Home Buying Checklist 2025: Everything You Need to Buy a House

From qualifying for financing to negotiating with sellers, buying a house in 2025 may feel overwhelming. In fact, our research shows that 46% of buyers—including 58% of first-time buyers—say that buying a home was more stressful than they expected.

A home buying checklist can help reduce some of this stress. By compiling a list of what you need to do during every step of the home buying process — from saving for a down payment to moving into your new home — you’ll feel better prepared. Below, we’ll look at the most important items to add to your own home buying checklist.

Checklist for getting ready to buy a house

Before you start house hunting, understand what you need to buy a house. Getting ready to buy a house will largely focus on making sure you have the financial means to purchase a home and doing some market research to determine which properties are in your budget.

• Create a realistic goal: Research the current market and neighborhoods you’d like to live in as well as the cost to buy a house. This will help you set a realistic budget and give you an idea of the size and type of home you can buy.
• Save for a down payment: Unless you have the means to pay for your home entirely in cash, you’ll need to save for a down payment in order to qualify for a mortgage (unless you qualify for a VA or USDA loan that doesn’t require one). Aiming for a 20% downpayment will eliminate the requirement to pay for private mortgage insurance, but you can still qualify with a lower down payment of 5% or even 3.5% in some cases. Talk to your lender to get the full scope of your options.
• Improve your credit score: The best interest rates are reserved for buyers with good to excellent credit scores. You should aim for a score of at least 620, although it is possible to buy a house with a bad credit score.
• Calculate debt-to-income (DTI) ratio: Your DTI is the percentage of your monthly income that goes toward debts. Ideally, you’ll want to keep your DTI below 36%, although there are ways to get a mortgage with a high DTI. You will likely just have to pay a higher interest rate on your loan because you’re considered a riskier borrower.
• Research different loan types: Most buyers opt for a conventional mortgage, but alternative mortgage options exist for eligible buyers, such as FHA, VA, and USDA loans. These loans may come with more favorable terms, such as lower down payment requirements.
• Compare mortgage lenders: Use an online tool to compare mortgage lenders in your area or meet with a local mortgage broker. Getting a low interest rate should be a top priority, but you should also consider eligibility requirements and potential fees. You may want to work with a mortgage broker during this step.
• Compile financial documents: Documents like pay stubs, tax returns, and bank statements will help give lenders a better idea of your financial health. They can also be used to help prove you have a stable income in case you don’t have much credit history. Your lender will give you a complete list of everything you need, but it’s a good idea to start prepping ahead of time because some can take a while to get.
• Apply for mortgage pre-approval: A mortgage pre-approval is more thorough than a prequalification and will give you a better idea of how much financing you’ll be able to obtain. That will then give you a budget to work with when looking for a house.

Checklist for house hunting

During the house hunting stage, you’ll want to focus on finding a real estate agent first who can help you understand what to look for when buying a house. While this stage can be the most time-consuming, having a real estate agent at your side who understands what you want can help the process go by much more smoothly.

Find a real estate agent

• Search for local realtors: Research real estate agents available in your area. You can use recommendations from friends and family or try a free agent-finding tool, such as Clever, which will pick top local agents for you.
• Interview multiple agents: Compare at least 2-3 agents in your area and interview each agent. By comparing agents, you’ll get a better idea of who you feel most comfortable with and who seems best equipped to help you find your dream home.
• Understand the buyer's agent agreement: Rules around buyer agent fees have changed, so it’s important to understand how much you’ll be expected to pay and what the terms of your buyer agency agreement are.

Searching for a house

• Schedule open houses and showings: Work with your realtor to attend open houses or schedule private showings. When visiting a house, look for potential red flags, such as strong odors, property damage, mold, or ventilation issues.
• Take photos and notes: Taking photos and notes of every house you visit not only helps you document your experience, but it can also be a way to remember each property’s features when deciding which house to make an offer on.
• Research the property: Your real estate agent can help uncover potentially hidden issues with a property, such as if it’s in a flood zone, has unpaid property taxes, and if the price is competitive for the neighborhood.

