Downsizing in Langley

What does a house in Langley sell for today?

A benchmark is the price the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board works out for a typical home of one type in one area. Your own house can sell above or below it.

The board's table shows the Langley detached benchmark up 57.4% over ten years. Its price index for Langley houses is 388.5, on a scale where January 2005 equals 100. So a typical Langley house costs 3.9 times its January 2005 price.

Prices fell over the last twelve months. From September 2025 the detached benchmark fell 6.7%, the townhouse benchmark 4.4% and the condo benchmark 9.2%. A downsizer feels that change as a seller and as a buyer: the house sells for less, and the smaller home costs less.

One name, two municipalities

Langley is two municipalities. The City of Langley covers 10 square kilometres and became a municipality on March 15, 1955. The Township of Langley covers 316 square kilometres and was incorporated in 1873. Each one sends its own property tax notice and has its own building rules and its own Official Community Plan, which is the long-term plan for what may be built on each piece of land. Your tax notice comes from the one you live in.

The board publishes one set of Langley prices, with no separate rows for the City and the Township. In the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada counted 132,603 people in the Township and 28,963 in the City.

How quickly Langley homes are selling

The board counted 64 sales of detached houses in Langley in September 2026 and 449 houses listed for sale, a ratio of 14.3%. Townhouses were at 21.6% (61 sales, 283 listed) and condos at 16.1% (67 sales, 416 listed). The ratios are our arithmetic from the board's counts. The board calls a market balanced when the ratio is between 12 and 20 per cent. The higher the ratio, the faster homes of that type are selling. Houses were inside that range, townhouses were above that range and condos were inside that range.

Our advice is to make your sale firm, which means the buyer has removed every condition, before you commit to the next home. Sell first or buy first compares the two orders.

Your own house, and a note for large lots

Send us your address through the form at the bottom of this page. A BC-licensed REALTOR® emails you a free price range from recent sales of houses like yours.

The Township changed its Zoning Bylaw on November 18, 2024 to follow the Province's small-scale, multi-unit housing rules. On a lot that meets its conditions, which include municipal water and sewer, it allows three homes where the lot is 280 square metres or smaller and four homes where the lot is larger, up to 4,050 square metres, which is one acre. A lot that qualifies can have a builder among its buyers. The Township's rules leave out lots above one acre. Our post on selling a house to a builder shows how to check a lot.

How much would you keep after selling and buying in Langley?

The table shows a Langley house sold at the benchmark price, with no mortgage, and a Langley townhouse bought at its benchmark price.

The example leaves $596,808. Buy a condo at the Langley benchmark of $525,900 and $879,042 is left.

Four lines are examples to replace with your own quotes: the 3% commission, the two legal bills and the moving cost. BC Financial Services Authority, which regulates real estate in BC, says there is no standard commission. Two lines follow set rules: GST of 5% on the commission, and BC property transfer tax, which the buyer pays at 1% of the first $200,000 and 2% of the price from $200,000 to $2,000,000.

Income tax, and a note for acreage owners

The Canada Revenue Agency says you do not pay tax on the gain when the house was your principal residence, meaning the home you lived in, for every year you owned it. You still report the sale on your tax return.

Acreage owners should check one more rule. The Township says 75% of its land is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, where its plan gives farming priority. The Canada Revenue Agency says the land that counts as part of a principal residence is usually limited to half a hectare (1.24 acres), unless you can show that more is needed to use and enjoy the home. The gain on land above that limit can be taxable. Ask an accountant before you list, and read tax when you sell your home. For money meant for a son or daughter, see helping your children buy.

Where are the smaller homes in Langley?

Each municipality has an Official Community Plan that says where apartment buildings and townhouses may be built.

In the City of Langley

City Council adopted its Official Community Plan on November 22, 2021. The plan directs the tallest buildings to the areas around the planned SkyTrain stations near 196 Street and 203 Street, where its limit is 15 storeys and airport rules can change that on some sites. Buildings get lower with distance from the stations: up to 12 storeys in the Mid Rise Residential areas, and three to six storeys in the Low Rise Residential areas facing the Nicomekl River floodplain. For townhouses, the plan names the future frequent bus routes on 200 Street and 208 Street and selected areas south of the Nicomekl River.

In the Township of Langley

The Township's Official Community Plan describes several urban centres separated by large areas of farmland. Its regional centre at Willowbrook and its town centres in Willoughby and Aldergrove are places it designates for housing at high and medium density, which means more homes on each piece of land.

