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The Coquitlam Seller's Starter Kit — price right, prep right, and avoid the mistakes that cost 3–8% on the final number.

A 17-page preparation guide for Coquitlam sellers who want to list with confidence, price accurately, and walk into closing knowing every number. Three pricing postures. Room-by-room checklist. 60-day countdown. The IRD-penalty trap most sellers miss. The honest closing-cost stack. Built from the conversations I have with seller clients every week.

  • The three pricing postures — tactical, at-market, ceiling test — and which fits your situation.
  • Room-by-room pre-listing checklist — the real work that moves list-to-sale ratio.
  • The 60-day countdown from "we should sell" to "completion."
  • The honest closing-cost stack — commission, legal, IRD penalty, capital gains.

Get the Starter Kit

Where should I send the PDF?

Instant delivery. No sales call. After the PDF, monthly Tri-Cities market updates — the same one I send my office.

No phone calls unless you ask. Unsubscribe one-click any time.

Top 1% TeamGreater Vancouver REALTORS® Medallion ClubTeam Member since 2021 5.0 · 35+Verified Google reviews Top 2% National TeamRoyal LePage

Sources: Greater Vancouver REALTORS® — Top 1% team ranking and Medallion Club · Royal LePage — Top 2% national team ranking · Craig's verified Google Business Profile — review rating and count. Updated August 2026.

Quick answer

What's actually in the Seller's Starter Kit?

Eight sections, 17 pages, every one built from real Coquitlam deals. Pricing anchors and the three pricing postures. Pre-listing room-by-room checklist. Staging keep/box/replace matrix. The 60-day countdown. Timing decision tree (14/21/30/60-day strategies). Negotiation primer — the five terms that actually matter. Seller closing-cost stack including the IRD-penalty trap. Next-step sequence from offer accepted to keys handed over. No filler, no generic advice.

What's inside

Every page in the Starter Kit — built from real Coquitlam deals.

No filler, no generic advice you've read ten times. Every section pulls from conversations I have with seller clients every week.

01

Three pricing anchors, three pricing postures.

Comparable sales, market-level pricing, strategic posture — how to choose between below-market tactical, at-market, and above-market ceiling test.

02

Pre-listing room-by-room checklist.

Exterior first impression, kitchen showcase, bathroom refresh, living room presentation. Priority order so limited budget goes where it counts.

03

Staging playbook — keep / box / replace.

Room-by-room matrix. What to leave as-is, what to remove, what's worth investing in before listing. The 80/20 of staging spend.

04

The 60-day countdown.

Days 60–45 (prep), 44–30 (photos + listing prep), 29–14 (on-market), 13–0 (offers + subjects + completion). Week-by-week so nothing gets rushed.

05

Timing decision tree.

14-day, 21-day, 30-day, and 60-day listing strategies. Which minimizes time on market. Which protects your price. Which fits your situation.

06

Negotiation primer.

The five terms that actually matter — price, completion date, subjects, deposits, inclusions. Plus how to evaluate a multi-offer situation cold.

07

Seller closing-cost stack.

Commission, legal, mortgage IRD penalty (with the trap explained), strata move-out fees, capital gains if applicable. The honest number.

08

The next-step sequence.

After sale accepted: subject-removal period, completion-day logistics, possession, keys, and the "gotchas" sellers miss in the final 14 days.

The single most expensive decision

The three pricing postures — pick the wrong one, lose 3–8% on the final number.

Picking the wrong pricing posture for the current market is the single most expensive listing mistake. Sellers who over-price in a buyer-favouring window routinely lose 5–8% by the time a price drop forces the sale. Sellers who under-price in a seller-favouring window leave money on the table. Here are the three postures and when each one fits:

Posture 1 · Below-market tactical

List 2–5% under comps to draw multiple offers.

Wins when buyers are competing — pressure pushes price up, often above comp-supported levels. Risky when buyers are scarce: you'll get the low number you advertised.

Posture 2 · At-market

List at the comp-supported number.

The safe default. Works in seller's markets and on standard inventory. The home sells in the typical window at a fair price. No tactical play, no premium pressure — clean, predictable.

Posture 3 · Above-market ceiling test

List 3–7% above market to test the ceiling.

Works only when the home is genuinely better than its comp set — rare layout, view, lot, condition. Wrong-posture risk: stale listing, price drop forced, final sale below at-market.

The kit walks through how to read the current Coquitlam market and which posture fits your specific property, catchment, and timeline. The decision tree is the single most-quoted section by clients afterward.

What happens after signup

No pressure, no spam, no surprise calls.

Here's exactly what lands in your inbox over the next month — and what doesn't.

Minute 1

You get the PDF.

Confirmation email arrives within a minute with a direct download link. The PDF is yours, no strings attached. Read it, share it, use it.

Day 3

One short follow-up.

A brief email asking if anything in the guide raised a question. Reply if it did. Ignore it if it didn't. That's the entire sequence.

Monthly

Tri-Cities market update.

First of each month. Current inventory, pricing by neighbourhood, DOM trends, plain-English commentary. Unsubscribe one-click, any time.

What you will not get.

No phone calls unless you ask. No 30-day drip with urgency tactics. No list-rental or shared-with-partners. No "are you ready to sell?" emails every week. This is a signup, not a sales funnel.

Who I am

The Tri-Cities Move-Up Specialist.

