Guides and market posts from the FRIVE team, for buyers across Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Maple Ridge.
Rural-edge properties in Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Maple Ridge often run on a private well and an onsite septic system. Both are yours to maintain and neither shows up properly in a standard home inspection. Here's what to check first.
By Michael Goering
Homes built before oil heat gave way to gas can still have a steel tank buried in the yard. Under BC's Environmental Management Act, an owner can be liable for contamination they had nothing to do with. Here's how buyers find out before they close.
By Michael Goering
An accepted offer is the start of the work, not the end of it. This is the FRIVE team's map of what happens between acceptance and possession day in British Columbia, and where first-time buyers lose money or sleep.
By Michael Goering
Poly-B, Kitec, aluminum wiring, asbestos, buried oil tanks, radon, rainscreen work. This is the FRIVE team's guide to the building-condition issues that actually change what a Fraser Valley home is worth to you, and which ones are noise.
By Michael Goering
Fraser Valley sales came in at 941 in August, 1.1% above last August and only the second year-over-year gain since the start of 2025. Everything else kept easing: fewer listings, less inventory, and a composite benchmark down to $869,900. Here is what that combination means if you are buying.
By Michael Goering
Radon is invisible, has no smell, and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada. It's also cheap to test for and usually fixable. Here's how to handle it as a buyer in Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, or Maple Ridge.
By Michael Goering
Sardis is Chilliwack's town centre in every way that matters to a buyer: the malls, the schools, the parks, and most of the newer condo and townhouse stock. Here's how the neighbourhood works for a first-time buyer weighing it against the rest of the city.
By Michael Goering
When a seller is carrying a mortgage at a rate well below today's, taking it over sounds like free money. In BC the idea is real but narrow. Here's who can actually assume a mortgage, what the lender checks, and the cash gap most buyers hit.
By Michael Goering
Willoughby and Walnut Grove sit a few minutes apart in Langley and solve two different problems. One is Langley's newest townhouse growth engine, the other is a settled, mature neighbourhood near the highway. Here's how first-time buyers actually choose between them.
By Michael Goering
A new townhouse and a resale townhouse in the Fraser Valley solve different problems for a first-time buyer. This guide walks through warranty, GST, possession timing, condition unknowns, and how the strata's age changes the decision.
By Michael Goering
Pet owners buying a Fraser Valley condo or townhouse need to check the strata pet bylaws before they fall for a unit. Here is how to verify number, size, breed, and type limits, which documents show the real rules, and how to protect yourself in the offer.
By Michael Goering
Choosing a school and choosing a neighbourhood are usually the same decision. Here's how to use real Fraser Institute data and each city's catchment map without overpaying for a rating that may not mean what you think it means.
By Michael Goering
When two or more people buy a home in BC, you choose how to hold title: joint tenancy or tenancy in common. That choice decides what happens to your share when someone dies or wants to sell. Here is what each one means, in plain English.
By Michael Goering
Once a seller accepts your offer, a clear sequence of steps runs until you get the keys. This week-by-week walkthrough shows what happens between subject removal, financing, the lawyer, and possession day, so the process feels orderly instead of stressful.
By Michael Goering
Many strata buildings charge a move-in fee, hold a damage deposit, and set rules about elevator booking and moving hours. Here's what Fraser Valley condo and townhouse buyers should read before completion so move day holds no surprises.
By Michael Goering
A lender appraisal that lands below your purchase price can leave you scrambling for cash on closing. Here's how the appraisal gap works in BC, why it hits hardest in fast markets and on subject-free offers, and how first-time buyers can plan around it.
By Michael Goering
First-time buyers often mix up the lender appraisal and the home inspection. One protects the bank's money, the other protects you. Here's what each one checks, who pays, when it happens, and why you often want both on a Fraser Valley condo or townhouse.
By Michael Goering
A pre-qualification and a pre-approval sound alike, but they are not the same number. One is a rough guess with no documents checked. The other holds a rate and pulls your credit. Buyers who shop on the wrong one get surprised later.
