Printable Checklists

Your San Diego Home Checklist Library

A small library of San Diego checklists, each a printable PDF: buying, selling and moving, with local reminders.

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.

Point Mortgage is a San Diego–based lender offering Conventional, FHA, VA and Jumbo loan programs, with local loan officers who coordinate directly with Coldwell Banker West and escrow to keep your financing on track from pre-approval through closing. Learn more or start an application at pointmtg.com.

Updated October 2026 · Rudy Flores · Coldwell Banker West

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.

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 Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
Documents to Gather for Your Lender (PDF) — The papers most lenders ask for, so you are ready when the request arrives.
Moving to San Diego: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.

San Diego 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.
Decide the monthly payment you are comfortable with, including property tax, insurance and any HOA dues.
List what you cannot live without and what you would trade.
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.
Ask about HOA dues, special taxes and any planned assessments.
Note stains, cracks or sloping floors and raise them with the inspector.
Ask what is included in the sale.

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.
Respond quickly to lender requests, and avoid new debt or large purchases until closing.

Closing and after

Walk the home before signing and check the repairs.
Sign at escrow, including the ownership report for the county assessor.
After you get the keys: change the locks, set up utilities and test the alarms.
File for the homeowners’ exemption, and set money aside for the supplemental property tax bill.

Documents to Gather for Your Lender

The papers most lenders ask for, so you are ready when the request arrives. Download the PDF.

Income

The last two years of tax returns, with W-2s or 1099s.
Pay stubs for the last 30 days.
If you are self-employed: two years of business returns and a year-to-date profit and loss statement.
Award letters for pension, Social Security or disability income you want counted.

Assets

Complete statements, all pages, for the last two months from each bank account.
Statements for retirement and investment accounts.
If family is helping with the down payment: a signed gift letter and the transfer records.
A written explanation for any large deposit.

Identity and history

A government photo ID.
Two years of addresses, and your landlord’s contact information.
If it applies: the divorce decree, support orders and any bankruptcy papers.
Once you have a contract: the purchase agreement and your homeowners insurance quote.

Moving to San Diego: 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

Sit down with a lender early; a pre-approval shows what you can comfortably afford.
Build a full monthly budget: principal and interest, property tax, insurance and any HOA dues or special-tax charges.
Coming from another state: Talk to a CPA about California income tax before you arrive, particularly if your current state has none.
Coming from another country: If your funds or income are abroad, ask a lender which documents they need and how long each takes.
If you are selling; Coming from elsewhere in California: If you own a home now, ask what it would net with the seller net proceeds tool, and whether your move date depends on the sale.
If you are selling; Coming from elsewhere in California: Homeowners 55 and older, and some others, should ask the assessor about carrying their tax base to a new California home (Proposition 19) before selling.
If you are renting: Set a rent budget and a date to look at buying again; the rent-versus-buy tool compares the two.
Spend time in the area on a weekday morning, a weekend and an evening, and drive the commute at rush hour.
Coming from another state: Ask whether the home has air conditioning and how it stays comfortable; some coastal homes do not have it.

One to three months out

Plan for closing costs on top of your down payment, and use the closing cost tool for an estimate.
Request written quotes from a few movers, try the moving cost planner and confirm what their insurance covers.
If you are selling: Assemble permits, HOA documents and repair receipts so a buyer’s file is complete.
If you are selling: Ask for a personal market report, then plan repairs, staging and photos.
Explore nearby shops, parks and services and note the ones you will use every week; the local guide is a start.

Once you are under contract

Work through the Transfer Disclosure Statement and the Natural Hazard Disclosure with your agent and flag anything to inspect.
For a home in an association, get the rules, budget, reserve study and meeting minutes and read them within your contingency period.
Get insurance quotes (homeowners, and earthquake or flood if you want them) before your contingency period ends.
At signing, one of the forms is a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report for the assessor.
Book a general home inspection and a wood-destroying pest inspection; both are customary in California.
Check that smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms are installed and the water heater is braced, as California requires.

Move week

Arrange mail forwarding and send your new address to your bank, employer, insurers and subscription services.
Walk the home one last time before closing to check repairs, appliances and condition.
Check that large furniture fits, and reserve the elevator or loading zone if your building requires it.
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: Put a DMV visit on your calendar; new California residents are generally expected to license drivers and register vehicles quickly.
Update your voter registration to 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: Read the lease for notice, deposit and renewal terms, and keep a copy.
Change or re-key the locks, test the alarms and find the water shut-off and the electrical panel.
Arrange utilities and internet before move day and ask for a year of past bills.
Line up a doctor, dentist and vet and have your records and prescriptions transferred.
Coming from elsewhere in California: Look up the pet license, trash, organics recycling and street-sweeping rules for your new address.

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

The guide — The whole process, step by step.
Closing cost estimator — Estimate the cash to close.
Moving cost planner — Estimate the cost of the move.

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.