Free Homeowner Resources & Checklists

Over the years I’ve created a number of practical resources to help homeowners make better decisions when buying, selling, or improving a property.

This page brings together helpful resources for home buyers, practical Home Selling Resources, and useful Home Improvement Resources in one place. Each guide or checklist is designed to make common homeowner tasks easier.

Resource Library

Online Area Research Ideas

Not sure how to evaluate a neighborhood before buying or selling?

This worksheet helps you research local amenities, services, transportation, and other factors that influence property desirability.

Download: Online Area Research Ideas

Moving Out & Moving In Checklist

Moving homes can be chaotic if you don’t plan ahead.

This checklist helps you organize everything from packing and utilities to cleaning and final inspections.

Download: Moving Out & Moving In Checklist

Prep for Photography Checklist

Getting ready to photograph your home for a listing?

This checklist helps homeowners prepare their property before real estate photography so the home presents as well as possible online.

Download: Prep for Photography Checklist

DIY Cleaning Product Recipes

Prefer natural or homemade cleaning solutions?

This guide includes simple recipes for effective DIY cleaning products you can make with common household ingredients.

Download: DIY Cleaning Product Recipes

Printable DIY Cleaning Remedies

Looking for quick home cleaning solutions?

This printable guide lists effective DIY remedies for common household cleaning tasks.

Download: DIY Cleaning Remedies

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

A simple reference guide for making your own cleaning products.

Includes recipes and suggestions for common cleaning needs around the home.

Download: Homemade Cleaning Solutions

Homeowners Maintenance Checklist

Regular maintenance is one of the best ways to protect property value.

This checklist helps homeowners track seasonal maintenance tasks and routine upkeep.

Download: Homeowners Maintenance Checklist

Deep Cleaning Room-by-Room Checklist

Need to deep clean a home or prepare it for sale?

This checklist breaks down deep cleaning tasks room by room so nothing gets missed.

Download: Deep Cleaning Room-by-Room Checklist

Pre-Inspection Checklist

Preparing for a home inspection before listing your property?

This checklist helps identify small issues that are worth fixing before a buyer’s inspection.

Download: Pre-Inspection Checklist

If you’re preparing to sell, buy, or improve a home, many of these resources are discussed in more detail throughout the articles on GreatPropertyIdeas.

You can also explore the full collection of articles on staging, design, and home improvement throughout the site.

External Resources

Resources To Research Homes, Areas & Living Costs

GPI takes no responsibility or liability for the reliability or accuracy of any of these sources of information or their contents. Please verify all information and use at your own risk.

AREA & NEIGHBORHOOD RESEARCH

TO GET TO KNOW YOUR NEW HOME, UNDERSTAND YOUR AREA BETTER OR RESEARCH AN AREA YOU ARE CONSIDERING MOVING TO, TRY:

City-Data

Deep data on demographics, housing, income, crime, and local statistics.
🔗 https://www.city-data.com

BestNeighborhood.org

Compare neighborhoods with rankings and breakdowns.
🔗 https://www.bestneighborhood.org

Neighborhood Profiles

Overview of local demographics and community characteristics.
🔗 https://www.neighborhoodprofiles.com

NeighborhoodScout

Crime heatmaps, school ratings, and property trends.
🔗 https://www.neighborhoodscout.com

BestPlaces / Sperling’s

Compare cities for cost of living, climate, and quality of life.
🔗 https://www.bestplaces.net

GreatSchools

Public school ratings across the U.S.
🔗 https://www.greatschools.org

Private School Review

Profiles of private schools nationwide.
🔗 https://www.privateschoolreview.com

CrimeGrade

Color-coded crime maps and safety insights.
🔗 https://crimegrade.org

CrimeMapping

Real-time police incident mapping.
🔗 https://www.crimemapping.com

SpotCrime

Local crime reports and alerts.
🔗 https://spotcrime.com

Rentometer

Check typical rental prices in any neighborhood.
🔗 https://www.rentometer.com

U.S. Census ACS Data

Income, housing, education, commuting, and more.
🔗 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/data.html

GENERAL HOUSING INFORMATION (AHS)

GRAPHICS THAT PROVIDE HOUSING VISUALIZATIONS FROM THE AHS

Government-sourced charts showing housing types, utilities, affordability, age trends, and more.
🔗 https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations.html?visual-list-25c4e0d683%3Apage=2#visual-list-25c4e0d683

EXTERNAL, LOCAL & ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

FEMA National Risk Index

Maps national risk levels for storms, flooding, earthquakes, and natural hazards.
🔗 https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/map

FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Official FEMA flood zone information for any address.
🔗 https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home

FEMA Flood Map (Non-Government)

An unofficial tool for exploring flood likelihood.
🔗 https://femafloodmap.com

Trailforks

Interactive maps for local and regional outdoor trails.
🔗 https://www.trailforks.com

Transit.com

Transit options and routing if you don’t have a car.
🔗 https://www.transit.com

HowLoud

Noise levels, flight paths, and traffic sound data.
🔗 https://www.howloud.com

WalkScore

Walkability, transit, and bike-friendliness ratings for neighborhoods.
🔗 https://www.walkscore.com

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones

Find out which plants grow best in your climate zone.
🔗 https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

UTILITIES & LIVING COSTS

Forbes Cost of Living Calculator

Compare living costs between cities.
🔗 https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator

LivingCost.org

Global cost-of-living comparisons, including rent and utilities.
🔗 https://livingcost.org

Energy Bill Cruncher

Explore energy-saving options and local rebates.
🔗 https://www.energybillcruncher.com

WattBuy

Find the best energy option and plan for your home
🔗 https://www.wattbuy.com

PVWatts Solar Calculator

Estimate the likely amount of solar energy to expect if considering installing solar energy system
🔗 https://www.pvwatts.nrel.gov.com

EPA Home Energy Yardstick

Compare your home’s energy efficiency to similar homes.
🔗 https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pm/hey

ENERGY STAR

Learn how ENERGY STAR ratings and standards work.
🔗 https://www.energystar.gov/about/how-energy-star-works

HOA, BUILDING CODES & REGULATIONS

What to Know Before Buying in an HOA

Guidance on rules, restrictions, and expectations.
🔗 https://hoaresources.caionline.org/what-to-know-before-you-buy-in-an-hoa

CAI Public Policies

Condo and HOA guidelines and legal references.
🔗 https://www.caionline.org/advocacy/public-policies

State Building Codes (ICC)

Free access to state-specific building codes.
🔗 https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes/united-states

National I-Codes (2024)

Baseline national building codes used by most states. Overall US building code that most States adopt and edit to create their own specific codes
🔗 https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes/i-codes/2024-icodes

NACHI Home Inspector Resources

Inspection standards, home system basics, and repair guidelines.
🔗 https://www.nachi.org/sop.htm

BUILDING COMPONENTS & CONSTRUCTION INFO

Disclaimer

Great Property Ideas (“GPI”) provides the resources, templates, links, and information on this page strictly as a courtesy for general informational purposes. Content is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind, and GPI does not guarantee accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Nothing here constitutes legal, financial, tax, or real-estate advice, and no professional relationship is created. References to third-party sites, products, or services are not endorsements; GPI is not responsible for their content, availability, or policies. Your use of these materials is at your own risk, and GPI will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from their use.