New Horizons

New Horizons sits just east of Coquitlam Town Centre, and it occupies a specific and useful position in the local market: it is consistently among the best-priced areas in Coquitlam for a detached house. That makes it one of the most common destinations for move-up buyers stepping out of a townhouse, and for young families who want a house rather than an apartment without leaving the centre of the city.

The trade-off is scale. Lots and houses here are smaller than in the established areas like Central Coquitlam or Ranch Park, which is precisely why the entry price is lower.

The housing

A mix of detached houses, townhouses and condominiums. The characteristic detached form is a two-storey house on a modest lot, and a large share either have a suite already or are straightforward to suite, which matters if rental income is part of your plan. Because of the size and price position, these are frequently treated as entry-level detached homes.

Location and amenities

The area sits beside the Town Centre amenity cluster: Lafarge Lake, a five-hectare man-made lake, along with Town Centre Park, Percy Perry Stadium with its turf fields and tennis courts, and the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Homes on the northern side are within a short walk of the SkyTrain, Douglas College, Coquitlam Centre mall and full-size grocery. Bus access throughout is good. New Horizons is served by an elementary, a middle and a secondary school.

What to check before you buy here

• Suite legality. Many houses here carry a suite. Legal, legal non-conforming and unpermitted are three very different things for financing, insurance and declarable rental income. Establish which one you are buying.
• Poly-B plumbing. Grey polybutylene pipe went into Lower Mainland homes built roughly between 1978 and 1995. It degrades from the inside against chloramines in Metro Vancouver treated water, usually with no visible warning, and insurers now price or decline for it. Confirm whether it is present and whether it has been replaced.
• Lot size against your plans. If you intend to add on later, check coverage and setbacks first. The smaller lots here constrain expansion more than buyers expect.
• How close is actually walkable. The northern edge walks to SkyTrain; the southern edge does not. Confirm for the specific address rather than the neighbourhood.
• Depreciation reports. Read the depreciation report and two years of minutes on any strata purchase, with particular attention to building envelope, plumbing and roof funding.

Thinking about buying or selling in New Horizons?

Kristy Mattiazzo works throughout Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities. Get in touch to talk through whether this is the right pocket for you, or to find out what your home here is worth in the current market.

For the full picture of how Kristy works with buyers and sellers across the city — her process, her staging background and the questions she gets asked most — see her Coquitlam Realtor page.