Buyer guide
Congratulations — the seller accepted your offer! Going under contract doesn't mean it's a done deal. Here's exactly what to do from today through closing day, and everything worth checking along the way.
Your due diligence period has started
The due diligence period is the most flexible contingency in your contract: until it ends, you can terminate for any reason. That's why your inspections, survey, and research on the home, neighborhood, HOA and area all need to happen before your due diligence deadline.
It's also your window to renegotiate. Any dates or terms you're not happy with can be revisited now — after due diligence ends, it's almost impossible to change the contract. You'll also owe your earnest money to the closing attorney.
Tick items off as you go — your progress saves on this device. Printable version ↗
Verify during due diligence
Listing details on the MLS and real estate websites are entered by the listing agent from multiple sources and provided in good faith — but your contract isn't contingent on them being right. If something matters to you, verify it now. Your agent can help you figure out how.
Understand your sales contract terms and important dates. During due diligence, we can renegotiate dates or terms you're not happy with; after it ends, it's almost impossible to change them.
Information on the MLS, our printouts, and real estate websites comes from the listing agent and is believed true when given — but it isn't guaranteed. Independently verify anything important to you.
Listing agents rarely measure. Square footage usually comes from public records or appraisals, and in our experience it can be off by as much as 20%. Each MLS also counts space differently (heated vs. unheated, above vs. below grade), and heated square footage isn't the same as livable. Homes aren't priced per square foot, so an error doesn't reduce the price — if size matters, have it measured by a licensed Georgia appraiser during due diligence.
Scale is deceiving with someone else's furniture or an empty room. If a piece matters to you, measure rooms, ceiling heights, and window widths.
Assume behind every picture there are holes that won't be patched, and under every rug there's a mark. Attend your inspection so you can lift rugs, peek behind artwork, and look behind the TV.
Sellers rarely patch picture and TV holes. Leftover paint can age and discolor, and matching requires the color, finish, manufacturer, and line (HGTV by Sherwin-Williams at Lowe's isn't the same as Sherwin-Williams store paint). For repairs we like Sherwin-Williams Super Paint — it covers well and touches up best.
Not every kitchen hood vents outside, not every bath has a fan, and some laundry rooms have no dryer vent. Dryers may be gas or electric, and electric outlets come in 3- and 4-prong styles — if yours doesn't match, an adapter or new cord solves it. Types of outlets ↗
Finished bonus rooms, basements and porches aren't always connected to the HVAC system — or they strain it. A general inspector only checks that it heats and cools, so consider an HVAC company inspection.
Additions, remodels and finished basements aren't always permitted. Check the county building department (see your county resources) and the Seller's Disclosure.
Confirm which appliances stay, and that yours will fit — there are no standard sizes. Account for depth, width, height, and door swing.
Listing photos can be edited or virtually staged, and sellers sometimes change items. Your contract says the home's condition shouldn't change before closing — photos and video taken right after going under contract are your proof.
Lot sizes come from public records and plats, and many Georgia lines date back centuries — platted lines can be off by several feet. A survey is the only way to know your true boundaries, especially before a fence. Not having a new survey recorded can also limit parts of your title insurance.
The Georgia contract allows for common driveway and sidewalk encroachments, and they won't delay closing. The only way to know your driveway is on your land is a survey.
You may own the land while others have rights to access it. Know any easements on the property.
Flood maps change, and owners without a mortgage may not know they're in a flood zone — which affects loans and insurance. Check the FEMA Flood Map ↗. If it rains during due diligence, go see how water drains on the lot.
Not every seller knows whether the home is on sewer or septic. Find out — and if it's septic, get the system's drawing and an inspection. See your county resources for maps and environmental health contacts.
Planning a home business or a short-term rental? Check zoning first. Homes in a historic district may have limits on changes.
Recorded covenants control what owners can do, and breaking them can lead to fines — even foreclosure. In Georgia, older subdivision covenants expire after 20 years unless renewed; those created after 1993 renew automatically unless owners vote otherwise. Review yours: Subdivision Covenants.
Newer neighborhoods often limit the number of pets or certain breeds. Read the covenants and ask the HOA management company.
In a mandatory HOA, you share responsibility for the board's financial decisions. Review the Community Association Disclosure, call the management company about upcoming assessments, and ask for recent meeting minutes. Many HOAs charge a one-time move-in fee.
Shared driveways are common in older and rural areas and can come with rules. Garages have no standard depth or width, and HOAs or towns may restrict street and driveway parking.
The school listed on the MLS is entered by the listing agent and can be wrong. Confirm zoning directly with the school district — links are on your county resources page.
3 a.m. trains and nearby chicken farms aren't fun for anyone. Check Google Maps, visit at different times, knock on a neighbor's door, and join the neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor.