By Michael Goering
BC banned one agent from representing both the buyer and the seller in the same deal back in 2018. Here's what that ban protects you from, the one narrow exception, and what happens when you want a home listed by your own agent's brokerage.
By Michael Goering
Before a REALTOR® shows you homes in BC, you will usually sign a buyer agency agreement. Here is what it commits you to, how long it lasts, the duties your agent owes you, and how a first-time buyer should read it before signing.
By Michael Goering
Fraser Valley listings and sales both move in a seasonal pattern every year. Here is what the calendar actually does to your leverage as a buyer, month by month, and when the FRIVE team tells first-time buyers to watch closely.
By Michael Goering
A tenant living in the home you want to buy does not move out at closing. Here is how BC's Residential Tenancy Act actually works for a buyer who wants to move in, what notice and compensation the tenant is owed, and what you inherit if you decide to keep them as your tenant instead.
By Michael Goering
The square footage on a condo listing, on the strata plan, and in the appraisal can all be different. This guide explains how BC measures condo and townhouse size, why the numbers disagree, and what a Fraser Valley buyer should check before paying for a number they never verified.
By Michael Goering
A private sale skips the listing agent, not the paperwork. Here is what actually changes for a buyer looking at a For Sale By Owner condo, townhouse, or house in the Fraser Valley, from disclosure statements to who is actually protecting your side of the deal.
By Michael Goering
Your deposit does not go straight to the seller. It sits in a trust account, held for both sides until the deal completes. Here's how the deposit works in a BC home purchase, when you pay it, and what happens to it if the deal falls apart.
By Michael Goering
Maple Ridge and Mission sit on opposite banks of the Fraser River and solve different problems for a first-time buyer. Here's how the commute, the price, and the day-to-day compare.
By Michael Goering
Pitt Meadows has its own West Coast Express station, a waterfront village, and some of the region's more expensive attached-home prices for its size. Here's the honest version for a first-time buyer.
By Michael Goering
The strata handles the roof. You handle the smoke detector battery. Here's the plain-English split, and a season-by-season checklist built for a Fraser Valley climate.
By Michael Goering
Keys in hand is the beginning, not the end. Here's the practical order of operations for your first week as an owner, booking the elevator, documenting the unit, and the admin nobody mentions at closing.
By Michael Goering
Closing day gets all the attention. What happens after, the move-in week, the real costs, the maintenance, the renovation rules, and eventually deciding to move up, is where most of ownership actually happens. Here's the FRIVE team's map of it.
By Michael Goering
Paint doesn't need a strata's permission. Flooring almost always does. Here's how the approval process actually works, and why the most disputed renovation in BC stratas isn't the one most buyers expect.
By Michael Goering
The math and the life event both have to line up. Here's how to tell the difference between a bad week in a small space and an actual signal that it's time to sell.
By Michael Goering
The strata's master policy insures the building. It doesn't insure you. Here's the plain-English split between what your strata already pays for and what a new owner in BC still needs to buy.
By Michael Goering
The mortgage payment is the number buyers plan around. It's rarely the number that surprises them in year one. Here's what the FRIVE team sees new owners paying for that nobody put on a spreadsheet before closing.
By Michael Goering
Underground parkade or open surface lot? The parking type in a condo affects security, weather protection, cost, and even how the strata budgets. For a first-time buyer, it's a small-sounding detail that quietly shapes daily life and future fees. Here's how to weigh it.
By Michael Goering
The Form F, or Certificate of Payment, confirms that a strata owner doesn't owe money to the strata, and it's generally required to transfer title. It sounds like paperwork, but a missing or problematic Form F can hold up your closing. Here's what a Fraser Valley buyer should understand about it.
By Michael Goering
The Form B, or Information Certificate, is a snapshot of a strata unit's financial and legal status, the fees, the reserve fund, any levies, parking, and more. It's one of the most important documents a Fraser Valley condo or townhouse buyer reads. Here's what's on it and what to check.
By Michael Goering
The strata's meeting minutes are the closest thing you'll get to an honest diary of the building. Buyers who read them carefully catch problems that never show up in the listing: recurring leaks, funding disputes, deferred repairs, and unhappy owners. Here's how to read a Fraser Valley strata's minutes and what should make you pause.
