How to Buy a Home in Georgia: Process, Costs, First Steps

Buying a home in Georgia takes six steps, from pre-approval to a closing run by a Georgia attorney, and it costs 2% to 5% of the price in closing costs on top of your down payment. At Fannin County’s $644,500 median sale price, that means $12,890 to $32,225 in closing costs plus $128,900 down at 20%.

I’m Thomas Echea, a Luxury Real Estate Advisor with E+E Group at Compass, and I own homes in Blue Ridge and Fort Lauderdale. This guide walks the Georgia process in order and prices each step with local figures. County numbers come from the Georgia Association of Realtors Local Market Update, year to date through August 2026.

How do you buy a home in Georgia, step by step?

In six steps, and the order matters because each one unlocks the next. In my experience, purchases lose the most time when buyers tour homes before a lender has confirmed a budget.

Step	What happens	Timing rule
1. Pre-approval	A lender reviews your income, credit and assets and sets your budget.	The Loan Estimate is due within 3 business days of your application.
2. Offer and contract	You and the seller sign a purchase agreement, including a due diligence period.	The length of that period is negotiated.
3. Inspection and appraisal	You inspect the home, and the lender orders an appraisal.	Both happen inside due diligence.
4. Attorney title work	A Georgia attorney searches the title and prepares the closing documents.	It runs alongside the loan process.
5. Closing Disclosure	The lender sends your final loan terms and costs.	You must receive it 3 business days before closing.
6. Closing	The attorney conducts the closing, you sign, funds move and the deed is recorded.	Ownership begins.

Steps two through four overlap, so a slow inspection or a title problem can move the closing date even when your loan is ready.

Why does a Georgia attorney close your purchase?

Because Georgia law treats a closing as the practice of law. In 2003 the Supreme Court of Georgia held, in In re UPL Advisory Opinion 2003-2, that anyone other than a licensed Georgia attorney who closes a real estate transaction is practicing law without a license.

In 2014 the court approved State Bar Formal Advisory Opinion 13-1, which bars a Georgia lawyer from running a witness-only closing, where the attorney merely watches the signatures. For you, that means a lawyer handles the title search, reviews the documents and stays in control of the process from beginning to end. Attorney fees appear on the list of typical closing costs that Freddie Mac publishes, so ask for the quote early.

What does it cost to buy a home in Georgia?

Plan on closing costs of 2% to 5% of the purchase price, plus your down payment. Freddie Mac puts the range at 2% to 5% and lists government recording costs, appraisal fees, lender origination fees, title services and attorney fees among them.

Georgia adds its own recording cost on financed purchases: an intangible recording tax of $1.50 for each $500 of the loan, capped at $25,000 on any single note, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. The tax follows the loan, so a bigger down payment lowers it.

What does the math look like at Fannin County’s median?

You need $141,790 to $161,125 in cash to close on a median-priced Fannin County home with 20% down, before moving costs and reserves.

Line	Amount
Median sale price, year to date through August 2026	$644,500
Down payment at 20%	$128,900
Loan amount	$515,600
Closing costs at 2% of price	$12,890
Closing costs at 5% of price	$32,225
Georgia intangible tax on the loan	$1,548
Cash to close, low end (down payment plus 2%)	$141,790
Cash to close, high end (down payment plus 5%)	$161,125

The intangible tax is small beside the full range, but it is a line you can check on your Closing Disclosure. Each $100,000 you borrow adds $300 of it.

How is buying in Fannin County different right now?

Buyers there have time. Fannin County recorded 814 closed single-family sales through August 2026, and homes took 86 days to sell, with sellers receiving 95.3% of list price.

August months of supply stood at 11.2 in Fannin County, against 4.7 in Fulton County, where homes sold in 47 days. In a market that slow, the due diligence period and the negotiation are worth using in full. I compare the five mountain counties in where to buy a mountain home in the Southern Blue Ridge, and the statewide picture is in what $200K buys across Georgia.

When do you receive your loan disclosures?

Your lender must deliver a Loan Estimate within 3 business days of your application, and you must receive the Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing. Both rules sit in Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.19.

Set the two documents side by side and compare them line by line. If a fee moved, ask about it that week, not at the closing table.

What should you do first if you are buying in Georgia?

• Get pre-approved, then fix your cash number using the table above.
• Choose the county from its sales data, not from listing photographs.
• Ask early who your closing attorney will be and what the fee is.
• Learn what you can negotiate: closing costs in Georgia covers the fixed lines, who pays closing costs covers seller concessions, and discount points in Georgia shows when buying down the rate pays back.

Frequently asked questions

How do you purchase real estate in Georgia?

You get pre-approved, sign a purchase contract, inspect the home during the due diligence period, and close with a Georgia attorney. Your lender must send a Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing.

How can an advisor help with a home purchase in Georgia?

An advisor prices the home against recent county sales, negotiates the contract terms and the due diligence period, and coordinates the lender, inspector and attorney. In Fannin County, where homes took 86 days to sell through August 2026, that negotiating room is real.

What does it cost to buy a house in Georgia?

Closing costs generally run 2% to 5% of the purchase price, according to Freddie Mac, on top of your down payment. At Fannin County’s $644,500 median, 2% to 5% is $12,890 to $32,225.

Do you need an attorney to buy a house in Georgia?

Yes, for the closing. The Supreme Court of Georgia treats closing a real estate transaction as the practice of law, so a licensed Georgia attorney must conduct it.

What is the Georgia intangible tax on a mortgage?

It is $1.50 for each $500 of the loan amount, capped at $25,000 on a single note. On a $515,600 loan the tax is $1,548.