# Sell Your Home in Vancouver > Sell your Tri-Cities home in 2026 with the 7-Step Listing Method — comp-backed pricing, professional photo + video, staging, MLS, negotiation, closing. **Source:** https://soldbycraig.ca/sell-your-home/ **Author:** Craig Johnston, REALTOR® (BC Licence V99960) · The MACNABS · Royal LePage Elite West **Site:** https://soldbycraig.ca --- [**Selling in Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam or Burke Mountain?** Click here for the Tri-Cities seller page — built specifically for your neighbourhood, with local submarket comps, catchment math, and Coquitlam-specific FAQs.](/sell-your-home-in-coquitlam/) Sell Your Home · Vancouver · North & West Vancouver · Burnaby · Maple Ridge · Langley · Tri-Cities ## Sell your home with a plan — not just a sign in the yard. The power in any home sale is in **your position**. My job is to put you in it. Top 1% Team Member — Greater Vancouver REALTORS® · 5.0★ on 34+ verified Google reviews [Get My Home’s Value](/home-evaluation/) [Book a 20-Min Call](/book-a-strategy-call-with-craig-johnston/) Or call [604-202-6092](tel:+16042026092) For Greater Vancouver sellers · Free · 24-hour turnaround ## Get your private Equity Map — before you list. The number that matters isn’t the list price — it’s your **net walk-away** after commission, mortgage payout, legal and GST. Comp-backed for your specific city and submarket — **Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Langley, and the Tri-Cities**. Returned within one business day. Free · 1 business day *The power is in your position.*•*Strategy lives out loud.* Top 1%Greater Vancouver Team Ranking Medallion Club Team MemberTeam Member Since 2021 5.0 · 34+Verified Google Reviews Top 2%Royal LePage Nationally Source: Royal LePage internal rankings & verified Google Business Profile. Last refreshed July 3, 2026. Quick answer ### What’s the best way to sell a home in Coquitlam in 2026? Sell from the strongest **position** you can build — before the sign goes up. Three things matter most: **price from a hyper-local comp set**, **prepare the home for the buyer pool touring this season**, and **launch in a deliberate week** with a written negotiation plan. The seven-step method below is exactly how every sale in this practice gets sequenced. Meet Craig · In 60 seconds ## The strategy lives out loud — not behind a curtain. Before you trust anyone with the biggest financial decision your family will make this year, you should know how I work. Short version: I share the plan with you in real time. The pricing logic, the marketing moves, the negotiation calls — you see the reasoning as it happens, not after the deal is done. That’s what turns a sale into a story you can tell. [Book a 20-Min Strategy Call](/book-a-strategy-call-with-craig-johnston/) [About Craig](/coquitlam-realtor-craig-johnston/) Intro · 60 sec ![Craig Johnston introduction video thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hVbqvBg_1kM/hqdefault.jpg) Recently sold ## The last six sold properties — across the Greater Vancouver region. Real outcomes from recent transactions. Updated as each new sale closes — from Burke Mountain to Westwood Plateau, Heritage Mountain, Port Moody and beyond. 1 / 1 ‹ › Drone marketing · Watch ![Craig Johnston drone marketing video thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lwQyzA9YOBw/hqdefault.jpg) Marketing — where I get to play ## Cinematic marketing is how your home stops looking like every other listing in the region. Most Coquitlam listings get the same four assets: MLS®, sign, social post, open house. That’s a checklist — not a launch. Every home in my practice gets a full presentation system: cinematic photography, drone footage where the lot or view earns it, walking-tour video on detached homes, and targeted digital distribution to the buyer pools most likely to compete for your home. Drone in particular shows scale, approach, streetscape and neighbourhood context that still photos can’t. Used properly, it raises perceived value, strengthens the first impression, and makes your launch feel *intentional* from day one. This is the marketing I love and it’s the marketing that helps a launch feel premium before the first open house. [Get My Home’s Marketing Plan](/home-evaluation/) [Book a Strategy Call](/book-a-strategy-call-with-craig-johnston/) The fight Strategy is the *love*. Negotiation is the *fight*. Your price is the *proof*. Quick-witted. Calm under pressure. Defensible math behind every counter. I love negotiating — and I’ve fought for the seller’s price time and time again. **Seven offers held to no-subject-to-sale. Six-day sales with multiple offers over asking. Fourteen-day sales in declining markets.