Port Moody is the smallest of the three Tri-Cities and the one people describe by feel rather than by price. It sits at the head of Burrard Inlet, it calls itself the City of the Arts, and the centre of gravity for most buyers is the stretch between Rocky Point Park and Brewers Row — waterfront, trails and a walkable cluster of breweries and restaurants within a few blocks of each other.

Two quite different markets share one city. Around Moody Centre and Inlet Centre, the Evergreen Extension put SkyTrain within walking distance of dense newer neighbourhoods — Suterbrook and Klahanie in particular — where the appeal is stepping out of your building into a coffee shop and onto a train. Up the hill on Heritage Mountain and the surrounding streets, it is detached homes, bigger lots, more trees and a car.

That makes Port Moody the Tri-Cities market where the difference between two addresses a kilometre apart is most likely to be a difference in lifestyle rather than in square footage. It suits buyers who want walkability without downtown pricing, and buyers who want a detached home with an inlet view and will pay Port Moody's premium for it.

Inventory here is tighter than in Coquitlam or Port Coquitlam, so timing and knowing what is coming matters more. Jody Squires has worked this market for two decades with RE/MAX Sabre Realty Group. If you are deciding between a Klahanie townhome and something up on Heritage Mountain, the honest comparison is not price per square foot — it is how you want to spend a Saturday.