine-plus years. My roots in this market aren't a marketing line; they're my actual life.
I drive these streets every day — not as an agent prospecting, but as a resident running errands. That's deliberately different from a Vancouver agent who covers Tri-Cities as a side market.
30 minutes by phone or Zoom. No PowerPoint, no slide deck, no sales script. I ask about your timeline, the move you're trying to make, what's already been tried, and where you're stuck. By the end of the call you'll know whether I'm the right fit — and whether the timing makes sense at all.
If the answer is "wait six months and revisit," I'll say that. I'd rather lose the listing than push someone into a bad-timing move.
I'm not the right Realtor for investors chasing pre-sale flips, for sellers looking for a discount listing service, or for buyers who want an agent to validate emotional purchases without pushback. My work is structured around families making strategic move-up decisions — that's where I add real value, and where I'm honest enough to refer out when it doesn't fit.
Commissions are always negotiable and disclosed in writing on the listing or buyer representation agreement before anything is signed. I'm not the cheapest agent in Tri-Cities and I don't try to be — the marketing, photography, video, and team support that come with The MACNABS represent real costs. We talk about the number on the strategy call so there are no surprises.
Yes. The Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam) is where I live and where my market knowledge is deepest — but I regularly help clients buy and sell across Metro Vancouver and beyond. Recent transactions have included Vancouver West Side, Bowen Island, Langley, and the Okanagan. If you're making a move I can run properly, I'll drive.
Where I'd refer rather than take the file is when the geography genuinely demands a specialist — say, a North Vancouver acreage with septic and well, or a Whistler resort property. In those cases, Royal LePage's national network gives me vetted referrals across Canada, which is part of the value of working with a brokerage-backed team rather than an independent.
You still work primarily with me — I'm your point of contact, I do the strategy work, I attend the showings and offers. The team adds depth: a marketing pipeline that doesn't depend on freelance availability, photographers and videographers who know our system, an admin function that keeps paperwork from slipping, and peer Realtors I can pressure-test strategy with on hard transactions. Solo agents can be excellent — but they're also a single point of failure.
The Medallion Club is Royal LePage's annual recognition for the top-producing teams across Canada. The MACNABS has been a Medallion Club Team Member since 2021. Practically, what it tells you is that the team has done enough volume year-over-year to know how to handle the unusual transactions — multiple-offer scenarios, subject-to-sale buyers, divorce sales, estate sales, off-market deals. Volume isn't the same as quality, but quality without volume usually means a Realtor who hasn't seen enough edge cases yet.
The honest answer: case by case, with math first. There are three viable paths — sell-first with rental bridge, buy-first with bridge financing, and concurrent (both contracts running with matched possession dates). Each has different risks. The decision depends on your specific equity position, mortgage flexibility, rate environment, and personal risk tolerance. The strategy call covers this with real numbers, not a templated answer.
The Coquitlam-wide average sat at 43 days on market in the April 2026 GVR release. That number includes overpriced and poorly-prepared listings that drag the average up — homes that actually sold without a price reduction moved closer to 22 days. The first two weeks on market typically decide the outcome, so the pre-list strategy (pricing, prep, marketing launch week) matters more than the duration itself.
If a listing is approaching day 21 with no offers, that's a signal to recalibrate — not panic, but reassess pricing assumptions against what actually showed up to view it.
Three things, in this order:
Selectively. Open houses are a marketing tool, not a default. For some properties — newer townhomes in family neighbourhoods, detached homes in a strong school catchment — open houses generate real qualified-buyer traffic. For others (luxury single-family, sensitive estate sales, properties with security or privacy concerns) they're the wrong fit and we lean on private showings instead.
The decision gets made together once we've seen the buyer pool actively touring your specific submarket. Either way, every showing is logged with feedback so we can adjust strategy as the market responds.
First, that's a conversation we have well before the listing expires — usually around day 21 if the showing volume and feedback haven't translated into a written offer. We review three things together: the comp set we priced against (did the comparable competition shift?), the buyer feedback from showings (what's the friction point — price, prep, or product?), and current days-on-market trends for your specific submarket.
From there, the options are typically a coordinated price adjustment, a marketing reset (new photos, new launch week, new positioning), a strategic pause and relaunch in a different season, or — if the math has genuinely shifted against you — a recommendation to pull the listing entirely. I'd rather have an honest "let's pause" conversation than chase a sale that isn't there.
Working market data, move-up math, and decision frameworks — published as the Tri-Cities market shifts.
A measured-balanced spring market. Detached benchmark at $1.81M, +1.4% YoY. The first 14 days on market still determine 80% of outcome.
Move-Up StrategyIncluding the $40K BC home flipping tax trap families don't see coming until possession week. What every move-up seller should run before listing.
Decision GuideThe three viable paths — sell-first with rental bridge, buy-first with bridge financing, or concurrent with matched possession — and which fits your equity position.
Send a few details and I'll respond personally — usually same business day. No script, no pitch, no obligation.
A short text or call within one business day. We confirm the basics and pick a 30-minute time that works for you.
Phone or Zoom. No PowerPoint, no sales script. We talk through your timeline, the move you're making, and whether the math actually works right now.
If we agree there's a real plan to build, you get a written equity map: realistic price range, net walk-away math, and the recommended sequence. No commitment to list.
30 minutes. No pressure. We'll talk through your timeline, your goals, and whether the math actually works right now.