What's inside, who it's for, and the questions most people ask before they put their email in.
A 17-page guide covering the 90-day runway, pre-approval sequence, down-payment stacking (FHSA + HBP), Coquitlam and Tri-Cities neighbourhood primer, condo/townhome red flags, offer-writing playbook, closing-cost ledger, and the first-week-after-move checklist. Specific to the Coquitlam, Port Moody, and Port Coquitlam markets, not generic national advice.
Yes — fully free, no credit-card capture, no paywall. The only ask is your email so the kit delivers instantly and you receive the seven-email onboarding sequence over the following two weeks. You can unsubscribe at any point; the link works and there's no hard feelings.
Anyone considering a first home purchase in Coquitlam, Port Moody, or Port Coquitlam within the next 6–18 months. It's particularly useful if you're 3–9 months from writing an offer — far enough out that pre-approval paperwork can be prepared properly, close enough that the neighbourhood content is immediately actionable.
Getting pre-approved too late — usually the weekend after they find a home they love, rather than six months earlier. A rushed pre-approval can come in lower than a fully underwritten one, and rate-hold windows are the difference between a workable purchase and a collapsed offer. Pre-approval is step one, not step five.
Open an FHSA the day you decide you're buying in Canada. Pre-approve 6 months before you plan to write an offer. Interview REALTORs 3 months before. Shop seriously 1–3 months out. The actual offer and closing stage takes 30–60 days. Total runway from decision to keys-in-hand is usually 9–18 months.
Zero dollars. The kit is the start of a relationship. If it helps you — great, use it. If it leads to a strategy call and I'm the right agent for you, even better. If it doesn't fit, you keep the kit and go your own way. No strings.
Sources referenced on this page include the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, BCREA, CMHC, the Government of British Columbia, School District 43, and the City of Coquitlam. Last reviewed 2026-04-20.
FREE DOWNLOAD — 17 pages
A 17-page honest primer on buying your first home in Coquitlam, Port Moody, or Port Coquitlam. Written by a local REALTOR who has walked dozens of first-time buyers through the full process and wants to save you the expensive mistakes.
No sales calls. No drip of 30 emails. One download, one monthly market update, unsubscribe any time.
Get the First-Time Buyer Starter Kit
Enter your email and I'll send the PDF directly. You'll also get my monthly Coquitlam market update — the same one REALTORS in my office read first.
Quick Answer
What should first-time buyers in the Tri-Cities know?
A 17-page honest primer on buying your first home in Coquitlam, Port Moody, or Port Coquitlam. Written by a local REALTOR who has walked dozens of first-time buyers through the full process and wants to save you the expensive mistakes. Craig Johnston, Top 1% Team — Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, 2023–2025 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.
What's inside
No filler, no generic advice you've read ten times. Every section pulls from the conversations I have with clients in my office each week.
Week-by-week planning from the decision to buy through completion day. What to do when.
The full sequence — what documents you need, which lenders work best for first-time Coquitlam files, how long your rate stays held.
FHSA + HBP + savings + gift letter logic, plus the partial PTT exemption math for purchases under $860K.
Burquitlam, Coquitlam Centre, Maillardville, West Coquitlam, Eagle Ridge — price bands, lifestyle fit, SkyTrain access, catchment notes.
Every item I check before offering on a first home — poly-B, oil tank, depreciation report, CRF ratio, unpermitted additions, roof age, grow-op.
Subjects, subject-removal math, how to write a clean offer that still protects you in a multi-offer scenario.
Legal, PTT, inspection, appraisal, GST (new construction only), title insurance, first-year insurance premium — the full number.
Utility transfers, insurance activation, strata bylaw review, the ten things a first-year owner forgets until they're a problem.
What happens after you sign up
Here's exactly what lands in your inbox over the next week — and what doesn't.
A confirmation email arrives within a minute with a direct download link. The PDF is yours, no strings attached.
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.
Current inventory, pricing by neighbourhood, DOM trends, and one commentary note on what it means if you're buying your first home. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.
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 buy?" emails every week. This is a signup, not a sales funnel.