• Willoughby-Willowbrook. The Township describes new neighbourhoods here. It also says buildings of 8 to 20 storeys must be allowed within 800 metres of the Willowbrook SkyTrain station.
• Aldergrove. A mix of rural, residential and business use on the Township's eastern border.
• Walnut Grove. A residential neighbourhood in the northwest, joined by the Golden Ears Bridge to communities north of the Fraser River.
• Murrayville. The traditional civic core, with Langley Memorial Hospital.
• Brookswood-Fernridge. In the south. The Township says it "primarily features single family homes".

Homes for sale now are on our pages for Langley condos, Langley townhouses and Langley houses. Our post on condo, townhouse or rancher compares them. A condo or townhouse in a strata, which is the owners' group that runs the building or complex, has a monthly fee, so read strata fees on a fixed income before you compare two homes.

How close would you be to a hospital, transit and seniors' programs?

Langley Memorial Hospital

Langley Memorial Hospital is at 22051 Fraser Highway, in Murrayville. Fraser Health, the public health authority for this region, describes it as a community hospital with a 24-hour emergency department, general and internal medicine, general surgery and maternity care.

Buses, HandyDART and the SkyTrain extension

TransLink runs public transit in both municipalities. Its system maps page lists two bus exchanges in Langley, where routes meet: Langley Centre and Carvolth Exchange.

The Province is building the Surrey Langley SkyTrain, a 16 kilometre extension of the Expo Line from King George Station in Surrey to 203 Street in Langley City. Two of its eight stations are at the Langley end, each with a transit exchange. Willowbrook Station will be at 196 Street and Fraser Highway. Langley City Centre Station, the last one, will be east of 203 Street and Industrial Avenue. The project's website, read on October 10, 2026, gives late 2029 as the date it now expects the line to open.

HandyDART is TransLink's shared ride from door to door for people who cannot use regular transit without help because of a disability. You register with TransLink first. Trips run seven days a week, and the cash fare for a rider aged 65 or older is $2.30.

Programs and centres for older adults

The City of Langley's seniors page describes the Langley Senior Resources Society, a charity with programs for adults over 50 from the City and the Township. Membership is $63 for a calendar year, and the City offers it at a lower price to people aged 50 and over with a total income below $27,000 for a single person or $32,000 for a couple.

At the City's facilities, which include Timms Community Centre at City Hall, a single visit costs $4.50 from age 60. At the Township's recreation centres a visit costs $3.60 for ages 60 to 69 and $0.50 from age 70, on the fee list in effect from September 1, 2026.

Property tax in Langley: which dates and rules apply to you?

You pay property tax to the municipality you live in, so the dates and penalties depend on your address.

In both municipalities an unclaimed home owner grant is treated as unpaid tax, so claim the grant by the due date.

The home owner grant for owners aged 65 and over

The home owner grant is a provincial program that lowers the property tax on the home you live in. The City and the Township both send you to the Province to claim it. The Township adds that Fraser Valley Regional Library staff will help you claim it online at a free appointment. The grant is $570, or $845 for an owner aged 65 or older. For 2026 the full grant is available on a home that BC Assessment values at $2,075,000 or less. You apply every year, and again on a new home.

Deferring the tax

Deferment is a loan. Under the Province's regular property tax deferment program, an owner aged 55 or older who meets the conditions can have the Province pay the year's property tax. The Province then registers a lien on the title of the home, which is a legal claim for the debt. On tax deferred for 2026 and later, interest compounds monthly at 2% above the prime rate, so interest is charged on earlier interest too.

You apply on the Province's website. The City's deferment page and the Township's deferment page both list what stays payable by the due date: water, sewer and garbage charges, and tax left unpaid from earlier years.

When you sell, the Province says you must repay the loan in full. The Township has a point for sellers: the owner on the tax due date is responsible for the whole year's tax, and your lawyer or notary divides the year between you and the buyer. The full rules are in property tax deferment and the seniors grant.

Should you stay in Langley or move to a cheaper city?

Langley has the highest benchmark of the six cities we cover for all three home types.

Surrey is on the Township's western boundary. Its townhouse benchmark of $758,600 is $44,000 below Langley's, and its condo benchmark of $447,600 is $78,300 below (FVREB, September 2026).

Abbotsford is on the eastern boundary. Its townhouse benchmark of $592,600 is $210,000 below Langley's, and its condo benchmark of $370,200 is $155,700 below. Buy an Abbotsford townhouse at its benchmark in the worked example, with the same example costs, and $811,008 is left. That is $214,200 more than with a Langley townhouse.

A move also adds distance. Measure the drive from the new address to your family, your doctor and your friends, after dark and in winter rain. Our post on moving east to free up money compares the cities, and each neighbour has its own guide.

• Downsizing in SurreyHouse $1,386,200, townhouse $758,600, condo $447,600. FVREB, September 2026.
• Downsizing in AbbotsfordHouse $1,087,000, townhouse $592,600, condo $370,200. FVREB, September 2026.

