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
- Wire Fraud Is Hitting 1 in 20 Home Closings. Most Buyers Have No Idea They Are the Target.
Criminals now steal $70,000 or more per incident using AI and spoofed emails. Here is the one rule that stops almost every scheme.
- The Rate Lock Math Nobody Walks You Through at Your Closing Table
Before you lock or float down, run these three numbers against your actual loan scenario
- THDA Just Raised Its Price Cap by $100,000. Here's What That Means for Your First Home in Tennessee.
If you earn under $160,720 and have been priced out of single-family homes in Nashville or Middle Tennessee, this May 2026 change may reopen the door.
- Your $72,000 Down Payment Can Vanish in One Email. Here's the Three-Step Wire Verification Protocol That Stops It.
Wire fraud hit $275.1 million in real estate losses last year. The good news: the fix is a phone call and a face-to-face confirmation.
- Wire Fraud Stole Their Life Savings Three Days Before Closing. Here's How to Protect Yours.
Two buyers lost a combined $274,000 to criminals spoofing their closing attorneys' emails. The scam is growing, your title company has an incentive to keep quiet, and the banks will not help you get it back.
- Criminals Are Forging Your Deed Right Now. Here's How to Catch It Before They Sell Your House.
Title fraud can steal your home while you sleep. The tools to catch it are free and take 20 minutes to set up.