Sam JuergensFree first-home guide · 2026 edition
For the couple asking "can we even afford this, and what actually happens, step by step?"
The money, the strata documents, the offer, the dates, and the mistakes, explained in plain language by an Associate Broker who trained other agents on exactly this. No jargon, no pressure.
Free. Instant download. Every step, in the order you'll meet it.
The problem
That's where the expensive mistakes come from. The down payment gets treated as the whole budget and the closing costs land as a surprise. The lender's maximum becomes the budget, and the payment hurts for years. The unit gets all the attention and the building's depreciation report gets skipped, right up until the special levy. None of these are about being careless. They're about nobody explaining it.
There's a better way: Learn the process before you tour a single home. The money, the building, the offer, the sequence. This guide walks you through all of it, in the order you'll actually meet it.
Inside the guide
Why it's worth more than free
Google will give you a first-time buyer article written for all of Canada by nobody in particular. This one has Vancouver numbers, Vancouver buildings and Vancouver paperwork, from someone who taught other agents how to read it.
Who's behind this
I'm Sam Juergens, a full-time REALTOR® and Associate Broker, licensed since 2013, and a Vancouverite for nearly 40 years. The best moments in this job are when someone new is hungry to understand, asking question after question, and I can see the puzzle pieces forming a picture. "Oh wow, I didn't see it that way." That's the aha moment. Nobody should feel foolish for not knowing a process they've never been through. My own family rented and moved every couple of years until we bought our first home here in 1989, so I know what that first set of keys means.
Why I'm qualified
As a former Managing Broker I ran Oakwyn University, training other agents in contracts, compliance and risk. The strata documents, the subject clauses, the deposit rules: I taught those. Now I explain them to you, one step at a time.
Associate Broker · Licensed Property Manager · Vancouverite since 1989
1
The first conversation.
What you want life to look like, your timing, your finances. You make the lender call. You get a written recap.
2
Clarified, then curated.
Your needs defined with questions and a fresh perspective, listings curated, showings back to back, and every step explained as we go.
3
Written to protect you.
Subjects set correctly, the strata documents read together, the contract and title search in your inbox the next morning with a clear order of steps.
Why work with Sam
Why me
Most agents assume you know the process, or skip the parts that are boring to explain. I was the Managing Broker who taught agents those parts, and I read every document with a regulator's eye and explain it like an expert friend. For someone buying for the first time, that's the difference between a surprise after subject removal and a plan.
The transformation
From "can we even afford this?" to a pre-approval, a shortlist, an offer written to protect you, and a set of keys, with every step understood along the way. You'll never feel talked down to, and the decision is always yours.
No pressure, ever. I advise, and the decision is always yours.
What your money buys, and where
The communities in this guide: Kitsilano · Point Grey · Kerrisdale and Dunbar · Steveston and Richmond, with Greater Vancouver and the Westside as the big picture. Looking elsewhere in Metro Vancouver? I've sold across the region and I'll compare those too.
Board-area figures are Greater Vancouver REALTORS® benchmarks, September 2026. Neighbourhood figures are August 2026, the latest neighbourhood release. Steveston is a median sale price (Zealty, September 2026), a different measure, so read it as "around."
Greater Vancouver · Apartment benchmark
$682,500
September 2026
Vancouver's Westside · Apartment benchmark
$761,800
September 2026
Richmond · Apartment benchmark
$635,600
Down 9.1 per cent on the year, the most of the three
The Westside entry point
Kitsilano
$709,600 Condo benchmark
Kits Beach and the pool after work, West 4th on foot, French immersion at Henry Hudson and Lord Tennyson, the Broadway Subway's Arbutus Station on its edge, scheduled for late 2027. About two thirds of homes here are low-rise apartments, and first-time buyers and young couples are the core of the market.
The honest trade-off: parking and square footage come at a premium.
Same money, different pace
Point Grey
$709,000 Condo benchmark
Almost identical to Kits, for quieter streets, Jericho and Spanish Banks below the bluff and Pacific Spirit behind. Queen Mary Elementary, Lord Byng Secondary.
The honest trade-off: fewer condos to choose from, and no SkyTrain out here.
The second move
Kerrisdale and Dunbar
$947,500 · $946,700 Condo benchmarks
The brick-paved village on West 41st, Elm Park, the pool and the arena; the forest edge of Pacific Spirit in Dunbar. Magee, Point Grey and Lord Byng secondaries.
The honest trade-off: a real step up in price. These are where first-time buyers come back as upsizers.
The most choice
Steveston and Richmond
$635,600 Richmond apartment benchmark
Richmond's apartment benchmark is $635,600 and falling faster than the Westside's, with new supply still arriving; nearly half of the region's unsold new condos sit in Burnaby and Richmond (CMHC, May 2026). Steveston Village is the harbour, Garry Point and the Salmon Festival; Steveston South's median across all home types is around $948,400. McMath Secondary, the 401 and 402 to the Canada Line.
The honest trade-off: downtown means a bridge or the tunnel. (Sam lives in Seafair, next door.)
Condo, townhome or half-duplex? Kits, Point Grey, or south of the river?
The numbers for each, and the five-year plan behind the choice. Free, instant download.
Why my local depth matters
The map says these neighbourhoods are ten minutes apart. It doesn't say which buildings have a healthy contingency fund and which have a levy coming. I've sold across both sides of the river for more than ten years. I know the buildings, not just the streets.
Proof
★★★★★
"Sam takes his time to explain each step and is only one phone call away for any potential issues… YOU are the client and have the final say."
Roberta H.First home
★★★★★
"He took the time to explain every step, made sure we understood our options, and never once pressured us."
Hellen N.First home
★★★★★
"When we found the place we loved he was spot on with the current market research in the area and helped us finalize everything within hours."
Klara B.First home
★★★★★
"He took the time to explain every step clearly, addressing every concern we had — and even many we didn't know we had… all within our budget."
David B.First home
21
five-star Google reviews
13
reviewers say the same thing: he explains every step
Since 2013
full time
Every one of these buyers started where you are: a process they'd never seen, and a lot of questions. That's the part I'm best at.
Follow along
Follow for more free value: I make videos that explain the paperwork plainly, the depreciation report, property transfer tax, subjects and deposits, plus how Vancouver's neighbourhoods actually live. If the guide helps, the channel is the rest of the conversation.
Your free guide
Free. Instant download. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Quick answers
Is this a sales pitch?
No. It's the guide. If you ever want help, you know where to find me. And you'll never be pressured. Roberta said it best: you are the client and you have the final say.
Will I get spammed?
No. It's an instant download, and you can unsubscribe from anything, anytime.
We're not ready to buy yet. Is this for us?
Then this is exactly when to read it. The money page comes first for a reason, and the first conversation in a well-run first purchase happens months before the first showing.
Start with Page 2. "Can we afford this?" is the question everything else hangs on, and it has a real answer.
Download the guide (PDF)Didn't download? Open it here.
When you want to see the paperwork opened on camera, I'm on YouTube at I Love VanCoast with Sam Juergens and on Instagram at @sam_juergens.
Sam Juergens Personal Real Estate Corporation · Oakwyn Realty Ltd.
Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with another brokerage.