Craig Johnston, REALTOR®
Craig Johnston, REALTOR®
47+ year Tri-Cities resident · Top 1% Team Member — Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, 2022–2025 · Medallion Club Team Member, 2021–2025 · Top 2% Team Member — Royal LePage nationwide, 2024–2025 · The MACNABs Team, Royal LePage Elite West · BCFSA #V99960
More about Craig →

5.0 stars across 35+ verified Google reviews. Three below from real Tri-Cities seller clients on pricing strategy, marketing reach, and protecting the sale price.

★★★★★
“Craig was patient throughout the entire process. He never pushed us to buy something we weren't sure about, and when we decided to wait six months and save more, he just said ‘good call’ and stayed in touch. When we did finally buy, the math was so much cleaner.”
Susie & Hans
First-time buyers · Patient strategy · Google Review
★★★★★
“He is a professional who is guided by integrity, honesty, and punctuality. When faced with challenges, Craig has shown his dedication to proactively navigate the issue on hand towards our goal.”
Jaeyoung Joo
Repeat Client · Google Review
★★★★★
“Craig was an absolute pleasure to work with. He is extremely friendly, highly knowledgeable, and constantly monitors trends and data so we could make informed decisions. The more time we spent interacting with other agents during our home-buying process, the more pleased we were with choosing Craig.”
Ashley K.
Buyer · Google Review
Ready when you are

Want the kit, plus a conversation about your specific situation?

The PDF answers the questions every seller has in common. The 20-minute Strategy Call answers the questions specific to your property, neighbourhood, timeline, and next-home plan. You leave with a written one-page plan. No pitch, no pressure.

5.0 across 35+ Google reviews Top 1% Team — Greater Vancouver REALTORS® 47+ years in the Tri-Cities

Or call direct: 604-202-6092

Keep digging

Related Coquitlam seller resources

FAQ

Coquitlam Seller's Starter Kit — the questions people actually ask.

What is in the Coquitlam Seller's Starter Kit?+

A 17-page guide covering eight sections: three pricing anchors and three pricing postures (below-market tactical, at-market, above-market test), pre-listing room-by-room checklist, staging playbook (keep / box / replace matrix), 60-day countdown from 'we should sell' to completion, timing decision tree (14/21/30/60-day strategies), negotiation primer (the five terms that matter), seller closing-cost stack (commission, legal, IRD mortgage penalty, capital gains), and the next-step sequence from offer accepted to keys handed over.

Is the Seller's Starter Kit really free?+

Yes. No charge, no credit card, no paywall. Enter your email, get the PDF instantly. After download, you receive one short follow-up email a few days later asking if anything raised a question, then monthly Tri-Cities market updates. No phone calls unless you ask. No 30-email drip. Unsubscribe honoured immediately on any email.

What is the best month to list a home in Coquitlam?+

The two strongest seasonal windows in Coquitlam are mid-March through early May, and mid-September through early November. The spring window delivers the tightest days-on-market. The fall window delivers the most serious buyers — families moving by year-end for school or financial reasons. Late June through August and December through February are noticeably weaker. The kit walks through which window fits your specific situation.

How long does it take to sell a home in Coquitlam?+

Well-prepared, correctly-priced detached homes in strong catchments commonly sell inside 21 days in active seasonal windows. The 2026 Coquitlam average days-on-market across all listings runs 28-42 days depending on season. Over-priced or poorly-prepared listings routinely sit 60+ days before a price drop forces a sale. Preparation and pricing posture are the two largest controllable inputs.

How much does it cost to sell a home in BC?+

Typical costs on a Coquitlam sale: 3.5-5% total commission (split between listing and buyer brokerages), $2,000-$3,000 legal/notary, any mortgage pre-payment penalty (often $10,000-$40,000 on a fixed-term mortgage with time remaining — the IRD trap that catches most sellers), and $5,000-$15,000 in pre-listing prep. On a $1.5M Coquitlam sale, after-cost net is typically $1.41M-$1.44M. The kit shows the full stack with worked examples.

Should I list my Coquitlam home now or wait?+

Depends on three inputs. 1) Whether your home is listing-ready (paint, declutter, small repairs, staging). 2) Whether your block's 90-day comp set is strong enough for buyer agents to underwrite confident offers. 3) Whether your next-home plan is in place. When all three are green, list into the next seasonal window. When any is red, waiting usually nets more. The decision tree in the kit walks through this with concrete signals.

What are the three pricing postures in the kit?+

Below-market tactical: list 2-5% below market to draw multiple offers and pressure the price up. Works in seller-favouring conditions; risky when buyers are scarce. At-market: list at the comp-supported number — the safe default. Above-market test: list 3-7% above market to test the ceiling on a unique property. Works only when the home is genuinely better than its comp set. Picking the wrong posture for your market is the single most expensive listing mistake — usually 3-8% on the final price.

What is the IRD trap in BC mortgage payouts?+

Interest Rate Differential. If you break a fixed-term mortgage early, lenders charge the greater of three months' interest or the IRD — the difference between your contract rate and the rate they could re-lend at, multiplied by remaining months. On a $900,000 mortgage with 3 years left, the IRD penalty can easily run $20,000-$40,000. It is the single most-overlooked seller closing cost. Pull your mortgage statement and call your lender for the exact figure before listing.

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