What Your Budget Buys | $800k
What $800,000 buys you
The $700,000 to $900,000 band is where a newly built home stops being a compromise on size and starts being a compromise on distance. Here is what is in it right now.
The short answer
171 active newly built ground-oriented homes list between $700,000 and $900,000, 12.1% of the market. The median is $848,800 for 1,430 sq ft at $580 per square foot. 37 of them have four or more bedrooms, which is what makes this band work for families.
- Active listings
- 171
- Median size
- 1,430 sq ft
- Median per sq ft
- $580
- Four bedrooms or more
- 37
Newly built homes listed between $700,000 and $900,000
171 active listings
- Median list price
- $848,800
- Median price per sq ft
- $580
- Median size
- 1,430 sq ft
- Median strata fee
- $304
- Median annual property tax
- $3,259
typical range $732,800 to $899,900
typical range $422 to $768
typical range 1,080 sq ft to 1,910 sq ft
typical range $215 to $406
148 of 171 listings state one
typical range $2,053 to $3,865
57 of 171 listings state one
Measured across 171 active listings on .
What is actually in this band
Where these homes are
- Surrey 55 (32%)
- Langley 25 (15%)
- Abbotsford 20 (12%)
- Mission 20 (12%)
- Vancouver 9 (5%)
- Coquitlam 8 (5%)
- Richmond 8 (5%)
- Chilliwack 6 (4%)
A further 20 listings sit in 9 other cities.
The neighbourhoods with the most of them
- Willoughby Heights, Langley 21
- Mission, Mission 20
- Sullivan Station, Surrey 14
- Central Abbotsford, Abbotsford 7
- Hamilton, Richmond 7
- Abbotsford West, Abbotsford 7
- Fleetwood Tynehead, Surrey 7
- Grandview Heights, Surrey 6
Areas with three or more listings in this band.
How many bedrooms your money gets
- 1 bedroom 3 (2%)
- 2 bedrooms 25 (15%)
- 3 bedrooms 106 (62%)
- 4 bedrooms 33 (19%)
- 5 bedrooms 2 (1%)
- 6 bedrooms 2 (1%)
Median size
1,430 sq ft
Median per sq ft
$580
Median list price
$848,800
Type
158 townhouses, 11 half duplexes , 2 row houses
Ownership
157 strata, 10 freehold with no strata , 4 not stated
The trade this band asks you to make
At this price you are not buying a smaller home. The median here is 1,430 sq ft, which is at or above the regional median of 1,618 sq ft. What you are buying is a home further out. The land under it costs $580 per square foot against a regional median of $819.
That is the whole trade, and it is worth being clear-eyed about it. The building is the same standard, built to the same code, in the same two year window. The difference between this band and the $1.5M band is almost entirely a map, not a specification.
The second thing this band gets you is bedroom count. 22% of these homes have four or more bedrooms. In the expensive neighbourhoods that share collapses, because the land forces builders to go up rather than out and the floor plates get smaller.
Is this band right for you
Works well if
- ✓ A family that needs four bedrooms and cannot get them closer in at this price
- ✓ Buyers who drive rather than take transit to work
- ✓ First homes where the priority is owning something new with a warranty
- ✓ Anyone who wants the full newly built home tax exemption without stretching
Does not work if
- ✕ You need to be within walking distance of SkyTrain
- ✕ A downtown commute is part of your week
- ✕ You want the shortest possible resale timeline, since outer markets move more slowly
Check before you offer
- → Whether GST is on top of the list price, which on $800,000 is $40,000
- → The strata fee, which varies far more inside this band than the price does
- → How many parking spaces come with the home, not the complex
- → The commute at your real departure time, not the map estimate
Where $800,000 reaches
The band is not a compromise on size, it is a compromise on distance. Here is exactly how much distance.
165 of 171 homes plotted. 6 listings have no coordinates in the feed and cannot be placed. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons or by pinching.