** The reviews below tell the rest. What clients say ## 5.0 stars across 34+ verified Google reviews. Nine of the most recent Google reviews — from sellers, move-up families, downsizers, and multi-transaction clients across the Greater Vancouver region. ★★★★★ “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.” Jim Turnbull Sold + Bought · April 2026 ★★★★★ “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 First-time Buyer · April 2026 ★★★★★ “After searching for several years, I knew exactly what I was looking for — and Craig delivered. We viewed a handful of properties, and the home he ultimately found was exactly what I had been searching for. I couldn’t believe how quickly he nailed it.” Warren Chu Buyer · March 2026 ★★★★★ “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 Sellers · November 2025 ★★★★★ “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.” Robert Shin Seller · July 2025 ★★★★★ “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!” Heather Fox Seller · August 2024 ★★★★★ “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 manner!” Ann English 3 Transactions · March 2024 ★★★★★ “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.” Riverplate Equities Seller · November 2023 ★★★★★ “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… Craig assisted in every aspect of the purchase of my Bowen Island home, including arranging for the building inspection, the follow up building inspection, and ensuring that all deficiencies were repaired.” Roberta Shaw Sold + Bought · February 2023 Verbatim from Craig’s verified Google Business Profile [Read all 34+ reviews on Google →](https://www.google.com/search?q=Craig+Johnston+REALTOR+Coquitlam+reviews) ### Already decided? Skip ahead — get your same-day Equity Map. Net sale value. True available equity. Real next-home ceiling. Delivered same-day. No commitment. [Get My Home’s Value](/home-evaluation/) [Book a Call](/book-a-strategy-call-with-craig-johnston/) Or call direct: [604-202-6092](tel:+16042026092) The 7-Step Listing Method ## Seven steps. Same order. Every sale. Every home I list in Coquitlam, Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Heritage Mountain, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam moves through the same sequence. Nothing slips. The negotiation plan exists before the photographer arrives. The bridge call happens before the listing goes live. Step 01 #### Equity Map Same-day net-sale value, true available equity, real next-home ceiling. Commission, legal, mortgage payout, GST — modeled to the dollar before any pricing conversation starts. Step 02 #### Pricing Strategy Catchment-specific comps, layout-class match, last 60–90 days, current active inventory re-confirmed by drive-by. Three-tier range — high case, mid case, low case — written and dated. Step 03 #### Pre-Listing Prep Pre-listing inspection, three-to-five item repair short-list, staging brief, contractor coordination if needed. Surfacing problems before buyers do. Step 04 #### Presentation & Photography Styling pass, professional photography with a written style guide, drone & twilight where it pays back, walking-tour video for detached homes, room-by-room MLS® copy review. Step 05 #### Launch Week Coming-soon pre-marketing, deliberate launch day, broker tour, the first weekend’s open-house schedule, social and email pushes, offer-deadline strategy if conditions warrant. Step 06 #### Negotiation This is the lever I love most. Quick-witted, calm under pressure, defensible math behind every counter — and a record of fighting for the seller’s price, proven time and time again. Step 07 #### Soft Landing Possession, key handover, utility transfers, contractor coordination, mover hand-off. Scheduled 30-day, 90-day, and one-year follow-up after close. + Move-Up #### Sell-and-Buy Coordination If you’re also buying, every step above runs in parallel with the buy-side hunt under the [Move-Up Protocol](/coquitlam-move-up-protocol/) — one file, one plan, one set of dates. [Read the full Move-Up Protocol  →](/coquitlam-move-up-protocol/) Discount vs. average vs. specialist ## Three Coquitlam selling models, side by side. There are real trade-offs between hiring a discount-fee agent, a general full-service agent, and a process-driven move-up specialist. None is universally right — but they produce meaningfully different outcomes. | What you should expect | Discount-fee listing | General full-service agent | Craig Johnston (specialist) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pricing method | One CMA pull; often algorithm-anchored. | Three