Making an offer

• Draft an offer price and terms: You’ll work with your realtor to draft a competitive offer based on comparable sales in the area. The offer should include important terms, such as whether it’s an all-cash offer and when the target closing date would be.
• List contingencies: Contingencies help protect you from getting locked into a bad deal. The most common contingencies are for inspections, appraisals, and financing. You can usually back out of a deal or renegotiate if the contingency is not met.
• Make an earnest money deposit: An earnest money deposit helps show sellers that you’re serious about buying and, if your offer is accepted, it will become included in your downpayment. The earnest money deposit is usually 1-3% depending on the market.
• Review counteroffers: Your real estate agent will handle negotiations with the sellers on your behalf and will present you with any counteroffers. While your realtor will advise you on whether or not to accept a counteroffer, the decision to do so is ultimately yours.

Checklist for closing

Once your offer has been accepted, it’s time to start working toward closing. This can be a complicated process and you’ll want the assistance of professionals, including your real estate agent, title company, and real estate attorney.

Going under contract

• Schedule an inspection: The home inspection will help uncover any issues with the house. If the inspection turns up issues, you may be able to renegotiate the offer or even back out depending on their severity.
• Schedule the appraisal: The home appraisal helps determine whether your offer price is inline with the property’s actual value. You’ll usually order an appraisal through your lender. Your lender won’t finance a house more than what it’s worth in the appraisal. So if you offer a price that’s too high, you may have to supply more cash or go back to the drawing board.
• Finalize mortgage application: Contact your lender to finalize the mortgage application and understand what other documentation they may need from you.
• Buy title and home insurance: These are required to purchase a home and they help protect you in case of future issues with the title or if the property becomes damaged.

Preparing for closing day

• Final walkthrough: Verify that everything in the house is in the same condition as when you first saw it and that any requested repairs or improvements have been carried out.
• Review closing disclosure document: The closing disclosure document includes details of your mortgage terms, including the interest rate, term length, and loan amount. Verify that everything in the document is correct.
• Prepare closing costs: Work with your lender and bank to determine how to pay your closing costs, which are usually around 3-5%. It’s common to pay closing costs with a cashier’s check or via wire transfer. Be sure to follow the instructions from your lender closely. Wire fraud is very common with house closings—you don’t want to send your money to the wrong person.

Closing day

• Bring ID and cashier’s check: You and the seller will need to bring government ID on closing day, such as a driver’s license or passport. You’ll also need to bring a cashier’s check to cover closing costs if you’re not paying via wire transfer.
• Review closing documents: Ensure all closing documents, such as the deed, title documents, disclosure, and promissory note, are correct and in order. Get copies of any signed documents.
• Collect keys: You’ll typically receive the keys directly from the seller or from your real estate agent. Make sure you have all the keys, including any garage door openers.

Checklist for moving into your house

After closing, you can begin focusing on the task of moving into your new home. Here are some items to add to your home buying checklist to help you get settled in.

• Change locks: For extra peace of mind and in case some keys mistakenly didn’t get handed over, change the locks once you move in. You never know who might be holding on to an old key!
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: Make sure all of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are functioning. Installing new batteries is also a good idea.
• Update your address: Make sure your bank, utility providers, postal service, friends, and family have your new address.
• Setup utilities: Contact your utility providers, such as electricity, gas, water, internet, and cable, to set them up at your new place.
• Register for new school district: If you have children, register them at the new school district and learn about school bus stops and schedules.
• Discover local services: If you’re new to the neighborhood, spend time finding where important services are, such as grocery stores, daycares, pharmacies, and doctors.

While home buying is a complex process, careful planning and preparation will set you up for success. Following this home buying checklist is a practical way to help make finding a new home much less stressful. 

Similarly, having a good real estate agent will make buying a home go much more smoothly. With an experienced agent at your side, you’ll have someone guiding you through every step of how to buy a house, so you can feel confident and supported in your decision.