Homes listed between $700,000 and $900,000
$709,0009 7540 BRISKHAM STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,576 sq ft
$709,9004 10392 240A STREET
Albion · 3 bed · 1,351 sq ft
$709,90026 43998 CHILLIWACK MOUNTAIN ROAD
Chilliwack Mountain · 3 bed · 1,587 sq ft
$714,90011 1641 KING CRESCENT
Poplar · 3 bed · 1,746 sq ft
$719,90074 7381 PRESTON BOULEVARD
Mission · 3 bed · 1,424 sq ft
$719,90048 24951 112 AVENUE
Cottonwood MR · 3 bed · 1,401 sq ft
$719,900108 5330 198 STREET
Langley City · 3 bed · 1,319 sq ft
$719,9009 2360 CRESCENT WAY
Central Abbotsford · 3 bed · 1,574 sq ft
$728,0001 6136 IRMIN STREET
Metrotown · 3 bed · 1,375 sq ft
$729,0004 6095 ROSEWOOD PLACE
Sechelt District · 3 bed · 1,421 sq ft
$729,00021 30501 ROBIN DRIVE
Abbotsford West · 3 bed · 1,580 sq ft
$729,00019 30501 ROBIN DRIVE
Abbotsford West · 3 bed · 1,580 sq ft
$729,7006 10373 240A STREET
Albion · 3 bed · 1,465 sq ft
$729,90029 2891 MONTROSE AVENUE
Central Abbotsford · 3 bed · 1,430 sq ft
$729,900
Freehold
58 30530 CARDINAL AVENUE
Abbotsford West · 3 bed · 1,429 sq ft
$729,900107 5330 198 STREET
Langley City · 3 bed · 1,364 sq ft
$729,9006 31981 CORAL AVENUE
Abbotsford West · 4 bed · 1,752 sq ft
$732,800116 6338 KING GEORGE BOULEVARD
East Newton · 3 bed · 1,160 sq ft
$739,00011 7540 BRISKHAM STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,910 sq ft
$739,900110 34588 MARSHALL ROAD
Central Abbotsford · 3 bed · 1,690 sq ft
$748,9006 2774 MONTROSE AVENUE
Central Abbotsford · 3 bed · 1,430 sq ft
$749,00010 7540 BRISKHAM STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,783 sq ft
$749,80024 13895 64 AVENUE
Sullivan Station · 3 bed · 1,208 sq ft
$749,90032 8430 NOTTMAN STREET
Mission · 3 bed · 1,872 sq ft
147 more active listings are not shown here. Search every active listing . Prices are the list price. Most new homes have GST added on top.
Common questions
What can you buy for $800,000 in Metro Vancouver?
A newly built townhouse or half duplex of 1,430 sq ft at the median, in the Fraser Valley or the outer suburbs. Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, Maple Ridge, and Langley carry most of the inventory at this price. Vancouver and Burnaby have almost none.
How many bedrooms does $800,000 get you?
More than most buyers expect. 37 of the 171 homes in this band have four or more bedrooms. Because the land is cheaper here, builders put the money into floor area instead, so the homes are physically larger than a Vancouver home costing twice as much.
Do I still get the newly built home tax exemption at $800,000?
Yes. The full newly built home exemption from property transfer tax applies up to $1,100,000, so the whole band clears it. You have to occupy the home as your principal residence within 92 days and stay a year.
What is the minimum down payment on an $800,000 home?
$55,000. That is 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the remaining $300,000. Below 20% down you also pay mortgage default insurance, which is added to the loan rather than paid up front.
Is $800,000 enough for a first-time buyer in this region?
It buys a real, new, ground-oriented family home, which $800,000 does not do in Vancouver. The catch is location. Note also that the first-time buyer PTT exemption tops out at $835,000, so above that you rely on the newly built home exemption instead, which every home here qualifies for anyway.
How many active listings are there in the $700,000 to $900,000 band?
171 active newly built ground-oriented homes list in this band, which is 12.1% of the whole market this hub tracks. The median among them is $848,800 for 1,430 sq ft, at $580 per square foot, and most of the inventory sits in the Fraser Valley and outer suburbs.
Do I need mortgage default insurance at $800,000?
Only if the down payment is under 20%. The minimum down payment on an $800,000 home is $55,000, which is 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the remaining $300,000. Below 20% down, mortgage default insurance is added to the loan amount rather than paid upfront.
Is GST added on top of an $800,000 home price?
Normally yes. Five percent GST on $800,000 comes to $40,000, and most listings in this dataset state the price without it. The GST new housing rebate can reduce that amount on qualifying purchases, so it is worth confirming eligibility before writing an offer.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
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- Government of BC, newly built home PTT exemption
Full exemption at $1,100,000 or less, partial to $1,150,000. Effective 1 April 2024.
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- Government of BC, first time home buyers' PTT exemption
Full exemption at $835,000 or less, partial to $860,000. Effective 1 April 2024.
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- CMHC, mortgage loan insurance for consumers
Insurance is unavailable at a purchase price of $1.5M or more, where 20% down is required.
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See the homes behind these numbers
Every figure on this page comes from listings you can open. Search the full set of newly built townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses, and filter by price, bedrooms, freehold or strata, pets, and parking.