We Buy Houses in Hall County

Lake Lanier: the dock is not part of the deed

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages Lake Lanier's shoreline, and a private dock exists only under a Corps shoreline use permit. Federal rules say those permits are non-transferable, become void when the permitted facility is sold, and convey no real estate rights. The Corps' standard permit conditions require a new owner to apply for a permit within 14 days.

That matters to a sale because Lanier is full. A Corps shoreline management presentation says the lake reached its dock capacity in 2015, with the last new permits issued by lottery. For most buyers, the only way to get a dock is to buy a house that already has a permitted one, so whether that permit can be reissued to the buyer is part of the value. Have the permit number and the permit holder's name ready.

Septic on older lake lots and across rural Hall

Hall County's sewer service covers defined sewer districts, and the cities run their own systems. Property outside those areas relies on septic. Hall County Environmental Health offers a performance evaluation of an existing system and says it is often required for resale, refinancing, replacing a mobile home, or adding a structure. Older lake houses are a common problem here. The lots are often small, the system dates from when the house was built, and any repair or replacement needs its own permit.

We buy with the septic as it is. If an evaluation has already been done, send it. If not, it can happen during the contract period and only affects timing.

Gainesville, south Hall, and the rural north

Gainesville has Hall's oldest housing: small mid-century houses on crawlspaces, many of them rentals, with original wiring and plumbing and years of patched repairs. South Hall, around Flowery Branch and Oakwood, is mostly newer subdivision housing with HOAs. North and east toward Lula, Clermont, and Gillsville, the county is rural, with acreage, wells, outbuildings, and manufactured homes on owned land.

In unincorporated Hall, the Marshal's Office enforces county ordinances, including junk and inoperable vehicles stored outside, litter, and building without a permit. Short-term rentals, common near the lake, need a county short-term rental business license and a building inspection.

Hall County property we buy

• Lake Lanier homes with permitted docks, older docks, or no dock
• Older lake houses on small lots with unevaluated or failing septic systems
• Mid-century houses and rentals in Gainesville
• Short-term rentals near the lake, licensed or not
• Subdivision homes in Flowery Branch and Oakwood with unpaid HOA dues
• Rural acreage and manufactured homes in north and east Hall
• Houses with Marshal's Office notices for junk, vehicles, or unpermitted work
• Inherited lake and family property owned by heirs out of state

Records, courts, and closing in Hall County

Gainesville is the county seat. The Real Estate Division of the Hall County Clerk of Superior and State Courts, in the courthouse annex on Spring Street, records deeds and plats, and liens go on the general execution docket. All of it can be searched through the statewide index. The Hall County Probate Court, in the same annex, handles probate of wills and administration of estates.

The Tax Assessors appraise at fair market value and taxes are assessed on 40 percent of it. Property taxes are due December 15. Hall offers exemptions such as a total school tax exemption for qualifying owners. Those exemptions end with the sale, which does not change our offer but does change what a financed buyer will pay in taxes. A licensed Georgia attorney closes the sale.

Requesting an offer in Hall

Send the address and tell us whether there is a dock. On lake property, the dock permit number, the name on the permit, and any recent Corps correspondence affect both price and timing. Off the lake, the usual items are a septic evaluation, an HOA statement, any Marshal's Office notice, a short-term rental license if the house has been rented by the night, and, for inherited property, whether the estate has been opened in Hall County Probate Court.

Frequently asked questions