This page belongs to our Fraser Valley downsizing guide.

Two rules to check before you buy

Age limits in a strata

The Province says strata corporations can only have age-restriction bylaws that restrict residents to age 55 and older. The Strata Property Act lets a bylaw require one or more residents of a home to be at least 55, so one Langley building may ask for a single resident of that age and another may ask for every resident. A spouse or partner, children and a live-in caregiver are exempt. Read the bylaws before you make an offer, and see 55 and over buildings in BC.

Transfer tax on a newly built home

BC's newly built home exemption takes away the property transfer tax on a new home worth $1,100,000 or less. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, move in within 92 days and live there for the rest of the first year. The exemption is open to a buyer who has owned a home before. At the Langley townhouse benchmark the tax saved would be $14,052. A new home sold by a builder is subject to GST, and the Canada Revenue Agency says the sale of a previously occupied home is generally exempt.

Steps for a Langley owner

1. Check which municipality your tax notice comes from: the City of Langley or the Township of Langley.
2. Ask for a price range through the form on this page, and put it into the calculator.
3. See an accountant if your land is larger than half a hectare or you rented out a suite.
4. Repair what a buyer's inspector will find. See getting a 30-year-old house ready to sell.
5. List the house. If you deferred property tax, ask the Province for the payout amount.
6. Buy once your sale is firm. After the move, apply for the home owner grant on the new home and report the sale on your next tax return.

The month-by-month version is in the downsizing checklist.

Common questions about downsizing in Langley

How much is a house worth in Langley in 2026?

The benchmark price of a detached house in Langley was $1,471,100 in September 2026, according to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. That is 6.7% lower than in September 2025 and 57.4% higher than ten years earlier. A benchmark describes a typical house, so yours can sell above or below it.

What is the difference between the City of Langley and the Township of Langley?

They are two separate municipalities. The City of Langley covers 10 square kilometres and the Township of Langley covers 316. Each sends its own property tax notice and has its own building rules and community plan. Your tax notice comes from the one you live in.

Can I buy a townhouse or a condo in Langley with the money from my house?

Yes, at September 2026 benchmark prices from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. In our example a Langley house sells for $1,471,100 with no mortgage. After an example 3% commission, GST, legal bills, property transfer tax and moving costs, a townhouse at $802,600 leaves $596,808 and a condo at $525,900 leaves $879,042. Your own costs will differ.

When will SkyTrain reach Langley?

The Province's project website, read on October 10, 2026, gives late 2029 as the date it now expects the line to open. The line will run from King George Station in Surrey to 203 Street in Langley City. Willowbrook Station will be at 196 Street and Fraser Highway, and Langley City Centre Station will be east of 203 Street and Industrial Avenue.

Is there a hospital in Langley?

Yes. Langley Memorial Hospital is at 22051 Fraser Highway, in the Township community of Murrayville. Fraser Health describes it as a community hospital with a 24-hour emergency department, general and internal medicine, general surgery and maternity care. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When are property taxes due in Langley?

In 2026 the due date was July 2 in both the City of Langley and the Township of Langley. Each adds a 5% penalty to tax unpaid after that date. A second 5% penalty applies to tax unpaid after August 2 in the City, and at midnight on September 3 in the Township. An unclaimed home owner grant counts as unpaid tax, so claim it by the due date.

Can I defer my property tax in Langley?

Yes, if you qualify for the Province's program. An owner aged 55 or older applies on the Province's website, in the City and in the Township alike. Water, sewer and garbage charges cannot be deferred. Interest on tax deferred for 2026 and later compounds monthly at 2% above the prime rate, and you repay the full loan when you sell.

Is it cheaper to downsize to Surrey or Abbotsford than to stay in Langley?

At September 2026 benchmark prices from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, a townhouse was $802,600 in Langley, $758,600 in Surrey and $592,600 in Abbotsford. A condo was $525,900, $447,600 and $370,200 in the same order. A move also changes the distance to your family and your doctor.

I own an acreage in the Township of Langley. Is the whole sale free of tax?

Ask an accountant before you list. The Canada Revenue Agency says the land that counts as part of a principal residence is usually limited to half a hectare, unless you can show that more land is needed to use and enjoy the home. The gain on land above that limit can be taxable.

Can a Langley condo building be limited to people aged 55 and over?

Yes. Since November 24, 2022, a BC strata can restrict residents by age in one form only: 55 and over. The Strata Property Act lets the bylaw require one or more residents of a home to be at least 55, so buildings differ on whether one resident or every resident must meet the age. A spouse or partner, children and a live-in caregiver are exempt.

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