Updated November 2026. Georgia Department of Revenue pages, the Supreme Court of Georgia’s 2014 order on Formal Advisory Opinion 13-1, Zillow’s September 2026 home values and beycome.com prices checked on November 9, 2026.
A Georgia seller’s one fixed government charge is the state transfer tax: $329.10 on the state’s typical $329,100 home (Zillow, September 2026). Add your share of property taxes, your loan payoff and whatever your contract assigns you, such as part of the closing attorney’s fees. A lawyer must run the closing in Georgia, so ask for that quote early.
Jump to: ⚖️ The closing attorney · 🧾 Seller line items · 🧮 $329,100 example · 🤝 Custom vs. contract · 🏷️ Listing side · ❓ FAQ
Key takeaways
- Georgia’s transfer tax is about 0.1% of the price. It’s small next to most other states.
- The Department of Revenue says the seller is liable for it, though contracts often move it to the buyer.
- Your closing attorney prepares the deed, oversees the signing, records it and pays out the money from a trust account.
- There’s no statewide rule on who buys the owner’s title policy. Your purchase contract settles it.
Want the national picture first? Our explainer on who pays closing costs covers the usual buyer and seller split. Below is what changes in Georgia.
What does the closing attorney do for a Georgia seller?
Georgia treats a real estate closing as the practice of law. On September 22, 2014, the Supreme Court of Georgia approved the State Bar’s Formal Advisory Opinion 13-1. It says the lawyer must review and adopt every document used in a closing and stays fully responsible for the whole transaction.
The opinion lists the steps a closing may include. Each one shows up somewhere on your statement:
- A title opinion, and fixing any defect that would block a clean sale.
- Preparing the deeds, such as your warranty deed and the buyer’s security deed.
- Overseeing the signing of the papers that pass title.
- Supervising the recording of those papers.
- Taking in the money and paying it out through the lawyer’s trust account.
A “witness only” closing, where someone notarizes the signing and claims not to act as a lawyer, breaks the bar’s rules. So does sending the closing money to a title or settlement company to pay out. A title company can still search records and issue title insurance; Georgia law allows that.
One practical point. Don’t assume the closing attorney is your lawyer. Ask in writing whom they represent, and what part of their fee is billed to you. Our guide on whether you need a lawyer to sell in Georgia covers when a seller hires a second one.
Which costs land on the seller’s side in Georgia?
Here’s the seller column of a typical Georgia settlement statement. We give a dollar figure only where a public rate exists. Everything else depends on your loan, your neighborhood and what you signed.
| Item | Who pays | How it’s set | On $329,100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| State transfer tax (O.C.G.A. § 48-6-1) | Seller is liable; the contract may shift it | $1 for the first $1,000, then 10 cents per $100 | $329.10 |
| Closing attorney’s fees | Split by your contract | Each firm’s own fee | Get a written quote |
| Owner’s title insurance | Set by your contract | Title insurer’s premium | Get a written quote |
| Property tax for the year to date | Seller, up to closing day | Prorated from your county bill | Depends on your bill |
| Mortgage payoff | Seller | Your lender’s payoff letter | Your balance plus interest |
| HOA dues and any letters the association charges for | Set by your contract | Association’s fee schedule | Ask the association |
| Buyer’s agent pay (optional) | Only if you agree to it | Your written agreement | 3% would be $9,873 (example only) |
On that last row: this is an example only. Commissions are not set by law or by NAR rules, and they’re negotiable. You choose whether to offer buyer-agent compensation at all, and since August 17, 2024 offers aren’t shown on the MLS.
Not on the seller’s list: the intangible recording tax. Georgia charges it on the buyer’s loan, $1.50 per $500 of the note, up to $25,000. On a $300,000 loan that’s $900. It’s the buyer’s cost, but it’s often why a buyer asks you for help with closing costs.
What’s the math on a $329,100 Georgia sale?
Start with the transfer tax. The first $1,000 costs $1. The other $328,100 is 3,281 hundreds at 10 cents each, or $328.10. Total: $329.10. Raise the price to $450,000 and it becomes $450. The tax tracks the price almost dollar for dollar per thousand.
The attorney’s fee and title premium also grow with price in most cases, so ask how each is figured. Your payoff doesn’t change with the sale price at all. Neither does a flat listing fee. A percentage listing fee does: at 3%, $329,100 is $9,873, and $450,000 is $13,500. Same example-only note applies.
