Whether you're selling on the West Side, in Burnaby, Coquitlam, North Van, or Surrey, the same principles decide the outcome: price from real data, prepare the home before it lists, and engineer the first ten days so buyers compete instead of wait. Location changes the comps — the playbook is the same.
Most sellers are also buyers. Too early and you're a homeless buyer; too late and you're a desperate seller. I run both sides in parallel — pricing, prep, marketing on the sell side; targets, timing, offer structure on the buy side — so you move on your terms, not the market's.
📍 Local to the Tri-Cities? Selling in Coquitlam, Port Moody, or Port Coquitlam? See the local seller guide →Prefer to talk? Call 604-202-6092 · No-pressure 20-min, no sign-up required.
You are in the right place if you are trying to sell well, not just list. That usually means one or more of these is true:
Metro Vancouver prices corrected 5–8% year-over-year through early 2026 with wide variation by submarket. Here's what the GVR MLS® HPI shows at the regional level.
My seller strategy is built around four priorities: strategic pricing that supports stronger results, marketing that creates competition, communication that reduces stress, and negotiation that protects your equity.
Based on real comparables, active competition, buyer psychology, and the timing of your move.
Professional visuals, polished listing copy, floor plan clarity, buyer-ready presentation, and broad exposure.
Clear advice before showings, fast feedback after activity, and confident offer handling when it counts.
The seller guide makes the point clearly: market conditions change, but pricing is always the decision that controls exposure, urgency, and negotiating strength. In stronger markets, properly priced homes can move quickly. In balanced or buyer-leaning markets, price discipline becomes even more important. The guide also highlights the three controllable factors in a sale: listing price, seller motivation, and marketing plan.
When inventory is low, buyers move faster. That does not mean you can ignore price. It means the right price can compress timelines and create stronger terms.
When neither side has a major advantage, the homes that win are the ones that feel best priced, best presented, and easiest to understand.
More competing inventory means your home must present better and be positioned more precisely. Waiting too long often costs more than launching with the right strategy from the start.
I do not believe in pricing loosely or aspirationally. I believe in positioning a home where it is competitive, credible, and well-supported by the data so buyers take it seriously and sellers protect their value.
The guide outlines the job clearly: assess condition, help determine price, recommend improvements and staging ideas, market the property effectively, handle inquiries and showings, negotiate offers, and communicate honestly throughout the transaction.
That is exactly how I approach seller representation across Metro Vancouver. You should expect a plan that is structured, a process that is explained, and advice that is honest even when it is not the easy answer.
Your seller guide lays out a practical process: initial meeting, house prep, marketing production, sign installation, MLS launch, and live review. Here is the stronger, web-ready version of that process for today’s seller:
We walk the home, talk timing, review your goals, identify likely buyer profile, and outline the prep list that will make the biggest difference.
I help you decide what to paint, repair, remove, stage, improve, or leave alone so you do not waste money on the wrong upgrades.
I prepare a comparative market analysis, evaluate live competition, and decide how to position your home for the strongest first impression and best negotiating leverage.
Once the home is ready, we capture professional photography, video, floor plans, and all listing assets needed for a polished launch.
We finalize the listing story, schedule activation, coordinate signage, confirm all details, and make sure your first week on market is treated like the opportunity it is.
Showings, inquiries, online response, and agent feedback all get tracked so we know whether the market is confirming the strategy or telling us to adjust.
I help you evaluate not just price, but dates, conditions, deposits, buyer strength, and which offer best protects your outcome.
From accepted offer through completion and possession, I stay involved so details do not slip and the transaction stays calm.
The seller guide already points to this advantage: photography, video, social media distribution, feature sheets, 3D floor plans, and drone footage all work together when the launch is built properly. This is where your listing stops feeling ordinary and starts feeling intentional.
Drone footage adds context, scale, approach, streetscape, and neighbourhood feel. Used properly, it does more than look good. It supports perceived value, strengthens your first impression, and helps your launch feel more premium from day one.
Our team does not approach marketing like a basic checklist. We approach it like a launch system: use the right tools, capture the right angles, control the first impression, and make buyers feel the difference before they ever book a showing.
Drone footage is one of the clearest examples. It helps buyers understand positioning, lot context, approach, surrounding streetscape, outdoor spaces, and neighbourhood feel. That added perspective can make a home feel more premium, more complete, and more memorable.
Shows scale, setting, approach, and location context in a way still photos cannot.
