We Buy Houses in Greene County

Lake Oconee: what a buyer can and cannot keep

Georgia Power controls the Lake Oconee shoreline, and nothing can be built or repaired on its land without a written permit. It will not issue any permit to an owner who is not party to a current agreement with the company or is behind on the fees, and it allows one shoreline structure per lot.

Two rules move value at resale. Boathouses on Oconee are allowed only for original property owners, and only while they or their heirs still own the lot, so a buyer from outside the family cannot get a new one permitted. And a dock or boathouse that no longer meets current guidelines can be kept up with minor repairs only; once it needs more than that, Georgia Power decides how it must be brought into compliance. Hardscaping is not allowed on Georgia Power property at Oconee, and a seawall needs both Georgia Power's approval and county and state permits for work in the 25-foot buffer.

Short-term rental income is the other assumption to check. Greene County's zoning allows short-term rentals only inside its Short-Term Rental Overlay districts, which the county's 2022 conditions report places on four lakefront condominium clusters, and accessory dwelling units may not be rented at all. A house outside the overlay is valued as a home, not as a rental business.

Greensboro, Union Point, and the septic line

Greensboro and Union Point provide both water and sewer. Woodville, Siloam, and White Plains have public water only, the county runs no wastewater system of its own, and septic tanks are the main form of sewage treatment across the rest of Greene. In the more rural areas, some homes draw from private household wells.

Most of the housing outside the cities is not new: the county's 2022 report puts 61 percent of unincorporated homes as built before 1990, and over a third of Greensboro's housing is multifamily. Expect original plumbing, aging roofs, and septic systems nobody has looked at since installation. On a septic lot, a county building permit needs an approval letter or perc test from the Greene County Environmental Health office first.

Greene County property we buy

• Lake Oconee houses with docks, seawalls, or boathouses that no longer meet current guidelines
• Older single-family houses in Greensboro and Union Point
• Small rental houses and duplexes in Greensboro, occupied or vacant
• Rural homes on septic and private wells in Woodville, Siloam, and White Plains
• Manufactured homes on agricultural land
• Inherited houses, including heirs' property with no estate opened
• Property with delinquent taxes or a pending tax sale

Records, courts, and closing in Greene County

Greensboro is the county seat, and the main county offices share the government building on Silver Drive. The Greene County Clerk of Superior Court records deeds and liens. Estates go through the Greene County Probate Court, where the probate judge also serves as chief magistrate. The Board of Tax Assessors sets values, and the Tax Commissioner bills and handles delinquent tax sales.

The closing itself is run by a Georgia attorney. For a lake house, have the Georgia Power permit records for the dock and any seawall ready, along with whether a boathouse was built by the original owner. In town, a water and sewer bill or a septic letter tells us which side of the line the house is on. Those details, more than paint and flooring, set our price and timing here.

Frequently asked questions