By law, agents are limited in what they can say about crime. We encourage every buyer to talk with neighbors and check crime maps (see your county resources) and the National Sex Offender Public Website ↗.
Do a few test runs at your real commute times.
Radon is a colorless, odorless gas and the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Testing is simple and inexpensive, and elevated levels can be mitigated. EPA buyer's guide to radon ↗
Common in homes built before 1978. Intact paint isn't the hazard — chipping, peeling, or renovation dust is. Consider testing older homes. EPA "Protect Your Family From Lead" ↗
Homes built before the 1980s may have asbestos in pipe insulation, vinyl tiles, popcorn ceilings, roofing, or joint compound. Disturbing it releases harmful fibers — have a licensed professional evaluate before remodeling.
Many homes don't have high-speed internet. Check availability by address, and check your phone's signal while you're at the home.
Past claims on a property can affect your rate, and not every home is insurable. Confirm your insurer will cover it.
Sellers must hand over keys, remotes, and codes — but some no longer have them, and others may have shared them. Rekey or replace exterior locks and reset codes and the garage opener after closing.
After the inspection
Whether a home is new or "pre-loved," your inspector will find items to repair, replace, or maintain. You can ask the seller to fix them or for a price or monetary adjustment — and those negotiations must happen during due diligence.
Keep things in perspective and lean on your agent: as a buyer, your power is the ability to walk away during due diligence. The seller isn't required to agree. If they do, you'll both sign an amendment — which also ends your due diligence period early.
In our experience, both sides are usually happiest with a monetary concession instead of a repair: the seller wants the fix fast and cheap; you want it done right. If the seller does make repairs, you'll confirm them at the final walk-through.
Good to know
New construction: Georgia builders must provide a warranty — often one year, though coverage ranges from six months to ten years and varies widely. Understand yours before closing.
Resale homes: there's no warranty unless you buy one separately — and that includes repairs the seller made before closing. If a required repair wasn't actually made, you'll have little to no recourse after closing.
We list third-party warranty companies on our vendor list, but in our experience buyers are rarely happy with them. Many come out ahead by putting a few hundred dollars a year into a high-yield savings account for repairs.
Final walk-through
Usually the day of closing — up to an hour before — you'll walk the home one last time, likely empty, to confirm it's in the same condition as when you went under contract and that agreed repairs were made to your satisfaction.
If you find new damage, it's on you to prove the change — your inspection report and due-diligence photos are your evidence. Once you close, the contract is generally no longer enforceable and you'll have no recourse on repairs. If you're not comfortable evaluating repairs, hire your inspector or a specialist to review them.
Usually two steps. A week or two before closing, you'll do a punch-list walk-through with the builder; most follow the "6-foot rule" (if you can't see it from 6 feet, it won't be fixed). Once you sign the punch list, nothing new can be added.
Shortly before closing, you'll confirm the punch list is complete. Unfinished items can be put in an amendment that survives closing — but an incomplete punch list isn't a legal reason to delay closing.
Closing day
We will NEVER send you wiring instructions. Get them directly from the closing attorney — ideally a printed copy in person — and always confirm them by phone using a number you look up yourself before sending any money. Once wired, funds usually cannot be recovered.
One to three days before closing, the closing attorney or lender will email the amount you need. Amounts of $5,000 or more must be wired; smaller amounts may be paid by personal check, though the attorney can require a wire. We strongly recommend wiring at least the day before.
A wire (Fedwire) is different from a transfer or ACH, and many banks require you to request it in person. Lenders usually require funds wired from a U.S. account — if your money is coming from abroad, tell your lender now. Keep the wire confirmation number. Overpay, and the attorney returns the difference at closing.
Closing is the day title transfers to you: the loan funds, the seller is paid, and the deed is recorded. Most closings take about an hour at the attorney's office, weekdays 9–4. The attorney makes sure there are no liens and spends the most time on the settlement statement. If you're financing, the attorney represents the lender; with cash, they represent you.
Want to read every lender document first? Tell your agent so a pre-review can be arranged.
The contract can be extended up to eight days past the closing date if: the lender can't fund (through no fault of the buyer), the attorney can't close that day, the seller can't deliver clear title, or the required federal closing disclosure wasn't delivered on time. Because it can happen last-minute, keep your move flexible.
After closing
A homestead exemption lowers the property taxes on the home you live in. In Georgia, file with your county by April 1 to get it for that tax year — once granted, it stays as long as you own and live in the home.
You'll need your Georgia driver's license (with the new address) and your recorded deed, which the closing attorney typically mails 30–90 days after closing.
How to file in your countyYour Georgia Move agent is here for every step — from inspection to keys.
Contact Your Agent