By Michael Goering
A strata's bylaws and its rules are not the same thing, and the difference matters when you're deciding whether a building fits your life. Bylaws are harder to change and cover more; rules are easier to change and narrower. Here's how to read both before you buy a Fraser Valley condo or townhouse.
By Michael Goering
A strata package can run to hundreds of pages and you get about a week to read it. Here are the five red flags the FRIVE team checks first in every Fraser Valley condo and townhouse package, and where each one hides.
By Michael Goering
Two townhouses at the same price can carry very different strata fees, and part of the reason is whether the complex is a conventional strata or a bare land strata. The strata type changes what the fees cover and what you're responsible for yourself. Here's how it affects a Fraser Valley buyer's real monthly cost.
By Michael Goering
When you get a mortgage, the lender often offers mortgage life insurance that pays off the balance if you die. It's convenient, but a personal term life policy is usually cheaper, more flexible, and pays your family instead of the bank. Here's the difference every Fraser Valley buyer should understand before ticking the box.
By Michael Goering
A cash-back mortgage hands you a lump sum at closing, which sounds perfect when you're short on move-in cash. But that money isn't free: the rate is usually higher, and paying off early can mean repaying part of it. Here's how cash-back mortgages work for Fraser Valley first-time buyers, and when they help versus hurt.
By Michael Goering
New listings across the Fraser Valley fell almost 18% compared to last July, the sharpest retreat by sellers we've seen this year. Inventory finally shrank. Here's what that shift means if you're shopping for a first home or a move-up.
By Michael Goering
Breaking a fixed-rate mortgage before the end of the term usually means a penalty, and on a fixed mortgage it's calculated using something called the interest rate differential. It can be far bigger than buyers expect. Here's how the IRD works, why it varies, and how Fraser Valley buyers can avoid a nasty surprise.
By Michael Goering
When rates move and you want to change your mortgage mid-term, breaking it means a penalty. A blend-and-extend lets you fold today's rate into your existing one and reset the term, often without that penalty. Here's how it works for Fraser Valley buyers, and when it actually helps.
By Michael Goering
Most mortgages let you pay extra each year without a penalty, through lump sums and payment increases. First-time buyers often don't use these privileges because nobody explained them. Here's how prepayment privileges work in BC and how a Fraser Valley buyer can use them to cut years off a mortgage.
By Michael Goering
If you bought at a low rate and now want to move, you may be able to carry that mortgage to the new home instead of breaking it and paying a penalty. Porting sounds simple, but the timing, the qualifying, and the blend are where first-time and move-up buyers get surprised. Here's how it actually works.
By Michael Goering
Is the parking stall actually yours? Can you sell it with the unit? Is the storage locker assigned or first-come? In BC stratas, parking and storage are often 'limited common property,' and the details matter more than buyers expect. Here's what to check.
By Michael Goering
Everyone has an opinion on renting versus buying, and most of them ignore your actual situation. The honest answer depends on your timeline, your stability, and the real costs on both sides. Here's a framework for first-time buyers to think it through clearly.
By Michael Goering
Move-up buyers face a chicken-and-egg problem: you need to sell to buy, but you want to buy before you sell. Bridge financing is the tool that spans the gap. Here's how it works, what it costs, and when it makes sense for a Fraser Valley move-up buyer.
By Michael Goering
Buyers see a home's BC Assessment value and treat it as what the place is worth. It isn't. The assessed value is for taxes, reflects a date in the past, and can be well off the real market price. Here's what BC Assessment actually means for a buyer.
By Michael Goering
First-time buyers picture closing as one big day. In BC it's really three dates, completion, possession, and adjustment, each meaning something different. Knowing what happens on each one keeps the end of your purchase calm instead of confusing.
By Michael Goering
First-time buyers in Canada can now take a 30-year amortization on an insured mortgage. It lowers your monthly payment, which helps affordability, but it costs more over the life of the loan and adds a small insurance surcharge. Here's how to weigh it.
