Happy Thursday!

Feels like everyone’s talking about the new bridge and how Surrey’s growth is starting to feel real now, not just “someday”.

So in this month’s newsletter, I’m breaking down what all this growth could mean for Surrey’s economy, homeowners, and real estate market, including:

• The $600M Surrey City Centre entertainment district (and why the SkyTrain timing matters)

• What’s actually selling right now (and why luxury and a lot of condos are getting stuck)

• The hidden property traps that can turn a “great deal” into a headache later

Oh — and before we jump into it, don’t skip the March events section up top. Give it a skim first. You’ll probably find at least one thing worth putting on the calendar.

Let’s get into it 👇🏻

— Scott

Table of Contents

• Top 10 Things to Do in Surrey, BC This March

• Touring a $2.3M Home w/ 180º Ocean Views in White Rock, BC

• In case you missed it…

• Why This Development Will Change Surrey Forever

• Why These Surrey BC Homes Are NOT Selling… But Others Are!

• NEVER Buy These Types of Homes in BC

• Current Market Snapshots

Top 10 Things to Do in Surrey, BC This March

March is looking pretty fun around Surrey. From family friendly festivals and art events to comedy, concerts, and cultural celebrations, there’s a lot happening this month for all kinds of plans.

I pulled together 10 standout picks below, but if you want even more ideas, be sure to check out the full list with 100+ events happening around Surrey this month.

Take a look below, choose what fits your mood and start planning!

Not enough? See 100+ events for the next month→

🏠 Touring a $2.3M Home w/ 180º Ocean Views in White Rock, BC

Step inside a $2,299,900 home with unobstructed 180° ocean views + legal Airbnb!

In case you missed it…

Why This Development Will Change Surrey Forever (Entertainment Dist)

Driving the news: Surrey is on track to pass Vancouver in population. The city is growing at 6.8% a year — more than five times Vancouver’s 1.3% growth rate — and is projected to become B.C.’s largest city by 2038.

City council has now approved a $600 million entertainment district in Surrey City Centre, timed to open as that population milestone approaches.

Details:

• Surrey: ~725,000 residents

• Vancouver: ~765,000 residents

• Gap: Under 40,000 (and shrinking fast)

• Surrey added ~30,000 residents from 2023 to 2024

• Projected population: ~1 million by 2046

The approved district includes:

• A proposed 10,000-seat arena

• 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial, retail, and office space

• A 150-room hotel

• 60,000 sq. ft. of ballroom and conference space

• An interactive art museum

• A central galleria linking the development

• Expanded transit connections

Estimated cost: at least $600 million, based on comparable municipal projects.

Mayor Brenda Locke has stated the project will use mixed financing (including private investment, partnerships, naming rights revenue, and targeted city funding) with the intent of avoiding undue burden on taxpayers.

Why it matters: For Surrey, this is about keeping more economic activity local.

Right now, about 43% of entertainment spending by Surrey residents leaves the city (roughly $17.6 million per month flowing elsewhere). An arena and district of this scale keeps that spending, jobs, and hospitality growth in our own backyard.

More local jobs. More local business activity. More reason for people to spend time — and money — in Surrey. That strengthens the tax base and builds a more complete city for families who already live here.

The big picture: Population growth alone doesn’t create a metropolitan centre. Infrastructure does.

The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension will add eight new stations along 16 km of track, with service projected to bring 62,000 daily riders by 2035. That grows to 71,000 by 2050.

The entertainment district sits near Gateway Station on the existing Expo Line, anchoring City Centre just as transit expands access across the South of Fraser region, connecting more than 1.1 million people.

By the numbers:

• 4.2%–16% property value premiums near rapid transit (UBC Broadway corridor study)

• 10%–20% higher sale prices within 500 metres of SkyTrain stations (recent expansion research)

• 45%–50% price growth near Canada Line stations for buyers who purchased before construction and sold after completion

Research consistently shows that buying before completion — not after — has historically delivered the strongest gains.

What’s next: City Centre is already seeing around 7,000 dwelling units under construction as of mid-2025. Council approved $2.7 billion in infrastructure investments in March 2025 focused on supporting long-term growth.