About the author
I've been in the Tri-Cities since 1982 and on Burke Mountain for the last nine years. I built this guide the way I'd build a briefing for a close friend — honest numbers, genuine trade-offs, and specific streets and buildings named where naming them mattered. You don't get that from templated PDFs.
If the guide answers your questions, great. If it raises new ones, my contact details are on the last page and you're welcome to email or text. I reply personally within a business day — no assistant, no call centre.
A five-step process built around clarity, strategy, and no-surprise execution — whether you're buying your first home or moving up.
We start with a real conversation about your goals, timeline, and numbers. I'll pull current comps, assess your buying power or home's true market value, and tell you exactly what the data says — not what you want to hear.
I build a written strategy around your priorities: target neighbourhoods, pricing strategy, timeline, financing structure, and the trade-offs at each decision point. Every recommendation comes with a reason.
For sellers: pre-list prep, staging direction, pro photography, and a pricing framework that draws interest without leaving money on the table. For buyers: offer structure, subject clauses, and the due-diligence checklist for every property that matters.
This is where experience pays for itself. I negotiate price, terms, subjects, deposit, completion dates, and the small details that don't show up in listings but decide whether a deal closes well or falls apart.
From subject removal through completion and possession, I coordinate with lawyers, lenders, inspectors, and trades so nothing drops. After closing, I stay in your corner for everything from tax-assessment appeals to the next move.
Frequently asked
Yes. A confirmation email with the direct download link arrives within about one minute of you submitting the form. If it doesn't, check your spam folder (look for mail from Craig@SoldByCraig.ca) and reply to any of my emails to have me send it manually.
Actually free. The only thing you get beyond the PDF is my monthly market update email, which you can unsubscribe from with one click. I don't sell lists, I don't share emails with partners, and I don't call unless you ask me to. My business model is relationships over time, not pressure selling.
Most of the kit still applies. The financing sections, neighbourhood primers, red-flag checklist, and closing-cost stack all transfer. If you're specifically upsizing with an existing home to sell, the Move-Up Planner is the better fit — I link to it at the back of this kit.
Yes — I last updated the kit in July 2026 with current mortgage stress-test rates, updated PTT exemption thresholds (raised to $835K / $860K in the 2024 BC budget), and current Coquitlam market data. I refresh the kit every six months.
Related reading
Every benchmark price, sales ratio, and market signal on this page is drawn from named, publicly-verifiable sources refreshed monthly. I write from a licensed B.C. REALTOR®'s vantage point (license V99960) and tie claims to the reports real buyers, sellers, and appraisers actually rely on.
Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) — Monthly MLS® HPI benchmark prices, sales volume, days on market, and list-to-sale ratios for Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, and Anmore.
Statistics Canada 2021 Census plus BC Stats projections — population, household composition, median household income, and tenure splits for every Tri-Cities neighbourhood.
BC Ministry of Finance and Canada Revenue Agency — current Property Transfer Tax exemption thresholds, GST/HST rules on new homes, BC Home Owner Grant amounts, and first-time home buyer programs.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Bank of Canada — stress-test qualifying rate, posted mortgage rates, insured vs uninsured lending rules, and rental market data for the Vancouver CMA.
SD43 Coquitlam catchment maps and the SD43 School Locator — used for every school-linked neighbourhood claim.
BC Assessment and BC Land Title & Survey Authority — assessed values, property-type classifications, title registry data, and historical ownership records.
This page is reviewed monthly. Benchmark pricing reflects the most recent GVR HPI release. Census figures are the 2021 Statistics Canada release with BC Stats growth projections. Tax thresholds are current as of the 2026 BC Budget and federal rules in effect at time of publication.
Last reviewed: April 22, 2026 · Written and signed by Craig Johnston, licensed REALTOR® V99960, Royal LePage Elite West.
Tri-Cities monthly
August 2026 Coquitlam detached HPI is $1,599,100, -5.9% 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.
5.0 stars across 35+ verified Google reviews. Three from recent clients below.
“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.”David Catterall
“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.”Fj Young
“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.”Gerry & Aline Howitson