By Michael Goering
There are two Langleys, a small City and a large surrounding Township, and they're separate municipalities. For a first-time buyer, knowing which one a listing is in affects taxes, services, transit, and the kind of neighbourhood you're buying into. Here's how to tell them apart.
By Michael Goering
The November 2021 floods put Fraser Valley flood risk on every buyer's radar. Most homes are nowhere near a floodplain, but some are, and the difference matters for insurance and peace of mind. Here's how to check a property's flood risk before you buy.
By Michael Goering
Older Fraser Valley condos run on electric baseboard heat. Newer ones increasingly have heat pumps that also cool. With summers getting warmer, how a condo heats and cools is no longer a footnote. Here's what first-time buyers should know about each.
By Michael Goering
A leasehold condo can look like a bargain, same building, lower price. The catch is you don't own the land, and the lease has an expiry date. For first-time buyers, the leasehold-versus-freehold distinction is one of the most important things to understand before making an offer.
By Michael Goering
There's no single 'first-time home buyer grant' in BC. Instead there's a stack of separate programs: the Property Transfer Tax exemption, the FHSA, the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan, the federal Home Buyers' Amount, and the new GST rebate. Here's what each one does and which ones you can use together.
By Michael Goering
The federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, the shared-equity program run by CMHC, stopped accepting new applications on March 21, 2024. It's closed. Here's what it was, why it ended, and the programs a Fraser Valley first-time buyer should use in its place.
By Michael Goering
The minimum down payment in Canada is 5% on the first $500,000, 10% on the portion from $500,000 to $1.5 million, and 20% at $1.5 million or more. Here's how that math works at real Fraser Valley prices, plus the $1.5 million insured cap and 30-year amortization changes from December 2024.
By Michael Goering
Most condos in the Fraser Valley are wood-frame; the towers closer to the SkyTrain are concrete. The construction type affects sound, fees, insurance, and price. Here's what first-time buyers should actually know before choosing between them.
By Michael Goering
A half-duplex looks like a townhouse and prices like a small house, but it's its own thing, sometimes with no strata at all. For Fraser Valley first-time buyers choosing between a condo and a half-duplex, the differences in cost, control, and maintenance are bigger than they look.
By Michael Goering
If you put down less than 20%, you pay mortgage default insurance, and the premium depends on exactly how much you put down. The jump from a 10% to a 15% down payment changes the rate. Here's the full premium ladder and what it means for a first-time buyer's budget.
By Michael Goering
Self-employed buyers can absolutely get a mortgage in BC, but the process leans on different documents and a bit more planning than for a salaried employee. Here's what lenders look for, why the tax-minimizing that helps your business can hurt your application, and how to prepare.
By Michael Goering
More first-time buyers than ever are getting help with their down payment from family. Lenders allow it, but they need a gift letter and proof the money isn't a loan. Here's exactly how a gifted down payment works, who can give one, and how to avoid the delays that catch buyers.
By Michael Goering
The Speculation and Vacancy Tax applies in Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack, and most first-time buyers who live in their home owe nothing. But you still have to declare every year, and missing it is how owner-occupiers get billed by mistake. Here's how it works.
By Michael Goering
Canada's ban on home purchases by non-Canadians runs through the end of 2026. For Fraser Valley buyers, the question is usually 'does this apply to me?' Here's who the ban covers, who's exempt, and what it means if you're a newcomer hoping to buy your first home.
By Michael Goering
The Property Disclosure Statement is the seller's account of what they know about the home. First-time buyers either skim it or over-trust it. Here's how to read a PDS properly, what it covers, what 'do not know' really means, and why it never replaces an inspection.
By Michael Goering
Title insurance is a small one-time cost most BC buyers pay at closing without really knowing what it does. It protects against fraud, hidden liens, and survey problems. Here's what it covers, what it doesn't, and why first-time buyers should understand it.
By Michael Goering
Aldergrove condos average around $480K to 17% below the Langley-wide average. Brookswood is the move-up destination when your equity is ready. Here is how the south Langley corridor actually works for first-time buyers in 2026.
