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 Island Checklists: Download and Print
Buyer, seller and moving checklists for Coronado Island 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 Island Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
- Coronado Island Home Seller Checklist (PDF) — From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order.
- Moving to Coronado Island: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.
Coronado Island 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.
- Look up typical values and recent price changes in the areas you like.
Touring homes
- Visit at different times of day and note noise, traffic and parking.
- Check the age and condition of the roof, water heater, furnace and windows.
- 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.
- 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
- Compare sold homes nearby before you decide what to offer.
- Decide the deposit, the contingency periods and the closing date.
- Have your pre-approval and proof of funds ready with the offer.
Under contract
- Deliver your earnest money deposit to escrow on time.
- Schedule inspections in the first days of the contract.
- Read the seller’s disclosures and the preliminary title report and ask about anything unclear.
- Line up insurance before you remove contingencies.
- 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 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 Island 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.
- Decide when you need to move and where you will live next.
- Gather the permit history, HOA documents, warranties and repair receipts.
- Choose the repairs worth doing before you list.
- Clear the clutter, deep-clean and book the photographer.
Listing and showings
- Complete the seller disclosures carefully and completely.
- Plan showing times and put away valuables and medications.
- Weigh price, contingencies, timing and rent-back terms together.
- 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.
- Expect an inspection and decide how you will respond to repair requests.
- Watch the appraisal and talk with your agent if it comes in low.
- Confirm your estimated net proceeds with the escrow officer.
Closing and moving
- Schedule the move, close out utilities and file a change of address.
- Leave keys, remotes and manuals, and clean the home.
- 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 Island: 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
- Talk with a lender and get pre-approved so your budget is real.
- 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: 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, decide whether your purchase depends on its sale, and estimate the proceeds.
- 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: Set a rent budget and a date to look at buying again; the rent-versus-buy tool compares the two.
- See the neighborhood at different hours and in different seasons, and time your commute.
- 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.
- Get moving quotes, or use the moving cost planner, and ask about insurance for the move.
- If you are selling: Order the home’s permit history and gather HOA documents before you list.
- If you are selling: Get a personal market report and a plan for preparing the home.
- 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 for the HOA’s CC&Rs, budget, reserves and meeting minutes, and read them before your contingencies end.
- Collect an insurance quote for the address before you remove your contingencies.
- At escrow you will sign the loan papers and a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, which goes to the county assessor.
- Order a home inspection and a termite (wood-destroying pest) report soon after the contract is signed; both are customary here.
- 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.
- Do the final walk-through just before closing and check that the agreed repairs are complete.
- Confirm that your big pieces fit through the doors, and ask about moving-truck rules at your building or HOA.
- Pack an essentials box you open first: chargers, medications, documents, sheets and basic tools.
Your first 30 days
- Keep some cash aside for the supplemental property tax bill California sends after a purchase.
- Coming from another state: Put a DMV visit on your calendar; new California residents are generally expected to license drivers and register vehicles quickly.
- Register to vote at your new 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: Read the lease carefully for the notice, deposit and renewal provisions.
- 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.
- Real Estate Words You Will Hear on Coronado Island — 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.