I don’t remember finding anything dirt cheap, but we booked early for about $150/night. There’s anything you want to pay from that all the way up to as high as you want. We just used Expedia, but the whole village is a hotel or condo or other rental. Based on the number of mountain bikes, I’m not sure IM is the summer boon to the economy as it is in some winter towns.

A lot of the places in Whistler have generous cancellation policies, so you could book a place then cancel later if you decide not to go. That being said Whistler does have a lot of lodging available(unlike many venues) so I have booked a place there at the last minute before.

Prices are ski resort prices so not cheap in Whistler Village, however they are cheaper in Creekside which is 5-10km from the start line.

They're running an offer at the moment, if you sign up before Nov 5 you'll get a $100 voucher towards accommodation. It'll help a bit to offset cost.

there is plenty of availability throughout the year. I ended up finding atleast 10 options 3 weeks prior. There are a lot of time share like properties up there, so if you have friends that have timeshares, check with them if they can transfer over to Whistler village.
I traveled with my family and friends and so being closer to the village was a priority for the kids and family. We ended up finding something in the Upper Village and it was a 15 minute walk through trails to the IM village.
Bear in mind though that the swim start is a good 2-3 miles away from the IM village. This is also important because your family/friends will not be able to get to the swim start owing to it being far, and there is no parking down there. So if they are able -- bring mountain bikes to ride the trail down to the swim start.

I had success with a condo through VRBO last year. Stayed at the north end of the village right by the IM check-in. It was about $100USD with a slightly more favorable exchange rate than there is currently. Do note that most places charge about $20/night for parking, so if you can find a condo with a spot, you will save even more. Look at booking through Whistler.com. I found they had great rates for the hotels and they usually had a deal for local activities like zipline, rafting or the gondola when you booked.

+1 to bringing bikes. There are a ton of trails for the family to explore and it will make getting to the swim start that much easier for them.

+1 to staying in the village. The other areas are just a little too far away, and it will make your life more complicated, especially since you have your family there.

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Oui, mais pas de femme toute de suite (yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away) -Stephen Roche's reply when asked whether he was okay after collapsing at the finish in the La Plagne stage of the 1987 Tour

Never been up during Ironman week but I went up for a weekend last summer mid-july. We found a 1 bedroom + pull out couch condo with kitchen right in the village for less than 125$ a night on Airbnb. As someone mentionned if you go to Whislter creek it will probably be less expensive and not as busy! Given how many accommodations whistler has I don't think the price will be that different between now and a few months from now!

When I did it this year, versus 2014, there seemed to be more of a price jump for Ironman week as the hotels are now catching on. But it wasn't complete gouging you see with races in smaller towns like Coeur d'Alene. So book early if you can, but there are lots of options.