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
Ocean View Hills Printable Checklists: Buy, Sell and Move
Three printable Ocean View Hills 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.
- Ocean View Hills Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
- Ocean View Hills Home Seller Checklist (PDF) — From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order.
- Moving to Ocean View Hills: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.
Ocean View Hills Home Buyer Checklist
From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order. Download the PDF.
Before you shop
- Meet a lender and get pre-approved so you know your budget.
- 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.
- 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.
- Note stains, cracks or sloping floors and raise them with the inspector.
- Ask what is included in the sale.
- Ask whether the home is in a Mello-Roos district or has another special tax, and which associations apply.
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.
- 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 at escrow, including the ownership report for the county assessor.
- On day one, re-key the locks, arrange utilities and check smoke alarms.
- Claim the homeowners’ exemption and expect a supplemental tax bill in the months after closing.
Ocean View Hills 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.
- 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.
- Plan showing times and put away valuables and medications.
- Compare offers on more than price: contingencies, closing date and a rent-back if you need one.
- Have the special-tax and association details ready for buyers.
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.
- Clean, and leave keys, garage remotes and appliance manuals.
- Save the closing statement, and ask a tax advisor about the sale.
- Ask about Proposition 19 before you sell if you are 55 or older, severely disabled or a disaster victim.
Moving to Ocean View Hills: 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.
- Add up the whole monthly cost, not only the loan payment: tax, insurance, HOA dues and special taxes.
- 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: 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: 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 how the home is heated and cooled; some older coastal homes have no air conditioning.
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: Assemble permits, HOA documents and repair receipts so a buyer’s file is complete.
- If you are selling: Get a personal market report and a plan for preparing the home.
- Learn the neighborhood: groceries, parks, pharmacies and the routes you will actually use.
Once you are under contract
- Read the seller’s disclosure package closely, including the Transfer Disclosure Statement and the hazard report, and list your questions for your agent.
- Ask escrow for the HOA package early and read the rules, dues and reserve information carefully.
- Get insurance quotes (homeowners, and earthquake or flood if you want them) before your contingency period ends.
- At escrow you will sign the loan papers and a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, which goes to the county 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
- File your change of address and update it with banks, employers and insurers before move day.
- 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: 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: Set up U.S. banking, keep copies of your documents and learn how credit history works here.
- If you are renting: Read the lease carefully for the notice, deposit and renewal provisions.
- Change or re-key the locks, test the alarms and find the water shut-off and the electrical panel.
- 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: 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.
- Ocean View Hills Real Estate Glossary — 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, 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.