The stated goal: build one job for every resident worker and shift Surrey from a commuter-based city to a self-sustaining economic hub.

The entertainment district is a key anchor in that strategy.

If you’d like to dive into the project and see how it will affect your daily life, just click here ⬇️

The Other Side of Surrey’s Growth: What’s Actually Selling Right Now

In the last article, I walked you through how Surrey is building for its future — population growth, transit expansion, and a $600 million entertainment district reshaping City Centre.

But here’s the reality on the ground today:

Only two types of homes are selling right now. And if yours isn’t one of them, you need to know why.

Driving the news: The Fraser Valley is in a clear buyer's market, with an 8% sales-to-active-listing ratio. Inventory is roughly 40–50% above normal levels.

In simple terms: about 1 in 10 active listings sells in a typical month.

These are the toughest segments right now:

• Luxury homes over $2 million (South Surrey & White Rock)

  • 225 active listings (January 2026)

  • Only 9 sales

  • Roughly 12+ months of supply

• Condos across Surrey

  • Fraser Valley condo benchmark down 8.2% year-over-year (Jan 2026)

  • North Surrey condo benchmark down 10.2% year-over-year

  • Condo supply in some categories: roughly a year or more

Luxury sellers are often still pricing off 2021–2022 peak numbers. But the Fraser Valley composite benchmark is down about 24% from the March 2022 peak.

Buyers aren’t looking at 2022. They’re looking at what sold last month.

If you’re above that number, you sit.

Condos face a different problem: too much competition. Buyers can scroll through dozens of similar units and walk away with zero urgency.

Why it matters: This isn’t just about statistics. It affects real families trying to move, upgrade, or adjust plans.

If sellers reset expectations and price realistically, homes are still selling — and that movement keeps the local market functioning.

Move-up buyers benefit most in this type of cycle. When values pull back 20%, the math works differently:

A condo that drops from $500,000 to $400,000 loses $100,000.
A detached home that drops from $2 million to $1.6 million loses $400,000.

The spread improves in a down market. That creates opportunity for families who want more space, and that activity strengthens the broader Surrey market.

Between the lines: This market is brutally simple.

Everything can sell if it’s priced right.

But price isn’t the only factor. Presentation matters more than ever.

Buyers are scrolling past dark photos, cluttered spaces, and tired interiors. The Real Estate Staging Association reports staged homes sell about 70% faster and can achieve 5–25% higher sale prices.

With today’s inventory levels, buyers pick the best-looking option in their category, even if it’s slightly more expensive.

In this market, average doesn’t move.

Where Things Are Heating Up: Not all segments are weak.

Cloverdale and Clayton townhomes in the $700,000–$800,000 range showed an 18% sales ratio in January 2026 — close to seller’s market territory.

There are “mini seller’s markets” inside this larger buyer’s market.

➡️ Well-located detached homes near strong schools.
➡️ Townhomes with real value.
➡️ Condos that are clearly the best option in their building.

The common thread: realistic pricing and strong presentation.

The bottom line: There aren’t “good” property types and “bad” property types right now.

There are properly positioned homes… and everything else.

If your home has been sitting, it’s almost always one of three things:

• Luxury priced like it’s still 2022.

• A condo lost in heavy competition.

• A listing that doesn’t show like an A+ option.

After 20+ years in Surrey, White Rock, and Langley, I can tell you this: when we price to today’s market and prepare the home properly, it sells.

See my full insight ⬇️

Before You Jump In: The “Bargain” Homes That Can Blow Up Your Budget

In the last article, I showed you how homes that are priced right and presented well are still moving even in today's buyer's market.

But there’s one more layer to getting this market right:

Some properties look like deals… until the hidden problems show up after you move in.

In Surrey and Langley, the biggest buyer regrets often come from the same handful of “gotchas”: broken stratas, hidden plumbing and electrical issues, flood risk, noise exposure, illegal suites, and rushed flips.

These aren’t minor annoyances. They can turn into five-figure surprises.

The big picture: In a buyer’s market, people think the biggest risk is overpaying.

Often, the bigger risk is buying the wrong thing because it looked like a deal.

A well-priced home is only a good value if it’s also a clean file: strong documents, clear permits, manageable risks, and no ugly surprises hiding behind the paint.