Creates emotion and perceived value before the buyer steps through the door.
Gives the launch a stronger start across web, social, and listing exposure channels.
Helps your home look like a better opportunity than competing inventory.
The seller guide is very practical here. It recommends turning on all lights, opening blinds where the view helps, replacing burned-out bulbs, removing family photos, hiding pet items, clearing countertops, removing mats and clutter, and making sure kitchens, bathrooms, and exterior spaces feel clean and simple.
Do not think of this as “cleaning up.” Think of it as removing friction. Every item you remove makes the home feel larger, cleaner, calmer, and easier for buyers to say yes to.
The best launches feel organized because the strategy is organized. That means cleaner presentation, sharper positioning, better media, and a plan that makes buyers feel confidence quickly.
The seller guide says it directly: selling a property involves specialized knowledge, legal paperwork, pricing, staging, negotiation, and enforceable contracts. It also notes that selling on your own makes it far easier to miss something important or make a costly mistake.
That matters even more when the home you are selling is tied to your family timeline, your next purchase, or one of the biggest financial decisions you will make.
One client in the guide said their townhouse sold in a week with no subjects at the price they were aiming for, and highlighted Craig’s communication and support during negotiations.
Another review focused on preparation, professionalism, calm under pressure, and the way Craig listened, educated, and never pushed.
A seller in a declining market described strong staging, excellent photo and video work, and a sale in 14 days.
They find out what their home is worth, what their likely net looks like, and what their smartest timing window is before pressure shows up.
They fix the obvious issues, simplify the presentation, and make the home easier for buyers to understand online and in person.
They do not burn the first two weeks with weak positioning. They give the launch a real chance to work.
More attention. Better showings. Stronger offers. That’s not luck — that’s strategy.
Usually only selectively. The right answer is not “do more.” The right answer is “do what improves perceived value and removes objections.” I help you decide what actually pays off.
You need more than an estimate. You need real comparable sales, a read on current competition, and a pricing strategy built around how buyers behave in your segment.
That depends on your equity, tolerance for risk, financing, and the type of home you want next. Start with your home value, then build the move plan around facts. See the buying guide if you are planning both sides of the move.
Then we read the market honestly. Showings, buyer feedback, competing inventory, and online response all tell a story. The wrong move is denial. The right move is adjustment from a place of data.
This page should not only persuade. It should equip. That is why your seller guide belongs here as a downloadable resource, alongside your social channels where sellers can see your marketing style in the real world.
Fourteen pages on the $40,000+ most BC move-up sellers leave on the table — capital gains, principal residence exemption, and PTT timing. The same material I walk my own move-up clients through before we list.
You do not need pressure. You need clarity. If you are thinking about selling anywhere in Metro Vancouver — from the West Side through Burnaby, the Tri-Cities, North Shore, or Surrey — the smartest first move is understanding your value, your timing, and the strategy that gives you the best chance to win.
Keep moving through the guide network. These pages connect directly to the decision you are working on.
I have spent the last 5+ years helping move-up buyers and sellers across Metro Vancouver get from where they are to where they want to be — without the panic of owning two homes at once or selling under value. I live on Burke Mountain in Coquitlam and work the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, Port Moody, Vancouver, and surrounding submarkets every week.
If you want a straight read on your timing, pricing, or move-up strategy, the fastest next step is a short call.
Selling at the top of the market?
Private marketing, qualified-buyer networks, tax-informed pricing, concierge presentation. If your home is in the $2.5M+ range anywhere in Metro Vancouver, the process is not the same as a standard MLS® listing.
Read The Luxury Playbook →Pricing, regulatory disclosures, and tax implications when selling anywhere in BC — every one of these has an authority behind it. Cross-reference before you list.
External links open in a new tab. I'm not affiliated with these organizations — they are cited as independent authorities. Any time a number on this page differs from the authority, the authority wins.
The $40,000+ most BC move-up families leave on the table — capital gains, principal residence exemption, and PTT timing. No sales pitch. Just the math, the dates, and the traps I see Monday-to-Friday.
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.
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, Royal LePage Elite West) and tie claims to the reports real Metro Vancouver 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 every Metro Vancouver submarket.
Statistics Canada 2021 Census plus BC Stats projections — population, household composition, median household income, and tenure splits across Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods.
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 plus Fraser Institute annual school report card rankings — 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 23, 2026 · Written and signed by Craig Johnston, licensed REALTOR® V99960, Royal LePage Elite West.
“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.”