The Greater Vancouver presale market has changed.
A few years ago, buyers were lining up for launches, writing quickly, and often making decisions with very little room to negotiate. Developers had pricing power. Inventory was tighter. Rates were lower. The fear of missing out did a lot of the selling.
That is not today’s market.
Today’s presale market is slower, more selective, and much more uneven. Some projects are still selling. Some are sitting. Some have quietly adjusted. Others are still priced like the market never changed.
That creates a problem for buyers.
It also creates an opportunity.
The problem is that the market is harder to read. A flashy presentation centre does not mean a project is performing well. A discount does not automatically mean good value. A low price per square foot can still be a trap if the floorplan, location, timing, or strata costs do not make sense.
The opportunity is that serious buyers now have more choice, more time, and in some cases more negotiating power than they have had in years.
That is why I built these city-specific presale shortlists for Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam.
They are designed to help buyers ask better questions before walking into a sales centre.
The Greater Vancouver presale market has changed.
A few years ago, buyers were lining up for launches, writing quickly, and often making decisions with very little room to negotiate. Developers had pricing power. Inventory was tighter. Rates were lower. The fear of missing out did a lot of the selling.
That is not today’s market.
Today’s presale market is slower, more selective, and much more uneven. Some projects are still selling. Some are sitting. Some have quietly adjusted. Others are still priced like the market never changed.
That creates a problem for buyers.
It also creates an opportunity.
The problem is that the market is harder to read. A flashy presentation centre does not mean a project is performing well. A discount does not automatically mean good value. A low price per square foot can still be a trap if the floorplan, location, timing, or strata costs do not make sense.
The opportunity is that serious buyers now have more choice, more time, and in some cases more negotiating power than they have had in years.
That is why I built these city-specific presale shortlists for Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam.
They are designed to help buyers ask better questions before walking into a sales centre.
The broader housing market is still working through a reset.
Interest rates are lower than the peak, but financing is still a major factor. Buyers are more payment-sensitive. Investors are more cautious. End users are comparing presale options against resale homes, assignments, and completed inventory.
At the same time, resale inventory across Metro Vancouver is elevated compared with normal seasonal levels. That matters because buyers are no longer forced into rushed decisions. More resale choice puts pressure on presale developers to justify their pricing, deposits, timelines, and overall offering.
The presale market is also dealing with its own challenges.
Construction costs are still high. Financing new projects is harder. Lenders want confidence that a project can sell enough homes before construction risk becomes too great. Developers are trying to balance pricing, margins, incentives, and the reality that buyers today are much more cautious.
That is why the market feels uneven.
Some projects still have momentum because they are priced well, located well, or close enough to completion that buyers feel more confident.
Other projects may have strong brands or beautiful marketing but are carrying significant unsold inventory.
The key is knowing the difference.
One of the biggest mistakes buyers make in this market is focusing only on discounts.
A project can advertise an incentive and still not be a good deal.
A different project may not advertise a major discount but could still offer better long-term value because of its location, floorplan efficiency, construction stage, deposit structure, and resale appeal.
That is why I looked at the market through a wider lens.
For each city, I considered a combination of:
The goal was not to find the cheapest projects.
The goal was to identify the projects that deserve a closer look.
Most of today’s presale opportunities fall into three buckets.
These are projects where the pricing appears more realistic compared with nearby new inventory.
This does not automatically mean the project is perfect. It means the numbers are worth reviewing. Buyers still need to look at floorplans, exposure, strata fees, parking, storage, completion timing, and resale potential.
But in a slower market, strong value is the first filter.
These are projects where buyers are still writing contracts.
That matters because sales activity is a form of market validation. If buyers are still purchasing in a slower environment, it usually means something about the price, product, location, or timing is working.
The caution is that projects with strong momentum may offer less negotiating room. Buyers need to move carefully, but not passively.
These are projects where there may be more unsold inventory or slower recent activity.
That does not mean the project is bad.
It means buyers may have a reason to ask sharper questions:
Can the price improve?
Is there flexibility on the deposit schedule?
Can parking or storage be included?
Is there an assignment option?
Are there closing credits or upgrade packages?
Would the developer consider better terms for a qualified buyer?
This is where good representation matters. The opportunity is not just finding the project. It is knowing what to ask for.
Vancouver is the hardest market to generalize.
Some projects are extremely expensive and clearly aimed at a narrower buyer pool. Others, especially in East Vancouver or smaller infill-style developments, may offer more practical value.
The best Vancouver opportunities right now are not necessarily the most luxurious. They are the projects where pricing, deposit structure, and location make sense for real buyers in today’s market.
The biggest thing Vancouver buyers need to understand is this:
Do not assume every project deserves a premium just because it is in Vancouver.
Some do. Many do not.
A buyer needs to compare the project against resale, nearby new inventory, and what the monthly cost will actually feel like at completion.
Burnaby has some of the clearest signs of buyer activity.
That makes sense. It sits in the middle of the region, has major transit-oriented development, and offers more pricing variety than Vancouver.
But Burnaby is also carrying a lot of new inventory in certain pockets. That means buyers need to separate the projects that are genuinely moving from the projects that are simply available.
This is where the opportunity becomes more strategic.
A project with strong buyer activity may be a safer choice.
A project with deep inventory and weaker activity may offer more room to negotiate.
The right answer depends on the buyer’s goal.
Coquitlam continues to stand out for buyers who want more practical housing options.
The strongest signals are showing up in family-oriented townhomes and select condo projects where pricing is still more connected to local affordability.
That does not mean everything in Coquitlam is a deal. Buyers still need to be selective. But compared with Vancouver, Coquitlam often gives buyers a better chance to find usable space, lower price points, and more family-oriented product.
For end users, especially those looking at a 5- to 10-year hold, Coquitlam remains one of the more interesting presale markets in the region.
These shortlists are not meant to replace advice.
They are meant to start better conversations.
Before buying any presale, buyers should still review:
The shortlist simply helps narrow the field.
Instead of walking into every sales centre and trying to decode the market from scratch, buyers can start with a more focused list of projects that appear to have some combination of price, activity, timing, or potential leverage.
This is not a market where buyers should rush.
But it is also not a market where buyers should assume there is no opportunity.
The opportunity is more specific now.
It is not “buy any presale.”
It is not “wait forever.”
It is:
Find the projects where the numbers make sense, the buyer activity is real, the deposit is manageable, and the developer may still be open to a serious conversation.
That is where value can show up.
And that is exactly what these lists are designed to help you find.
I have prepared three buyer-friendly shortlists:
Each list highlights projects worth a closer look based on price, buyer activity, deposit structure, timing, and potential room to negotiate.
If you are comparing presales in Greater Vancouver, start here before walking into a sales centre.
If you are thinking about buying a presale, assignment, new condo, or townhome, I can help you compare the options properly.
Send me the city you are considering, your approximate budget, and your ideal move-in timeline.
I will help you narrow the list before you spend time with the wrong project.
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O 604 684 8844
T 866 352 9311
F 1 855 684 8844
201 - 2468 Scotia Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V5T 1W5
201 - 2468 Scotia Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V5T 1W5
O 604 684 8844
T 866 352 9311
F 1 855 684 8844
400–22 E 5th Ave
Vancouver, BC
Canada V5T 1G8
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