By Michael Goering
You've owned your Fraser Valley condo or townhouse for a year or two and built some equity. Here is what a HELOC actually is, how much you can borrow, and when it makes sense, and when it doesn't, for a move-up buyer in BC.
By Michael Goering
Abbotsford offers the most affordable condo prices in the Fraser Valley, but it is 70 km from Vancouver. Here is the honest version of whether Abbotsford makes sense for a first-time buyer in 2026.
By Michael Goering
Chilliwack has the most affordable condos in the Fraser Valley and a genuine outdoor lifestyle. But it is 100 km from Vancouver. Here is the honest version of whether Chilliwack works for a first-time buyer in 2026.
By Michael Goering
Mission has some of the lowest condo and townhouse prices in the Fraser Valley and the West Coast Express changes the commute math. Here is the honest version of whether Mission works for a first-time buyer in 2026.
By Michael Goering
Almost every newly built home in BC comes with mandatory 2-5-10 warranty insurance. First-time buyers of new condos and townhouses often don't know what it protects, how long each part lasts, or what it won't cover. Here's the plain-English version.
By Michael Goering
Bill C-4 changed the presale vs resale math for BC first-time buyers in March 2026. Here is what the $50,000 GST saving actually means for a Fraser Valley buyer, and when resale still wins.
By Michael Goering
Property tax is one of the ongoing costs first-time buyers most often underestimate. FRIVE explains how the mill rate system works in BC and what buyers in Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Maple Ridge can expect to pay in 2026.
By Michael Goering
The mortgage payment is only part of what you pay each month. FRIVE breaks down strata fees, property tax, and insurance for Fraser Valley condos and townhouses, by city, so you can see the real number before you offer.
By Michael Goering
An assignment sale lets you buy someone's presale contract before the building is finished. It can be a path into a new home, but it comes with GST, the BC home flipping tax, and developer consent rules that trip up first-time buyers. Here's how they work.
By Michael Goering
Surrey is one of the most geographically diverse municipalities in BC. If you're leaving Metro Vancouver and evaluating Surrey as your first home, the neighbourhood you pick matters as much as the city itself. Here's how to make sense of it.
By Michael Goering
Every month, strata owners pay a fee, but most first-time buyers don't really know what it covers, why one building's fee is double another's, or when a low fee is a red flag. Here's how strata fees work and how to read them before you buy.
By Michael Goering
The deposit and the down payment are two separate things, paid at different times, for different reasons. First-time buyers in BC routinely confuse them, and the confusion can cost you an offer. Here's exactly how each one works.
By Michael Goering
You've decided to leave Vancouver or Burnaby for the Fraser Valley. Now you need to figure out whether Langley is the right city, and if so, which part. Here's the honest guide from the FRIVE team.
By Michael Goering
South Surrey and White Rock sit at the coastal, higher-priced end of the Fraser Valley's western edge. For a first-time buyer, that changes which homes are reachable and which programs still apply. Here's an honest look at buying your first place here in 2026.
By Michael Goering
Walnut Grove is one of Langley's most established neighbourhoods, leafy, family-oriented, and close to the highway north. For a first-time buyer, it's a different proposition than the newer Willoughby townhouse boom. Here's how it works in 2026.
By Michael Goering
The BC Home Flipping Tax took effect January 1, 2025. Most guides explain it to sellers. This one explains what it actually means if you buy today and life forces you to sell within two years.
By Michael Goering
Cloverdale has a heritage downtown, the rodeo, and a foot in two worlds, established Surrey on one side, newer townhouse development on the other. For a first-time buyer, it's one of the city's more distinctive choices. Here's how it works.
By Michael Goering
Choosing a neighbourhood and choosing a school are often the same decision for families. Here is how school catchments work across the Fraser Valley's six main school districts.
By Michael Goering
BC's Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing law is already in effect across Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, and the rest of the Fraser Valley. Here's what it actually changes for first-time buyers.
By Michael Goering
The FVREB June 2026 benchmarks are $764,100 for a townhouse and $1,350,200 for a detached home, a $586K gap. Here's what that gap actually means for first-time buyers, including the SSMUH angle that changes the detached calculation entirely.
