Farm and timber land under a conservation use covenant

If your Screven acreage is enrolled in Georgia's conservation use program, you are carrying a promise to keep it in farming or timber for ten years in exchange for lower property taxes. If the land is sold during that term, the new owner has to agree to continue the covenant. If the covenant is broken, the penalty equals double the tax savings to date, plus interest.

For a seller, that means the covenant affects who can buy and on what terms. If you want to sell only the house and a small lot out of an enrolled tract, the split has to be handled carefully. Send the covenant with your request and we will tell you how it shapes the offer.

Older houses and county code enforcement

Screven County code enforcement covers solid waste, illegal dumping, building without permits, and unfit structures, and its stated approach is to seek voluntary compliance before taking further action. A vacant farmhouse that has started to fall in is exactly the kind of property that draws an unfit-structure complaint.

Many of the houses we see here are older frame houses with original wiring, failing roofs, and private wells and septic systems. We buy them in that condition, even houses that have stood empty for years.

Storms that reached inland

Screven is well inland, but Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024 and Hurricane Helene in September 2024 both brought FEMA individual assistance to county residents. On wooded lots, the damage is usually trees on roofs, porches, and outbuildings rather than flooding. If a claim was paid and the work was never done, or the claim was denied, tell us. It does not change whether we buy, only what we pay.

Screven County property we buy

  • Farmhouses on acreage, with or without the surrounding land
  • Timber and farm tracts, including land under a conservation use covenant
  • Inherited farmhouses where the heirs have not opened an estate
  • Vacant or deteriorating houses with unfit-structure complaints
  • Mobile and manufactured homes on the family's own acreage
  • Houses in Sylvania that need major repairs
  • Homes with tree or storm damage from Debby or Helene

Records, courts, and closing in Screven County

Sylvania is the county seat. The Screven County Clerk of Superior Court at 216 Mims Road records deeds, plats, and liens, and the Screven County Probate Court handles wills and estates. Property values are set by the Screven County Board of Tax Assessors, while billing and collection run through the tax commissioner. A licensed Georgia attorney handles the closing.

When you request an offer, tell us how much land goes with the house, whether any of it is in a conservation use covenant, whether there is a recent survey, and whether the owner of record is living. On rural Screven property, those questions set the price and the closing date far more than the kitchen or the floors.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell my house and keep the farmland?

Often yes. We can buy the house with a smaller lot, but if the land is in conservation use, the split has to be handled so the covenant is not broken by accident.

What happens to a conservation use covenant when the land is sold?

The buyer has to continue it for the rest of its term. If it is broken, a penalty of twice the tax savings plus interest is owed.

My parents' farmhouse has been empty for years. Will you buy it?

Yes, including houses with roof failure, old wiring, and wells or septic systems that no longer work.

Do you buy in Hiltonia, Newington, Oliver, and Rocky Ford?

Yes. We buy throughout Screven County, not only in Sylvania.

A tree from Helene went through the roof and the claim was denied. Can I still sell?

Yes. Send what you have from the insurer and we will price the damage as it is.

Screven County property and court resources

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