The Georgia Home-Selling Process: Your Step-by-Step Checklist

Don't just look at the price. Compare each offer's closing date, financing type, down payment, contingencies, and any concessions the buyer is asking you to pay. A slightly lower offer from a cash buyer with no contingencies can be stronger than a higher offer with shaky financing.

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Ask your agent to confirm the buyer attached a current lender pre-approval letter or, for cash offers, a recent bank statement. A real pre-approval (not just a pre-qualification) makes a financed offer much safer. If the proof is missing or stale, request a fresh copy before you counter.

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Send back a counteroffer if the price or terms don't work. Common items to negotiate beyond price: closing date, who pays which closing costs, which items convey (appliances, fixtures), home warranty, and any seller-paid repair credits. Stay flexible on things you don't care about so you can win on what matters.

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Georgia's contract uses a due diligence period instead of a normal inspection contingency. During that window the buyer can walk away for any reason and only loses the negotiated termination fee — usually $100 to a few hundred dollars. A shorter window means less risk of the buyer backing out; a higher termination fee gives you more protection. Your agent will help you pick numbers that work for your market.

Cost: termination fee typically $100-500

Post-NAR-settlement, buyer-agent pay is no longer baked into the MLS listing. If the buyer asks you to cover their agent's fee, it gets written into the purchase contract or a separate compensation exhibit. Decide with your listing agent whether to agree, counter to a lower amount, or decline. Never coordinate the number with other sellers or brokerages — that's an antitrust problem.

Cost: varies (often expressed as a percent of sale price)

Once you and the buyer agree on every term, both sides sign the Georgia Association of Realtors Purchase and Sale Agreement (or whatever contract form you used) along with the related exhibits. Make sure every blank is filled in, every exhibit is attached, and you have a fully signed copy for your records. The day everyone has signed is the binding agreement date — most deadlines in the contract count from that date.

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Under Georgia rules, the broker holding the earnest money must deposit it into a trust account within three banking days of receiving it. Ask your agent for confirmation that the deposit went through. If the buyer is slow to deliver the check or wire, your agent should flag it — non-delivery can be a contract breach.

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Federal law requires sellers of any home built before 1978 to give the buyer a written lead-based paint disclosure, any reports you have, and the EPA pamphlet 'Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.' Buyers also get a 10-day inspection period for lead unless they waive it in writing. If your home was built in 1978 or later, you can skip this.

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If your home is in a mandatory HOA covered by Georgia's Property Owners' Association Act, you must give the buyer the disclosure package (declaration, bylaws, rules, budget, statement of assessments) at or before signing the contract. If you didn't already gather it in pre-listing, do it now — missing the deadline can let the buyer back out without penalty.

Cost: $100-300 typical

If you're selling a condo, Georgia's Condominium Act requires you to give the buyer the resale package — declaration, bylaws, rules, current budget, most recent financial statements, a statement of any unpaid assessments, and notice of any pending lawsuits — before or at contract signing. Your condo's management company usually puts this packet together for a fee.

Cost: $150-500 typical packet fee

The buyer and their inspectors, appraiser, and contractors will all need to come through. Try to keep the home presentable and the keys easy to grab via your agent's lockbox. The smoother access is, the faster due diligence wraps up — and the less likely the buyer is to get nervous and walk.

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Even though Georgia has no statewide seller property disclosure form, you and your agent still owe the buyer disclosure of any known material defects under Georgia law. If something new comes up between signing and closing — a roof leak after a storm, a busted appliance — let your agent know so it gets disclosed properly. Hiding it can expose you to a lawsuit after closing.

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The buyer will usually order a general home inspection and may add a termite/wood-destroying-organism inspection, sewer scope, radon test, or others. Plan to be out of the house during inspections — buyers tend to talk more openly when sellers aren't around. Restock toilet paper and clean up before they arrive.

Cost: $0 (buyer pays inspector)

After inspections, the buyer's agent may send you a written amendment asking for repairs, credits, or a price reduction. Read it with your agent. Push back on cosmetic items, take maintenance items seriously, and pay close attention to anything that affects safety or insurability. Remember that during Georgia's due diligence period, the buyer can also just terminate instead.

Cost: $0 to review

You usually have three options: agree to make repairs before closing, offer a credit so the buyer can handle them after closing, or refuse and let the buyer decide whether to terminate. Credits are often simpler than scrambling for last-minute contractors. Get any agreement in writing as a signed amendment so both sides are on the same page.

Cost: varies (depends on what you agree to)

During Georgia's due diligence window, the buyer has an unconditional right to terminate by sending written notice before the period expires. If they do, they only forfeit the termination fee — the rest of the earnest money goes back to them. Plan for this possibility and don't celebrate too early. Once the period closes without notice, the contract becomes much harder for the buyer to escape.