By Michael Goering
Abbotsford is the largest city in the Fraser Valley, and 'Abbotsford' covers a lot of ground. For a first-time buyer, West Abbotsford, the central core, and the eastern areas are three different decisions. Here's how to tell them apart.
By Michael Goering
Fraser Valley benchmark prices slipped again in June 2026, and the market kept splitting by property type. Townhouse sales rose year over year while condo sales fell 14%. Here's what the June numbers mean for first-time and move-up buyers.
By Michael Goering
Maple Ridge sits at the north edge of the Fraser Valley with two West Coast Express stations and the Golden Ears at its back. For first-time buyers, it's a different kind of valley city. Here's how it works for a first home in 2026.
By Michael Goering
Mission is the one Fraser Valley city with a commuter train straight into Vancouver. For a first-time buyer priced out closer in, that West Coast Express line changes the whole equation. Here's how Mission actually works as a first home.
By Michael Goering
Chilliwack sits at the east end of the Fraser Valley, and first-home dollars stretch further here than in Surrey or Langley. Here's how the city's neighbourhoods, commute, and condo-versus-townhouse choices actually shake out for a first-time buyer.
By Michael Goering
Prices have been falling for a year and inventory is at its highest level since 2021. That's an uncomfortable place to sit on the fence, because the market says buyer's market and your gut says falling knife. Here's an honest look at what the numbers actually mean for first-time buyers right now.
By Michael Goering
When you buy a home in BC, property tax becomes your responsibility on closing day. Here's how BC property tax works, what you'll owe in your first year, how the Home Owner Grant reduces your bill, and what the July 2, 2026 deadline means.
By Michael Goering
BC law gives every residential buyer three business days to change their mind after an offer is accepted, but it costs 0.25% of the purchase price to use. Here's how the rescission period works, when it applies, and when it doesn't.
By Michael Goering
Langley has five genuinely different buying experiences depending on where you land. Willoughby, Walnut Grove, Langley City, Aldergrove, Brookswood, this is the FRIVE team's honest take on where first-time buyers should look and why.
By Michael Goering
Surrey has six very different buying experiences depending on where you look. This is the FRIVE team's honest take on Newton, Guildford, Fleetwood, Clayton, Cloverdale, and South Surrey, what you pay, what you get, and where the SkyTrain picture changes the calculation.
By Michael Goering
Subject removal is the last window you have to verify everything before a BC real estate deal becomes firm and your deposit is committed. Here's exactly how it works, what can go wrong, and what first-time buyers need to do during the subject period.
By Michael Goering
Langley is the Fraser Valley's townhouse market, and the buying process here has BC-specific steps that vary by sub-area. From pre-approval to possession, here's how the process actually unfolds for first-time condo and townhouse buyers in Langley.
By Michael Goering
BC changed the rules on buyer-agent compensation and representation agreements. Here is what Fraser Valley buyers pay, who actually writes the cheque, and what to read before signing a buyer representation agreement.
By Michael Goering
Surrey is BC's largest city by area and the Fraser Valley's busiest condo and townhouse market, and the buying process has BC-specific steps most guides gloss over. Here's how we walk first-time buyers through it, from credit check to keys.
By Michael Goering
A home inspection is one of the three things your subject-removal window is for. Here's what the FRIVE team tells every condo and townhouse buyer in the Fraser Valley before they book one, what it covers, what it misses, what it costs, and how to use it.
By Michael Goering
Langley and Abbotsford both attract first-time buyers priced out of Metro Vancouver. The decision usually comes down to how much the commute matters and what kind of community feels right.
By Michael Goering
Many townhouses in Langley and Surrey are bare land stratas. Learn why this changes your maintenance responsibilities, insurance requirements, and mortgage approval.
By Michael Goering
With housing affordability pushing buyers to team up, co-purchasing with friends or family is rising. Learn the difference between joint tenancy and tenancy in common in BC.