Why it matters: Surrey and Langley are full of buyers trying to take advantage of a softer market.

Avoiding these traps protects more than your wallet. It protects your options.

A surprise levy, a forced suite closure, or an uninsurable flood-zone property can turn “we’re finally moving” into “we’re stuck.”

And locally, smart buying helps the whole market stay healthy: fewer deals falling apart, fewer distressed resales later, and better long-term confidence in our housing stock.

Here are the property types and red flags I see most often:

➡️ Condos with weak stratas (special levy risk)
A bargain price can get erased fast if the building has low reserves and deferred maintenance. That’s where surprise “special levies” come from (like a $30,000 bill for a roof a few months after you take possession).
• What I look for: strata minutes, contingency reserve fund balance, depreciation report, and any talk of upcoming repairs.

➡️ Older homes with hidden system risks
Homes from the 70s, 80s, and 90s can hide expensive issues behind the walls:
• Poly-B piping (leaks inside walls; replacement can run from a few thousand to well over $15,000, before drywall repair)
• Aluminum wiring (used in some homes mid-60s to mid-70s; known fire risk)

➡️ Rural properties on septic
Common in parts of Langley. Septic can be fine… until it isn’t. Failures can mean sudden, expensive repairs. Always confirm maintenance history and get a proper inspection.

➡️ Flood-prone areas
Flooding in the Fraser Valley has displaced families in recent years, and flood zones in Surrey/Langley include areas near the Nicomekl River, Salmon River, and Yorkson Creek.
• Flood risk can affect: insurance availability, renovation options, and resale demand. Checking flood maps before you offer is non-negotiable.

➡️ Noise-exposed locations (the lifestyle cost nobody budgets for)
Homes on major roads like Fraser Highway or 200th Street deal with steady traffic noise, vibration, and air quality issues.
In White Rock and Crescent Beach, train activity can make noise and shake buildings multiple times a day. Buyers pay more for quiet, and resale can be tougher when your competition doesn’t have the same problem.

➡️ Illegal “mortgage helper” suites
Rental income can disappear overnight if a suite isn’t legal and the city orders it shut down.
Surrey generally allows one secondary suite per single-family home, semi-detached home, or duplex, but many properties are marketed as having more than one.
Even with Bill 44 pushing more suite flexibility over time, buyers still need to confirm permits, safety requirements, and legal status before relying on that income.

➡️ Flipped homes with lipstick-only renovations
New floors and shiny appliances don’t matter if the foundation, electrical, or plumbing work was done without permits or done poorly.
• The biggest red flags: no permit history, no receipts, vague answers about who did the work, and recent renovations with no paper trail.

➡️ Pre-1999 wood-frame “leaky condo” risks
This is one of B.C.’s most infamous real estate issues. The danger isn’t the label, it’s whether the building was properly remediated.
• What I look for: proof of a rainscreen retrofit, building envelope history, and any past water-damage insurance claims (which can affect future coverage).
• The nuance: if the building was fixed properly and the strata is strong, it can be good value. You just need the facts.

The bottom line: Most regret doesn’t come from the home you didn’t buy.

It comes from the one you bought too fast — without reviewing documents properly, without checking permits, or without understanding what the “cheap” price was really warning you about.

The good news: most of these risks are detectable if you slow down and do the right checks.

In this market, you’ve got more choice — and more time.

Use it.

The best buys aren’t the ones that look cheapest online. They’re the ones that still look like a good decision after you read the documents, check the risks, and confirm what’s actually legal.

If you’re buying in Surrey or Langley and want help stress-testing a condo’s strata documents, a home inspection report, suite legality, or a flip’s permit history, call me at (604) 229-7855 or reply with "BUY".

I’d rather help you spot red flags before you write an offer than have you discover them after you move in.

Watch my full insight with every red flag explained ⬇️

Current Market Snapshots:

That’s all for today, I hope you have an amazing week!

If there’s ever anything you need:

• a custom market or home value report

• a home services list for a reliable contractor or services professional

• feedback or a professional opinion on a home project

Just let me know! We’re here to help with all your home needs.

Talk soon,

Scott with the Moe Team