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
Coronado Checklists: Download and Print
Buyer, seller and moving checklists for Coronado as PDFs you can print, plus the same lists on this page.
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.
- Coronado Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
- Coronado Home Seller Checklist (PDF) — From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order.
- Moving to Coronado: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.
Coronado 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.
- Write a must-have list and a nice-to-have list.
- Look up typical values and recent price changes in the areas you like.
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.
- Ask about HOA dues, special taxes and any planned assessments.
- Look for signs of water damage, cracks or uneven floors and ask about them.
- Ask what is included in the sale.
- Ask whether the address is in the coastal zone, and whether any coastal permit could apply to your plans.
- Ask whether the home is a designated historic property, and whether a Mills Act contract applies.
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.
- 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.
- Book the home inspection and the pest inspection right away.
- Go through the disclosures and the title report with your agent.
- Line up insurance before you remove contingencies.
- 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 the loan documents and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report at escrow.
- After you get the keys: change the locks, set up utilities and test the alarms.
- Claim the homeowners’ exemption and expect a supplemental tax bill in the months after closing.
Coronado Home Seller Checklist
From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order. Download the PDF.
Before you list
- Ask for a personal market report and talk through pricing.
- Plan your timeline, including your next home.
- Gather the permit history, HOA documents, warranties and repair receipts.
- Choose the repairs worth doing before you list.
- Declutter, clean and schedule professional photos.
Listing and showings
- Complete the seller disclosures carefully and completely.
- Set showing hours and secure valuables.
- Compare offers on more than price: contingencies, closing date and a rent-back if you need one.
- Have the coastal-zone status of the address ready if a buyer asks about future plans.
Under contract
- Meet the contract deadlines for escrow and disclosures.
- Prepare for the buyer’s inspection and respond to repair requests.
- If the appraisal falls short of the price, talk through options with your agent.
- Confirm your estimated net proceeds with the escrow officer.
Closing and moving
- Schedule the move, close out utilities and file a change of address.
- Clean, and leave keys, garage remotes and appliance manuals.
- Save the closing statement, and ask a tax advisor about the sale.
- If you are buying next, ask the assessor whether you qualify to carry your property tax base to the new home.
Moving to Coronado: 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.
- 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: Gather the financial documents a U.S. lender will ask for, and ask early how funds from abroad are documented.
- 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: Before you sell, check with the county assessor whether Proposition 19 lets you keep your current property-tax base.
- If you are renting: Choose a rent you can sustain and set a date to reconsider buying, using the rent-versus-buy tool.
- See the area on a weekday morning, a weekend and after dark before you commit.
- Coming from another state: Check for air conditioning: it is not universal in older coastal homes.
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.
- Explore the shops, parks and services near the streets you like; the local guide on this site 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.
- 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.
- At escrow you will sign the loan papers and a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, which goes to the county assessor.
- Schedule the inspection and the pest (termite) report as soon as the contract is signed.
- Ask about smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and water-heater bracing, which California requires to be in place at a sale.
Move week
- File a change of address with USPS and tell banks, insurers, your employer and any subscriptions.
- Do the final walk-through just before closing and check that the agreed repairs are complete.
- Check that large furniture fits, and reserve the elevator or loading zone if your building requires it.
- Pack a first-night box with chargers, medications, documents, bedding and a few tools.
Your first 30 days
- After closing, watch the mail for a supplemental tax bill; it is separate from the regular one.
- 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.
- Change your voter registration to your California address.
- Coming from another country: Open a U.S. bank account and ask a lender how to start building a U.S. credit history.
- If you are renting: Keep a copy of your lease and note the notice period, deposit terms and renewal dates.
- On day one, change the locks, test the smoke alarms and find the water shut-off.
- Schedule electric, gas, water, trash and internet before you move in, and ask the seller for a year of utility bills.
- 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.
- Closing cost estimator — Estimate the cash to close.
- Moving cost planner — Estimate the cost of the move.
- Coronado Real Estate Terms in Plain English — The terms in plain English.
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, Rodrigo Ballon with CrossCountry Mortgage, at 858-735-0255. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
Sources
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.