Closing on a home in Georgia
The taxes, the closing rules, and the programs Georgia buyers and sellers are entitled to — whether anyone at the table mentions them or not.
The Georgia basics
Transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 (0.1%), customarily seller-paid, plus an intangible recording tax on new mortgages of $1.50 per $500 borrowed (capped at $25,000) that buyers with loans effectively pay.
Georgia is an ATTORNEY state — closings must be conducted by a licensed Georgia attorney, and the courts have held the attorney must be physically involved in the closing.
Georgia Dream provides statewide down payment assistance ($10,000 standard, more for public-service professions and buyers with disabled household members) for eligible buyers.
What to watch for in Georgia
The intangible tax on your mortgage is a Georgia quirk many out-of-state buyers first meet on the Closing Disclosure: $1.50 per $500 borrowed. On a $350,000 loan, that's $1,050 — it's real, but verify the math.
The closing attorney in Georgia traditionally represents the LENDER, not you. You're allowed to hire your own attorney to review the deal — at Georgia prices that review is cheap insurance on a purchase this size.
Georgia Dream's enhanced tiers ($12,500) exist for teachers, public protectors, healthcare workers, active military, and families with disabled members — professions that rarely get told.
Questions Georgia buyers ask
Is there a transfer tax when buying a home in Georgia?
Transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 (0.1%), customarily seller-paid, plus an intangible recording tax on new mortgages of $1.50 per $500 borrowed (capped at $25,000) that buyers with loans effectively pay.
Do I need an attorney to close on a house in Georgia?
Georgia is an ATTORNEY state — closings must be conducted by a licensed Georgia attorney, and the courts have held the attorney must be physically involved in the closing.
What down payment assistance is available in Georgia?
Georgia Dream provides statewide down payment assistance ($10,000 standard, more for public-service professions and buyers with disabled household members) for eligible buyers.
Our Georgia reporting
- Most realtors are good. But their training, their trade group, and your closing all have holes you should know about.
Georgia requires more hours to license a hairdresser than a real estate agent. That's only the beginning
Worth reading before any closing
- The American Home at 250 Years: A Fourth of July for Buyers and Sellers Alike
Two and a half centuries in, owning a home is the closest thing the Republic has to a birthright. The history is worth celebrating. So is understanding a transaction most Americans go through only a handful of times, inside an industry that has quietly changed the rules between visits.
- Wire Fraud Stole $275 Million From Home Buyers Last Year. Here's the Step-by-Step That Could Save Yours.
The FBI's recovery team can freeze stolen funds, but only if you act within hours. Here's what to do before, during, and after your closing.
- The $275 Million Warning: AI Scams Targeting Home Buyers and Sellers Right Now
Five specific fraud patterns are draining closing accounts across the country, here is what each one looks like and exactly how to stop it before you lose a dollar
- The Mortgage Points Trap: Why Paying Thousands Upfront to Lower Your Rate Often Backfires
Before you hand your lender $9,000 to buy down your rate, do this one calculation or you could lose thousands
- Why Builder 'Preferred' Lenders and Title Companies Often Cost You More Than They Save
That 3% rate buydown or $15,000 closing credit looks like a bonus. Here's what's actually inside it, and what the builder doesn't want you to compare.
- Wire Fraud Is Stealing Six Figures From Home Buyers. Here's Your Defense.
In 2023, criminals stole more than $145 million from real estate transactions. The FTC and FBI can help, but only if you act within hours of discovering the theft. Here's exactly what to do.