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
Free EastLake Home Checklists (PDF)
Download and print three EastLake checklists: one for buyers, one for sellers and one for anyone moving to the area.
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.
- EastLake Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
- EastLake Home Seller Checklist (PDF) — From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order.
- Moving to EastLake: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.
EastLake 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.
- 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
- 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 the annual amount and end date.
- Ask which associations apply, community-wide and neighborhood.
Making an offer
- Review recent sales of similar nearby homes with your agent before you choose a price.
- Decide the deposit, the contingency periods and the closing date.
- Attach your pre-approval letter and proof of funds to 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.
- 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.
- On day one, re-key the locks, arrange utilities and check smoke alarms.
- File for the homeowners’ exemption, and set money aside for the supplemental property tax bill.
EastLake 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.
- Collect permits, association papers, warranties and receipts.
- Make a repair list and decide which fixes will matter to buyers.
- Declutter, clean and schedule professional photos.
Listing and showings
- Complete the seller disclosures carefully and completely.
- 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
- Book movers, transfer or stop utilities and forward your mail.
- 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 EastLake: 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
- Get a pre-approval in hand first, so every home you see is one you know you can afford.
- Add up the whole monthly cost, not only the loan payment: tax, insurance, HOA dues and special taxes.
- 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: 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: Find out what your current home would net, and decide whether the sale has to close before you buy.
- If you are selling; Coming from elsewhere in California: Ask the assessor about Proposition 19 before you list, if you are 55 or older, severely disabled or a disaster victim.
- If you are renting: Decide what you can pay in rent and when to revisit buying, with the rent-versus-buy tool.
- Visit at different times of day and in different seasons, and test 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
- Work out how much cash you need at closing, using the closing cost tool, and keep a cushion.
- Price the move itself early: compare movers, check their coverage and use the moving cost planner.
- If you are selling: Collect permits, HOA papers and repair records so buyers see a complete file.
- If you are selling: Ask for a personal market report, then plan repairs, staging and photos.
- 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 for the HOA’s CC&Rs, budget, reserves and meeting minutes, and read them before your contingencies end.
- Ask an independent broker for homeowners quotes on the exact address, and price earthquake or flood cover if you want it, before contingencies end.
- 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.
- Ask the seller about alarms and water-heater bracing, which California requires to be in place at closing.
Move week
- Forward your mail with the postal service and update your address with your bank, employer, insurers and subscriptions.
- Walk the home one last time before closing to check repairs, appliances and condition.
- Measure doors, stairs and rooms for big furniture, and ask your HOA or building about moving-truck rules.
- Keep the essentials in one box you open first: chargers, medications, important papers and sheets.
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: 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.
- Find local health care providers and a vet and move your records over.
- 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
- Closing cost estimator — Estimate the cash to close.
- Moving cost planner — Estimate the cost of the move.
- EastLake Real Estate Glossary: Terms Every Buyer and Seller Hears — 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.
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.