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The buyer's lender sends out a licensed appraiser to confirm the home is worth what the buyer is paying. The appointment usually takes 30-60 minutes. Make sure the house is presentable, the appraiser can reach every room, and they know about any recent upgrades you've made — give your agent a list to pass along.

Cost: $0 (buyer pays)

If the appraisal lands below the contract price, the buyer's lender will only finance the lower number. You typically have four options: drop the price to the appraisal, meet in the middle with the buyer making up the gap in cash, dispute the appraisal with new comps, or let the deal terminate. Talk this through with your agent before the buyer's appraisal contingency deadline.

Cost: varies

Lenders often need extra paperwork — an HOA certification, condo questionnaire, or proof a permit was closed out. Your agent or HOA manager usually fills these out, but you may be asked for information only you have. Turn them around fast; a slow questionnaire can push closing back by days.

Cost: $0-200 (HOA/condo cert fees)

The buyer's lender issues a clear-to-close (sometimes called a loan commitment) once underwriting signs off on the buyer, the appraisal, and the title. Your agent will keep tabs on this through the buyer's agent. Don't pack the truck until that commitment lands — until then, the deal can still fall apart.

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Georgia is an attorney-state for real estate closings, which means a licensed Georgia attorney has to handle the deed, settlement statement, and other closing documents. The buyer typically picks the attorney, but you can ask to use your own — it's negotiable. Get the firm's name, contact info, and wire instructions early so you know where to show up and where your money is going.

Cost: $0 (attorney fees come out of buyer/seller costs at closing)

If you don't live in Georgia, the closing attorney has to withhold 3% of your sale price and send it to the Georgia Department of Revenue as a prepayment of any state income tax owed on your gain. You can lower or eliminate the withholding by filing Form IT-AFF2 (Seller's Affidavit) if you qualify for an exemption — for example, if your gain is small or you're rolling proceeds into another property. Talk to the closing attorney and, ideally, your tax advisor before closing.

Cost: 3% of price withheld unless reduced by affidavit

Book movers as early as possible — good crews fill up weeks in advance. Call your utility providers (power, gas, water, internet) to stop service the day after closing, or the day you've agreed to give up possession. Don't shut anything off too early; the buyer needs working utilities for the final walk-through.

Cost: varies ($500-3,000 for movers; $0 to transfer utilities)

Set aside every key (front, back, mailbox, gate), garage door openers, alarm codes, pool/spa equipment instructions, appliance manuals, and any active warranties. Hand them over at closing or leave them on the kitchen counter on move-out day. Buyers appreciate it, and it cuts down on awkward follow-up texts later.

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A day or two before closing, the attorney will send a draft of the settlement statement showing your net proceeds. Check every line: payoff on your mortgage, prorated taxes and HOA dues, real estate commissions, transfer tax, any credits to the buyer, and the wire instructions for where your money will land. Question anything that looks off before signing day.

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You'll need a current government-issued photo ID — driver's license or passport — for the closing attorney to verify your identity. If you signed anything ahead of time or need to bring keys, remotes, or warranty documents, gather them in one pile the night before so you don't forget.

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In Georgia, closing happens in front of a licensed attorney — only an attorney can prepare and oversee the deed, settlement statement, and other legal documents. Expect to sign the warranty deed transferring ownership, an affidavit of title, the settlement statement, and various tax and disclosure forms. The whole thing usually takes 30-60 minutes for sellers.

Cost: $0 (attorney fees already reflected on settlement statement)

Georgia charges a real estate transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 of the sale price — about $400 on a $400,000 sale — and the closing attorney files a PT-61 form with the superior court clerk when the deed is recorded. By custom, the seller pays the transfer tax, though it's negotiable in the contract. Check that the amount on your settlement statement matches what you expected.

Cost: $1 per $1,000 of sale price

Once the deed is recorded and the buyer's funds are released, the home is theirs. Drop off keys, garage openers, alarm codes, and any items you said you'd leave behind at the time agreed in the contract. If you negotiated a post-closing rent-back, follow that schedule — don't try to stay an extra day without it in writing.

Cost: $0

The closing attorney will wire your net proceeds to the bank account you gave them, usually the same day or the next business day. Double-check that the wire instructions you provided are correct and never share them by email without confirming by phone — wire fraud in real estate is common. Watch your account and follow up if the money isn't there within one business day.

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Save your full closing package — the signed deed copy, settlement statement, and any tax forms — in a safe place. You'll need them when you file your tax return for the year of the sale (capital gains, primary residence exclusion, nonresident withholding) and they're useful if any title or tax question pops up years later.

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