or four nearest comps; reviewed once. | Catchment-specific comp set, layout-class match, last 60–90 days, current active competition re-confirmed by drive-by, written three-tier range. | | Pre-listing prep | “Declutter and we’ll go live.” | Generic prep checklist emailed. | Pre-listing inspection, three-to-five item repair short-list, staging brief, contractor coordination, showing-ready checklist. | | Photography | Phone photos or budget photographer. | Professional photographer, generic shoot. | Professional photographer with a written style guide; drone & twilight where they pay back; walking-tour video on detached homes. | | Launch & marketing | MLS® + sign + maybe one social post. | MLS®, sign, open house, basic social. | Coming-soon pre-marketing, deliberate launch week, broker tour, targeted digital, open houses run as research events, daily feedback synthesis. | | Communication cadence | Reactive — calls when an offer arrives. | Weekly check-in; reactive in between. | Pre-listing weekly cadence, daily during launch week, scheduled 30/90/365-day post-close follow-up. | | Negotiation | Pass-through offers, minimal counter strategy. | Standard negotiation; gut-driven counters. | Every counter run through a defensible math model against your written equity floor, with documented showing-feedback context. | | Sell-and-buy coordination | Not offered — refer out. | Two separate engagements. | Equity Map first, written sequence decision (sell first / buy first), bridge plan priced before listing goes live, parallel buy-side search. | | After close | File closed, cheque cashed. | Holiday card list. | Soft Landing: possession, utilities, contractor coordination, scheduled 30/90/365-day follow-up. | For sellers comparing realtors directly, the companion piece is [how to choose a Coquitlam realtor — four questions to ask before you sign](/best-realtor-in-coquitlam/). Most of the trade-offs in the table above become visible in the first 20 minutes of an interview, if you ask the right questions. Submarket expertise ## One agent across the Greater Vancouver region. Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Langley, the Tri-Cities — they’re not interchangeable markets. The city and submarket your home sits in changes the comp set, the buyer pool, the launch-week strategy, and the marketing emphasis. I work across the region — here are the deeper neighbourhood pages where I have the most material on record. Greater Vancouver coverage **City of Vancouver** East Van, West Side, Kits, Cambie, Mount Pleasant, Downtown / Yaletown **North Vancouver & West Vancouver** Lower Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, Deep Cove, Ambleside, Dundarave, British Properties **Burnaby** Burnaby North, Brentwood, Burnaby Heights, Metrotown, Burnaby South, Edmonds **Tri-Cities** Coquitlam (Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Eagle Ridge, Burquitlam), Port Moody (Heritage Mountain, Heritage Woods, Klahanie), Port Coquitlam, Anmore, Belcarra **Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows** Albion, Silver Valley, Cottonwood, Whonnock, Pitt Meadows core **Langley** Langley City, Walnut Grove, Willoughby, Murrayville, Fort Langley, South Surrey overlap Outside this footprint? Tell me anyway — if it’s not the right fit, I’ll connect you with a vetted agent who specializes in that market. Better answer than “sure, I’ll take it.” For deeper neighbourhood-level material on the Tri-Cities submarkets specifically (where my listing volume is heaviest), see: [Eagle Ridge](/eagle-ridge-coquitlam-guide/), [Austin Heights](/austin-heights-coquitlam-guide/), [Burquitlam](/burquitlam-coquitlam-guide/) [Coquitlam Town Centre](/north-coquitlam-town-centre-guide/) [Maillardville](/maillardville-coquitlam-guide/), [Port Moody](/port-moody/) (incl. [Klahanie](/klahanie-port-moody-guide/) and [Port Moody Centre](/port-moody-centre-neighbourhood-guide/)), [Anmore](/anmore/), and [Belcarra](/belcarra/). If your home is in Vancouver, North/West Van, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, or Langley, the 7-Step Method on this page applies the same way — book a call and I’ll tailor the pricing strategy, marketing stack, and comp work to your specific city. Free same-day Equity Map ## Get your real walk-away number. Tell me where you live and what you're thinking. I'll send back a same-day Equity Map: net sale value, true available equity, real next-home ceiling — with the comp set behind every number. - Hyper-local comps from your specific submarket & catchment - Net of commission, legal, mortgage payout & GST - Same-day turnaround · no obligation, no