By Michael Goering
Willoughby and Surrey City Centre are active presale markets. Before you buy, understand the 7-day rescission period, disclosure statements, and appraisal gap risks.
By Michael Goering
With the December 31, 2026 deadline for mandatory Strata Electrical Planning Reports approaching, learn how BC's new strata laws affect parking, charging, and strata due diligence.
By Michael Goering
The commute question comes up in almost every buyer conversation we have. Here's what the numbers actually look like for SkyTrain, the West Coast Express, and driving from each Fraser Valley city.
By Michael Goering
Strata water deductibles in BC are climbing to $100,000 or more. Learn how Section 158 makes you liable for leaks originating in your unit, and how to protect yourself before you buy.
By Michael Goering
The 5% GST on a new home in BC has been a quiet first-time-buyer killer for years. The new federal First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate, Royal Assent on March 12, 2026, wipes it out entirely on qualifying purchases up to $1 million. Here's how the old and new rebates stack.
By Michael Goering
The HBP lets you pull up to $60,000 out of your RRSP tax-free for a first home. Budget 2024 raised the cap from $35,000 and tacked on a 5-year repayment grace period for first withdrawals from 2022-2025. Here's how the program actually works for a Fraser Valley buyer in 2026.
By Michael Goering
The FHSA combines the best of the RRSP and the TFSA, tax-deductible going in, tax-free coming out, for a first home. For most first-time buyers in the Fraser Valley it's the highest-leverage account they can open today. Here's how it actually works.
By Michael Goering
On a qualifying new build, the Newly Built Home Property Transfer Tax exemption is bigger than the first-time-buyer one, full exemption up to $1.1 million, partial up to $1.15 million. Here's what counts as 'new', how the math works, and where it overlaps with the first-time-buyer rule.
By Michael Goering
If you've never owned a principal residence anywhere in the world and you're buying in BC under $860,000, the Property Transfer Tax exemption is almost certainly worth more than every other first-time-buyer program except the down payment itself. Here's exactly how it works and where the money lives.
By Michael Goering
There are more programs helping first-time buyers in 2026 than there have been in a decade. This is the FRIVE team's plain-English map of how they stack, what each one actually pays for, and where buyers in the Fraser Valley quietly leave money on the table.
By Michael Goering
A pre-approval is not an approval. It's a planning number. The buyers who get blindsided on offer day are the ones who didn't know the difference, and the FRIVE team gets that call almost every spring.
By Michael Goering
When your 5-year term ends, your lender mails you a renewal offer and a posted rate. That offer is almost never the best rate available, but moving to a new lender means re-qualifying under current stress-test rules. Here's how to think through it.
By Michael Goering
The 20% down payment line is the most consequential boundary in Canadian residential lending. Below it, you pay an insurance premium and get certain advantages; above it, no premium but different trade-offs. Here's what each side actually means for a Fraser Valley first-time buyer.
By Michael Goering
A bank has its own products and its own deposit relationship. A broker has access to dozens of lenders and gets paid by the lender, not by you. Which one fits depends on your file, your existing banking, and how rare your situation is.
By Michael Goering
With the Bank of Canada on hold at 2.25% and the curve mostly flat, the fixed-vs-variable decision is less about which one wins and more about which one you can sleep through. Here's how the FRIVE team thinks about the trade-off.
By Michael Goering
Lenders don't actually approve mortgages off a single number. They check two, your housing-to-income ratio and your total-debt-to-income ratio, and the lower ceiling is what you actually get. Here's how each one works and which one usually binds for Fraser Valley first-time buyers.
By Michael Goering
Surrey and Langley are the two most active condo and townhouse markets in the Fraser Valley, but they solve different problems. Here's how to think through the decision.
By Michael Goering
The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension adds 8 stations along Fraser Highway from King George to Langley City. For first-time buyers in 2026, the question isn't whether transit changes prices, it's where the uplift is still ahead of you, and where it's already in the asking price.
By Michael Goering
Fleetwood is the only Surrey neighbourhood getting three SkyTrain stations from the Expo Line extension. For first-time townhouse buyers who want Fleetwood Park Secondary, the Surrey Sport & Leisure Complex on their doorstep, and genuine transit upside, here's what you need to know.
