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 Rate Lock Trap: What Homebuilders Won't Tell You About New Construction
If your new construction home isn't finished before your mortgage rate lock expires, you could lose your deposit AND face a payment jump of $500 or more per month. Here is what you need to know before you sign.
- That $100-a-Month Savings on Your Mortgage May Be Sitting in Your Credit File Right Now
VantageScore 4.0 is now live for conventional loans — here's how to find out if your lender is hiding a lower rate from you.
- Your Right to Negotiate Real Estate Commissions Just Became Real. Here's How to Use It.
The NAR settlement that took effect August 17, 2024 gave home buyers and sellers something they always had on paper but rarely used: real power to negotiate agent commissions. Here's what changed, what it means for your closing, and exactly how to use it.
- Deed Theft Is Spiking. Here's What Could Disappear From Your Closing If You're Not Watching.
Complaints jumped 240% in two years. A new NYC office is fighting back. Here's how to protect your title before someone steals your house out from under you.
- Your FHA Pre-Approval Just Jumped $17,000
FHA loan limits for 2026 are now $541,288 baseline — up $17,000 from 2025. Here's what that means for your buying power and what to do before you lock your rate.
- 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.