pressure - Or call direct: **604-202-6092** Frequently asked questions ## Twelve questions Greater Vancouver sellers ask most. How long does it take to sell a home in the Tri-Cities in 2026? Tri-Cities-wide average days-on-market across all property types runs roughly **28–55 days** in 2026, with significant variance by city and submarket. Coquitlam mid-market detached typically sits 28–45 days; Port Moody Heritage Mountain and luxury runs 40–60+ days given the narrower buyer pool; Port Coquitlam family detached often clears 25–40 days. A correctly priced, well-presented home that launches on the right week often sells in 7–21 days. How is my home’s listing price determined? From a hyper-local comparative market analysis: recent sold comps within your specific city and SD43 catchment from the last 60–90 days, layout-class matched, current active inventory you’re competing against, and a three-tier range (high case / mid case / low case). Algorithm estimates are starting points — not pricing. What does it actually cost to sell a home in BC? Typical BC seller costs: **commission** (negotiable; commonly 5–7% on the first $100K + ~2–2.5% on the balance, split between listing and buyer’s agent), **legal fees** ($1,200–$2,000), **mortgage discharge or porting fees**, **GST** on commission, and any **pre-listing repairs/staging**. A net-sale [Equity Map](/home-evaluation/) gives you the real walk-away number before you list. Can I sell my home and buy my next one at the same time? Yes — and most Tri-Cities move-up families do. The decision that matters is [**sell first or buy first**](/sell-first-or-buy-first-in-coquitlam/). Every move-up file in my practice runs through the five-step [Move-Up Protocol](/coquitlam-move-up-protocol/) so the sale and the next purchase coordinate as one event. How does selling vary across the Greater Vancouver region? Different cities have meaningfully different buyer pools, price bands, and marketing rhythms. **Vancouver (East & West):** highest absolute prices, most diverse buyer pool (local move-up + relocating professionals + international), tighter inventory in core neighbourhoods. **North Vancouver & West Vancouver:** strong family-buyer + waterfront/view premium, longer DOM for higher tiers, particular catchment sensitivity (West Van schools especially). **Burnaby:** SkyTrain-corridor condo and townhome demand is strong; family detached on Burnaby Heights / Burnaby North trades on catchment and lot. **Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam):** move-up family demand, three SkyTrain stations, strong SD43 catchments, Coquitlam-wide detached HPI around $1.64M. **Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows:** more detached home for the money, slower buyer pool, longer DOM but lower entry. **Langley:** rapid-growth family-buyer market, Willoughby and Walnut Grove particularly active, requires different marketing reach than the urban core. The 7-Step Method is applied consistently — what changes city to city is the comp set, the timing rhythm, and which buyer network gets prioritized. For Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Burke Mountain or Tri-Cities-specific guidance, use the [linked Tri-Cities seller page](/sell-your-home-in-coquitlam/). Do I need to stage my Tri-Cities home before listing? Almost always — the question is *how much*. For most Tri-Cities detached and townhome sales: a soft stage of the main floor + primary suite + curated soft goods is typically the highest-ROI move. For higher-tier listings (Burke estate, Westwood Plateau premier, Heritage Mountain view homes, Anmore acreage, Belcarra waterfront), full staging is part of the package. For tenanted condos with mismatched furnishings, even a partial stage can shift offers $20K–$50K. The exact recommendation comes from the strategy call — not a generic “always stage” pitch. When’s the best time of year to list a Tri-Cities home? The two strongest windows are typically **mid-March to early June** (spring family-buyer surge) and **mid-September to mid-October** (late-fall second wave from families targeting January moves). The weakest windows are mid-December through mid-January and mid-July through August. But these are seasonality averages — a great home priced well sells year-round, and timing a launch around your *specific catchment’s* peak buyer activity matters more than the calendar. Should I do a pre-listing inspection on my home? For most detached Tri-Cities homes built before 2015 — yes. The pre-listing inspection costs $400–$700, identifies the 3–5 items most likely to come up in a buyer’s subject removal, and lets you address them on