If an agent lists your home on FMLS in metro Atlanta, there’s one more possible line (Beycome lists on Georgia MLS, not FMLS); see our explainer on the FMLS closing fee to check whether it applies to you. Then plug your own figures into the seller net proceeds calculator.
Which costs are custom, and which does the contract decide?
Very little is fixed by Georgia law on the seller’s side. The transfer tax liability is. The Department of Revenue says the seller is liable, and adds that parties often agree the buyer pays. Almost everything else is written into the purchase and sale agreement.
Sell smarter
List your home on the MLS from $99
A flat fee instead of a percentage, and $0 to Beycome at closing. You stay in control of your sale.
Sell your home →Buy smarter
Get up to 2% back at closing
On homes listed by other agents, Beycome credits you up to 2% of the price at closing (1% kept, $1,499 minimum; not on FSBO homes or homes listed by Beycome sellers).
Buy a home →Title insurance is the clearest case. We checked several guides on who buys the owner’s policy in Georgia, and they disagree. Some say the seller usually pays, others say the buyer. That’s a sign there’s no settled statewide habit you can count on. Read the closing cost section of your contract, and if it’s vague, settle it before you sign.
Seller concessions work the same way. A buyer may ask you to pay a set dollar amount toward their costs. That’s a negotiating choice, not a Georgia rule, and it shows up as a credit on your side of the statement.
How does a Beycome flat fee change the listing cost in Georgia?
The closing attorney, taxes and title stay the same however you list. The listing fee is the line you choose. With Beycome, your Georgia home goes on the major home search sites and the MLS for a flat fee: Basic $99, Enhanced $399 or Concierge $1,399, paid upfront with $0 due to Beycome at closing.
On Concierge, an expert works with you through offers and the closing whenever you need help, and you make every decision. See Georgia flat fee MLS packages, or read our step-by-step on selling a Georgia home without a realtor. 22,000+ homeowners have used Beycome, saving over $225 million in total (Beycome internal data, October 2026).
Georgia seller closing cost questions
How much are seller closing costs in Georgia?
The fixed tax is small: $329.10 on a $329,100 home. The rest depends on your attorney’s fee, your title and contract terms, your payoff and any agent pay you agree to. Ask the closing attorney for a seller estimate.
Who pays the transfer tax in Georgia, buyer or seller?
The seller is liable, per the Georgia Department of Revenue, but the contract can make the buyer pay it.
Do sellers need an attorney to close in Georgia?
A Georgia lawyer must handle the closing. You don’t have to hire your own separate lawyer, but you can.
Who pays for title insurance in Georgia?
There’s no statewide rule. The purchase and sale agreement decides who buys the owner’s policy.
Does the Georgia seller pay the intangible recording tax?
No. It’s a tax on the buyer’s loan: $1.50 per $500 of the note, capped at $25,000.
Is a buyer’s agent commission a required closing cost in Georgia?
No. It’s optional and negotiable, and you decide whether to offer anything.
What does Beycome charge at closing in Georgia?
Nothing. You pay $99, $399 or $1,399 upfront, and $0 is due to Beycome at closing.
Reviewed by Beycome Brokerage Realty LLC, a licensed real estate brokerage (Georgia brokerage license #77729).
Prices were read on beycome.com on November 9, 2026 and may change. In Georgia, Basic is $99, Enhanced is $399 and Concierge is $1,399. “$0 at closing” means no Beycome fee at closing; the closing attorney’s fees, taxes, title charges and any buyer’s agent pay you agree to still apply. “Cancel anytime, free” excludes Georgia MLS’s mandatory $25 cancellation fee, and listings under contract can’t be canceled.
The 3% figure is an example only: commissions are not set by law or NAR rules and are negotiable, sellers choose whether to offer buyer-agent compensation, and offers aren’t shown on the MLS since August 17, 2024. Tax figures are our math from the published rates, not quotes.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your closing attorney will confirm the exact amounts.
Sources
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Real Estate Transfer Tax, read November 9, 2026.
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Intangible Recording Tax, read November 9, 2026.
- Supreme Court of Georgia, In re Formal Advisory Opinion No. 13-1, decided September 22, 2014, read November 9, 2026.
- Zillow Research, Zillow Home Value Index, Georgia, September 30, 2026 snapshot.
- National Association of REALTORS®, Settlement FAQs, read November 9, 2026.
- Beycome, Flat Fee MLS Georgia, read November 9, 2026.
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