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
Carlsbad Checklists: Download and Print
Buyer, seller and moving checklists for Carlsbad 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.
- Carlsbad Home Buyer Checklist (PDF) — From pre-approval to your first month: what to do, in order.
- Carlsbad Home Seller Checklist (PDF) — From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order.
- Moving to Carlsbad: A Checklist (PDF) — Practical steps for a move, from three to six months out to your first 30 days.
Carlsbad 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Find out what association dues and special assessments apply.
- Look for signs of water damage, cracks or uneven floors and ask about them.
- Confirm what stays with the home.
- Ask whether the address is in the coastal zone, and whether any coastal permit could apply to your plans.
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.
- Schedule inspections in the first days of the contract.
- Go through the disclosures and the title report with your agent.
- Get homeowners insurance quotes before your contingencies end.
- Respond quickly to lender requests, and avoid new debt or large purchases until closing.
Closing and after
- Do the final walk-through and confirm agreed 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.
Carlsbad Home Seller Checklist
From the first market report to the last box: what to do, in order. Download the PDF.
Before you list
- Get a market report for your street and discuss pricing options.
- Decide when you need to move and where you will live next.
- Collect permits, association papers, warranties and receipts.
- Choose the repairs worth doing before you list.
- Declutter, clean and schedule professional photos.
Listing and showings
- Fill in the disclosures with care; they protect you as well as the buyer.
- Set showing hours and secure valuables.
- 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.
- 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.
- Leave keys, remotes and manuals, and clean the home.
- Keep the closing statement for your tax records and ask a CPA how the sale is treated.
- If you are buying next, ask the assessor whether you qualify to carry your property tax base to the new home.
Moving to Carlsbad: 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: 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: 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: 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 how much rent is comfortable and when you will revisit buying; the rent-versus-buy tool shows both sides.
- 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
- Estimate closing costs and the cash you will need at escrow with the closing cost tool.
- Price the move itself early: compare movers, check their coverage and use the moving cost planner.
- 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.
- Explore nearby shops, parks and services and note the ones you will use every week; the local guide is a start.
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.
- For a home in an association, get the rules, budget, reserve study and meeting minutes and read them within your contingency period.
- 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.
- Ask about smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and water-heater bracing, which California requires to be in place at a sale.
Move week
- Arrange mail forwarding and send your new address to your bank, employer, insurers and subscription services.
- Walk the home one last time before closing to check repairs, appliances and condition.
- Confirm that your big pieces fit through the doors, and ask about moving-truck rules at your building or HOA.
- Keep a first-night box with chargers, medications, documents, bedding and a few tools.
Your first 30 days
- Expect a supplemental property tax bill a few months after closing, and set money aside for it.
- Coming from another state: Book the DMV early: license and vehicle registration deadlines for new residents are short.
- 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: Keep your lease handy and note the notice period, deposit 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 a doctor, dentist and vet, and transfer records and prescriptions.
- Coming from elsewhere in California: License pets with the city or county and learn the trash, recycling and street-sweeping schedules.
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.
- Carlsbad Home Buying 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, 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.