your terms (not under offer-deadline pressure). For newer Burke / Plateau / Heritage Woods builds still under New Home Warranty, it’s less critical but still useful for the “perceived flaws” (cracked driveway, deck stain, fence repair) that buyers visually fixate on. For acreage in Anmore/Belcarra — non-negotiable, because septic, well, and tree-health add complexity. How do you handle multiple offers in the current Tri-Cities market? With a written negotiation plan that exists *before* the offers come in. We set a clear offer-review date in the listing, communicate it transparently to every showing agent, screen buyer financing depth before review (pre-approval letter, deposit readiness, subject-free vs subject-removal timing), and walk you through every offer side-by-side. The goal is the best net outcome — which is rarely just “the highest number.” Subject conditions, deposit size, completion-date flexibility, and the buyer’s ability to actually close all matter. What happens if my home doesn’t sell? Three scenarios, three responses. **Priced too high:** the comp data didn’t support the list price — a meaningful reduction (not a token one) re-engages the buyer pool. **Wrong launch week:** presentation is right but the market timing missed; relist with refreshed photography and a fresh DOM clock. **Presentation gap:** the home shows below its potential — targeted staging, photography, or repair refresh changes the perception. The diagnosis matters more than the response. Nothing about a Tri-Cities sale is unrecoverable if the listing strategy is honestly reassessed. How is selling a higher-tier or acreage property different from selling a mid-market home? Different price band, much narrower buyer pool, and a different set of property-specific complications. **Higher-tier ($2.5M+) properties** — whether on the North Shore, Vancouver West, or in suburban executive corridors — need a tier-matched comp set, private exclusive showings, full staging, and often a pre-MLS exclusive window to qualified-buyer networks. **Acreage properties** (Anmore, Belcarra, fringe Surrey, parts of the North Shore) add septic, well, arborist, and Riparian Areas Regulation considerations that need to be addressed pre-listing, not at subject removal. Both markets need a different marketing budget and a different sales timeline than the mid-market pattern. Deeper: [Best Luxury REALTOR® — $2.5M+ guide](/best-luxury-realtor-coquitlam/). What if my home is a newer build vs an older home — does the strategy change? Yes. **Newer builds (0–9 years)** compete in a tier where buyers expect move-in-ready presentation and current finish — staging is less about transformation and more about reinforcing the buyer profile. The comp set has to isolate by construction era, not mix newer-build sales with older-home sales nearby. **Established homes (15+ years)** compete on character, lot, location, and renovation history — staging can shift value materially here, especially when soft updates (paint, fixtures, soft goods) bridge the gap between “dated” and “classic.” The 7-Step Method is applied the same way; what changes is the comp work and the staging brief. Ready when you are ## Two ways to start. Both are honest about whether I’m the right fit. A home evaluation gets you a same-day Equity Map — net sale value, true available equity, and a real next-home ceiling. A strategy call gets you a 20-minute read on your sequence, your timeline, and whether your move suits the way I work. Either one is free, and neither commits you to anything. [Get My Home’s Value](/home-evaluation/) [Book a 20-Min Strategy Call](/book-a-strategy-call-with-craig-johnston/) **5.0** across 34+ Google reviews **Top 1% Team** — Greater Vancouver REALTORS® 47+ years in the Tri-Cities Or call direct: [604-202-6092](tel:+16042026092) Continue reading ## The Tri-Cities Move-Up Specialist — the master page. The cornerstone Move-Up Specialist page covers what a move-up move is, the protocol, named case studies, the math, and the FAQ — all in one place. [Read the Move-Up Specialist page →](/tri-cities-move-up-specialist/) Best REALTOR® by area ## A specialist for your specific Tri-Cities city or neighbourhood. [Coquitlam](/best-realtor-in-coquitlam/) [Burke Mountain](/best-realtor-in-burke-mountain/) [Westwood Plateau](/best-realtor-in-westwood-plateau/) [Heritage Mountain](/best-realtor-in-heritage-mountain/) [Port Moody](/best-realtor-in-port-moody/) [Port Coquitlam](/best-realtor-in-port-coquitlam/) [Anmore](/best-realtor-in-anmore/) [Belcarra](/best-realtor-in-belcarra/) [Or compare all Tri-Cities specialists →](/best-local-realtor-tri-cities/)