Printable Checklists

San Diego Printable Checklists: Buy, Sell and Move

Three printable San Diego checklists (PDF): buying a home, selling a home and moving, in the order you do the steps.

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.
Set a monthly budget that includes property tax, homeowners insurance and any association 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.
Check the age and condition of the roof, water heater, furnace and windows.
Find out what association dues and special assessments apply.
Note stains, cracks or sloping floors and raise them with the inspector.
Ask what is included in the sale.

Making an offer

Compare sold homes nearby before you decide what to offer.
Agree with your agent on the deposit, contingencies and timeline.
Have your pre-approval and proof of funds ready with the offer.

Under contract

Get the deposit to escrow by the date in the contract.
Schedule inspections in the first days of the contract.
Read the seller’s disclosures and the preliminary title report and ask about anything unclear.
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

Do the final walk-through and confirm agreed 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

Two years of tax returns and the W-2s or 1099s that go with them.
Pay stubs for the last 30 days.
Self-employed? Two years of business returns and a current profit and loss statement.
Award letters for pension, Social Security or disability income you want counted.

Assets

Two months of statements for every bank account, all pages.
Recent retirement and investment account statements.
For a gift toward the down payment, a signed gift letter and proof of the transfer.
Notes on where any large recent deposit came from.

Identity and history

Your driver’s license or passport.
Two years of addresses, and your landlord’s contact information.
Court documents that affect your finances, such as a divorce decree or support order.
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

Meet a lender before you tour seriously; a pre-approval letter tells you and sellers that you are ready.
Do not stop at the mortgage payment; add tax, insurance, HOA dues and any special assessments to see the real monthly figure.
Coming from another state: If you are relocating from a state without an income tax, ask a tax professional what California will change for you.
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: Work out what your current home could net, with the seller net proceeds tool, and whether you need it sold before you buy.
If you are selling; Coming from elsewhere in California: If you are 55 or older, ask the county assessor whether you could transfer your property-tax base under Proposition 19.
If you are renting: Decide what you can pay in rent and when to revisit buying, with the rent-versus-buy tool.
See the area on a weekday morning, a weekend and after dark before you commit.
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

Set aside cash for closing costs (the closing cost tool gives a starting estimate) in addition to your down payment.
Compare two or three moving quotes and check what the mover’s insurance covers.
If you are selling: Request the property’s permit history and collect the HOA paperwork before you list.
If you are selling: Ask for a market report for your street, then decide what to fix, stage and photograph.
Learn the neighborhood: groceries, parks, pharmacies and the routes you will actually use.

Once you are under contract

Read the seller’s disclosures (the Transfer Disclosure Statement and the Natural Hazard Disclosure) and ask your agent about anything unclear.
Ask escrow for the HOA package early and read the rules, dues and reserve information carefully.
Do not remove contingencies until you have seen an insurance quote for the home.
Expect a stack of signatures at escrow, including a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report for the county assessor.
Schedule the general inspection and the pest inspection right away, since contingency periods are short.
Check that smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms are installed and the water heater is braced, as California requires.

Move week

File a change of address with USPS and tell banks, insurers, your employer and any subscriptions.
Walk through the home before you sign to confirm repairs, appliances and overall condition.
Measure doorways and rooms for large furniture, and check parking and loading rules with your association or building.
Pack a first-night box with chargers, medications, documents, bedding and a few tools.

Your first 30 days

Keep some cash aside for the supplemental property tax bill California sends after a purchase.
Coming from another state: Look up the California DMV rules for new residents: a license within 10 days and vehicle registration within 20 are the general expectations.
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: Keep a copy of your lease and note the notice period, deposit terms and renewal dates.
Change or re-key the locks, test the alarms and find the water shut-off and the electrical panel.
Set up utilities and internet ahead of move day and find out what a typical year of bills looks like.
Line up a doctor, dentist and vet and have your records and prescriptions transferred.
Coming from elsewhere in California: Look up pet licensing and the local waste, recycling and street-sweeping rules.

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.

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.