We Buy Houses in Georgia

Where we buy in Georgia

Metro Atlanta is the core of our Georgia coverage: Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Clayton, and Cherokee counties. Outside the metro we buy in Chatham County on the coast, Richmond County around Augusta, Muscogee County in Columbus, Bibb and Houston counties in middle Georgia, and Clarke County in Athens.

The county pages explain what we look at locally, because the questions genuinely differ. A 1920s bungalow in Kirkwood, a 1960s ranch in Clayton County with a failing crawlspace, a Savannah historic-district house under design review, and an Augusta house still carrying Helene damage are four different transactions.

Six things that shape a Georgia sale

• A Georgia attorney must close it. The Supreme Court of Georgia has held that closing a real estate transaction is the practice of law, so a title company alone cannot do it.
• Foreclosure is non-judicial and quick. A power of sale in the security deed lets the lender advertise for four weeks and sell — no lawsuit needed.
• There is no statutory seller disclosure form. The obligation comes from case law: a seller must not actively conceal a known latent defect.
• Property is assessed at 40 percent of fair market value, so an assessment notice reads very differently from one in Florida or Texas.
• Year's support is a Georgia peculiarity in estates: a surviving spouse or minor children can petition for property, potentially ahead of estate creditors.
• Transfer tax is $1 per $1,000 of the price, customarily paid by the seller — low, but not zero the way Texas is.

If a foreclosure sale is already advertised

Georgia foreclosure is among the faster processes in the country. Most security deeds contain a power of sale, so the lender does not file suit. It must send the borrower notice of the initiation of proceedings at least 30 days before the sale, including the name, address, and phone number of whoever has authority to negotiate and modify the loan, and it must advertise the sale in the county's legal organ once a week for four weeks.

Sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month at the county courthouse. There is no general right of redemption afterward — once the deed under power is delivered, the ownership interest is gone. A deficiency claim requires the lender to apply for court confirmation of the sale, which has to be done within 30 days. All of that means the window to sell is the weeks before that first Tuesday. Send us the sale date, and talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor as well.

Inherited property and Georgia probate

Georgia probate runs through a probate court in each county. If the will grants the executor a power of sale, the executor can usually sell without a separate court order. Without that power, the personal representative petitions the court for leave to sell. Where all heirs agree and there are no debts, Georgia also allows an order declaring no administration necessary, which is the quickest route.

Then there is year's support, which has no real equivalent elsewhere: a surviving spouse or minor children can petition the probate court to set aside property for their support, and an award can take property ahead of some estate creditors. It affects who can convey the house, so it is worth identifying early. Send us the county and the case number if one exists.

Property taxes, tax sales, and redemption

Each county's board of tax assessors sets fair market value, and property is assessed at 40 percent of that figure. The tax commissioner bills and collects. Homestead exemptions reduce the taxable amount for owner-occupants, and several counties have their own additional exemptions.

Unpaid taxes lead to a tax sale, and Georgia's redemption rules are unusually generous to the owner: there is generally a 12-month right to redeem, and the redemption price includes the amount paid at the sale plus a 20 percent premium for the first year and 10 percent for each year after. Counties can also use a judicial in rem tax foreclosure, which carries a much shorter redemption period. Delinquent taxes do not need to be cleared before you sell — they are paid from the closing proceeds.

Tenants, leases, and Georgia rentals

Georgia law is comparatively landlord-friendly, and a sale does not end a lease: the buyer takes the property subject to the tenancy, so an occupied rental can be sold mid-lease without evicting anyone. There is no statutory cap on security deposits, and deposits transfer with the property.

For a tenancy at will, Georgia sets asymmetric notice: the landlord must give 60 days, the tenant 30. Evictions are dispossessory proceedings in magistrate court. We buy occupied rentals, including ones where the tenant has stopped paying or a dispossessory case is already filed.

Weather, trees, and older housing

Georgia's storm damage is not all coastal. Hurricane Helene in September 2024 caused severe wind and tree damage well inland, hitting the Augusta area hard, and Matthew and Irma had earlier affected Savannah and the coast. Across the state, falling trees are the most common source of structural damage, and hail and tornadoes add more.

The housing itself is older than in Texas or Florida. Metro Atlanta has substantial pre-war and mid-century stock, and unlike the Gulf states, basements and crawlspaces are common in north Georgia, which brings moisture, drainage, and radon into the inspection. Those are exactly the items that make a financed sale difficult and an as-is sale straightforward.

Closing a Georgia sale

A licensed Georgia attorney conducts the closing: examining title, preparing the deed, handling the settlement statement and the funds, and recording with the clerk of superior court. That is a legal requirement, not a custom, and it is the biggest procedural difference from Florida and Texas.

Seller costs are typically the transfer tax at $1 per $1,000, the closing attorney's and title fees, prorated property taxes, any HOA transfer or estoppel charges, loan payoffs, and any liens paid from proceeds. There is no commission when we buy directly.

Frequently asked questions