By Michael Goering
Clayton is where the Fraser Valley's most active townhouse market meets the incoming SkyTrain. For first-time buyers who want family-sized space, a garage, and transit upside all in one place, it's hard to find a closer match. Here's the honest local guide, schools, transit, what you'll pay, and the trade-offs.
By Michael Goering
The affordability number your lender gives you isn't a budget, it's a ceiling. Here's how the FRIVE team thinks about the gap between qualifying power, monthly cash flow, and the deposit you can put down without emptying your reserves.
By Michael Goering
Your subject-to-strata-documents window is the most important week of a condo purchase. Here's the FRIVE team's order of operations, what to pull, what to read first, what to scan for, and what costs to expect for the documents themselves.
By Michael Goering
BC narrowed strata age-restriction bylaws to 55+ only in late 2022. Pet bylaws survived the change but have to be properly drafted to actually bind owners. Here's what a first-time buyer should check on the bylaws before subjects come off.
By Michael Goering
Since November 24, 2022, BC stratas can no longer have rental-restriction bylaws on long-term rentals. Short-term restrictions still apply. For first-time buyers, that changes the math on flexibility, and on the units that were previously off-limits to renters.
By Michael Goering
BC's contingency reserve fund minimum is 10% of the annual operating fund, that's a legal floor, not a goal. Here's what a healthy CRF looks like, what a thin one signals, and how to read the funding model in a depreciation report against a real building.
By Michael Goering
A special levy is the surprise bill that lands on a strata owner when the regular budget and reserve fund can't cover a major repair. The vote rules are specific, the split is by unit entitlement, and the timing relative to your closing date matters a lot.
By Michael Goering
A condo isn't just four walls, it's a slice of a strata corporation with its own bylaws, rules, finances, and repair calendar. This is the FRIVE team's plain-English map of the strata due-diligence work first-time buyers should do before subjects come off.
By Michael Goering
The Fraser Valley in 2026 isn't a bidding-war market. With condos averaging 42 days on market, first-time buyers can keep their subjects and still win. Here's how we coach buyers to write strong offers that protect them, not strip them bare.
By Michael Goering
Every station along the 16-km Surrey-Langley SkyTrain is now under construction, with service expected around 2029. For a first-time buyer eyeing a Surrey condo near the line, here's how to think about transit-oriented value without overpaying for a promise.
By Michael Goering
Your down payment isn't the last cheque you write. Closing costs in BC run roughly 1.5% to 4% of the purchase price, and most of it can't be rolled into your mortgage. Here's the line-by-line for a first-time Fraser Valley buyer, with the costs people forget.
By Michael Goering
Willoughby has been one of Metro Vancouver's busiest neighbourhoods for new townhouses for over a decade. For first-time buyers who want family-sized space under the PTT exemption ceiling, it's hard to beat. Here's the honest local guide, schools, transit, what you'll pay, and the trade-offs.
By Michael Goering
BC's depreciation report rules tightened in 2024, and stratas across the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver must have a current report by July 1, 2026 to 35 days from now. For a first-time condo or townhouse buyer, this document is the closest thing you get to seeing the future repair bill.
By Michael Goering
A condo runs about $476,000 and a townhouse about $764,000 in the Fraser Valley as of June 2026. The $288K gap isn't the whole story. Here's how we walk first-time buyers through strata fees, space, resale, and what they'll actually live with.
By Michael Goering
Benchmark prices are down year-over-year, the Bank of Canada is on hold at 2.25%, and first-time buyer tax breaks add up to real money. A plain-English look at why the Fraser Valley is where most first-time buyers in Metro Vancouver can actually buy in 2026.
By Michael Goering
Push east past Langley and your money buys noticeably more house. Abbotsford's townhouse benchmark is $606,500 and Chilliwack's is $600,600, both well below the regional $813,200 (FVREB/CADREB, 2026). Here's an honest Abbotsford-vs-Chilliwack comparison for first-time buyers weighing space against commute.
By Michael Goering