A checklist works best when it is in your hand. These are ours, one for each part of the job, ready to download and print. They follow the same order the steps come in, and each one leaves room for your own notes.
Printable Checklists
San Diego County Printable Checklists: Buy, Sell and Move
Three printable San Diego County checklists (PDF): buying a home, selling a home and moving, in the order you do the steps.
Download the checklists
Each checklist is a one- or two-page PDF that prints cleanly. The same lists appear below, so you can read them here first.
- San Diego County Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
- San Diego County Home Seller Checklist (PDF) — From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order.
- Moving to San Diego County: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.
San Diego County Home Buyer Checklist
From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order. Download the PDF.
Before you shop
- Get a pre-approval letter from a lender.
- Set a monthly budget that includes property tax, homeowners insurance and any association dues.
- Write a must-have list and a nice-to-have list.
- Read the market reports for each area you are considering.
Touring homes
- See each home on a weekday and on a weekend if you can.
- Ask how old the roof, water heater, heating and cooling and windows are.
- Find out what association dues and special assessments apply.
- Look for signs of water damage, cracks or uneven floors and ask about them.
- Confirm what stays with the home.
Making an offer
- Review recent sales of similar nearby homes with your agent before you choose a price.
- Agree with your agent on the deposit, contingencies and timeline.
- Attach your pre-approval letter and proof of funds to the offer.
Under contract
- Get the deposit to escrow by the date in the contract.
- Schedule inspections in the first days of the contract.
- Go through the disclosures and the title report with your agent.
- Get homeowners insurance quotes before your contingencies end.
- Answer lender requests fast, and do not open new credit or make big purchases.
Closing and after
- Walk the home before signing and check the repairs.
- Sign at escrow, including the ownership report for the county assessor.
- On day one, re-key the locks, arrange utilities and check smoke alarms.
- File for the homeowners’ exemption, and set money aside for the supplemental property tax bill.
San Diego County Home Seller Checklist
From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order. Download the PDF.
Before you list
- Get a market report for your street and discuss pricing options.
- Plan your timeline, including your next home.
- Gather the permit history, HOA documents, warranties and repair receipts.
- Make a repair list and decide which fixes will matter to buyers.
- Declutter, clean and schedule professional photos.
Listing and showings
- Fill in the disclosures with care; they protect you as well as the buyer.
- Set showing hours and secure valuables.
- Weigh price, contingencies, timing and rent-back terms together.
Under contract
- Meet the contract deadlines for escrow and disclosures.
- Prepare for the buyer’s inspection and respond to repair requests.
- Watch the appraisal and talk with your agent if it comes in low.
- Ask escrow for an estimate of what you will net.
Closing and moving
- Book movers, transfer or stop utilities and forward your mail.
- Leave keys, remotes and manuals, and clean the home.
- Keep the closing statement for your tax records and ask a CPA how the sale is treated.
- If you are buying next, ask the assessor whether you qualify to carry your property tax base to the new home.
Moving to San Diego County: A Checklist
Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days. Download the PDF.
Three to six months out
- Meet a lender before you tour seriously; a pre-approval letter tells you and sellers that you are ready.
- Add up the whole monthly cost, not only the loan payment: tax, insurance, HOA dues and special taxes.
- Coming from another state: Ask a CPA how a move to California changes your income taxes, especially if you are coming from a state without an income tax.
- Coming from another country: Start gathering the identification, income and bank records a U.S. lender will want, and ask how money from another country is documented.
- If you are selling; Coming from elsewhere in California: Find out what your current home would net, and decide whether the sale has to close before you buy.
- If you are selling; Coming from elsewhere in California: Ask the assessor about Proposition 19 before you list, if you are 55 or older, severely disabled or a disaster victim.
- If you are renting: Decide how much rent is comfortable and when you will revisit buying; the rent-versus-buy tool shows both sides.
- See the neighborhood at different hours and in different seasons, and time your commute.
- Coming from another state: Ask how the home is heated and cooled; some older coastal homes have no air conditioning.
One to three months out
- Work out how much cash you need at closing, using the closing cost tool, and keep a cushion.
- Price the move itself early: compare movers, check their coverage and use the moving cost planner.
- If you are selling: Request the property’s permit history and collect the HOA paperwork before you list.
- If you are selling: Get a personal market report and a plan for preparing the home.
- Walk or drive the neighborhood and note the shops, parks, and services you would use each week.
Once you are under contract
- Go through the disclosures line by line with your agent and note what to ask or inspect.
- Ask for the HOA’s CC&Rs, budget, reserves and meeting minutes, and read them before your contingencies end.
- Ask an independent broker for homeowners quotes on the exact address, and price earthquake or flood cover if you want it, before contingencies end.
- Expect to sign a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report at escrow; it is filed with the county assessor.
- Order a home inspection and a termite (wood-destroying pest) report soon after the contract is signed; both are customary here.
- Confirm that smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms are installed and the water heater is braced; California requires both at a sale.
Move week
- Forward your mail with the postal service and update your address with your bank, employer, insurers and subscriptions.
- Do the final walk-through just before closing and check that the agreed repairs are complete.
- Measure doors, stairs and rooms for big furniture, and ask your HOA or building about moving-truck rules.
- Pack an essentials box you open first: chargers, medications, documents, sheets and basic tools.
Your first 30 days
- Expect a supplemental property tax bill a few months after closing, and set money aside for it.
- Coming from another state: Check the DMV: new residents are generally expected to get a California driver’s license within 10 days and register vehicles within 20.
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Coming from another country: Open a U.S. bank account, keep copies of your documents, and ask a lender how a U.S. credit history is built.
- If you are renting: Keep your lease handy and note the notice period, deposit and renewal dates.
- Re-key the locks, test the alarms and learn where the shut-offs and the panel are.
- Set up electric and gas, water, trash and internet, and ask for the last twelve months of bills to see typical costs.
- Find local health care providers and a vet and move your records over.
- Coming from elsewhere in California: License your pet with the city or county and learn the local trash, recycling and street-sweeping schedule.
How to use them
- Print, or keep on your phone. The checkboxes work on paper; on a phone, the PDF opens in your reader.
- Skip what does not apply. Not every item fits every home or every move.
- Ask for the personal version. Rudy can add the dates, the addresses and the local details for your own plan.
Common questions
Are the checklists free?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like.
Are they legal or tax advice?
No. They are general orientation from a real estate agent. Your lender, an attorney and a tax professional advise on those questions.
How current are they?
They are redrawn when the wording changes, and each PDF shows the month it was prepared.
Keep exploring
- Closing cost estimator — Estimate the cash to close.
- Moving cost planner — Estimate the cost of the move.
Talk to a lender. Rates, loan programs and approvals come from lenders, not from websites or real estate agents. Talk to your own mortgage broker, or use our preferred lender, Point Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #231073), at (619) 475-4095. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
General information for orientation, not legal, tax, financial or appraisal advice. Details change; confirm anything that matters with the official source, your lender and your agent.