The Atlanta home seller's guide. Well-made decisions, in the right order.
What to know before you list a home in metro Atlanta.
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Who this Atlanta home seller's guide is for
A good sale is a handful of well-made decisions, in the right order. Most of what decides it happens before the first showing: how the home is prepared, how it is priced and how it is introduced. The rest is reading offers clearly and keeping every date in the contract.
This Atlanta home seller's guide follows that order. Each part covers one stage, what you will be asked to decide and what our team handles for you. Read it once through, then return to the part you need.
What you decide. The price strategy, which offers to accept, which repair requests to agree to, and your closing and moving dates.
What we carry. The preparation plan, the marketing, the showings, the negotiation and every deadline from contract to closing.
It comes from NRG Nguyen Realty Group, Andrew and Jassey Nguyen's team with Keller Williams Realty Peachtree Road. It is general information for sellers in Georgia, not legal or tax advice. Your contract and your closing attorney have the final word on your sale.
Eight stages, in the order a sale moves in Georgia
- The listing agreement. We agree on the plan, the timing and the terms of our work together, in writing.
- Homework and disclosures. You complete a short homework page about the home and the seller's property disclosure statement. Together they shape everything we write about it.
- Preparation. The repairs worth making, the ones to skip, and what to tidy or store. A staging consultation is part of every listing.
- Strategic pricing. We study the recent sales and the current competition, then choose a pricing strategy together.
- Photos and video. Scheduled once the home is ready. This is where most buyers will meet it first.
- Launch and showings. The home goes live, showings begin and buyer feedback comes back to us.
- Offers. We review every offer with you, term by term. Once both sides sign, it becomes a binding agreement and the contract dates begin to run.
- Under contract to closing. Due diligence, the appraisal and the buyer's loan, then the closing attorney's table and the keys.
How we launch a home in stages, and what goes into each one, is in the NRG Listing Launch, step by step.
The price the market supports
Online estimates are a starting point. They cannot see inside the property: the updates, the condition, the details a buyer notices the moment they walk in.
We look at three things: the recent sales most like your home, the homes a buyer will compare it with today, and the home itself. From that comes a range, and a price we choose together, with the numbers in front of us.
Overpricing tends to cost time, and time on the market tends to cost money. If you want a first read before anything else, start with what your home is worth in metro Atlanta.
Offers and the Georgia contract
Look past the price to the terms. A slightly lower offer that is more likely to close can be the stronger one.
Every offer is saved as it arrives and set side by side with any others, so you can compare what each would leave you at closing. You can accept, counter or decline. Nothing is final until it is agreed in writing. In every offer, we read these with you:
- Price, read together with everything below it.
- Financing. Cash, or the loan type, with the buyer's pre-approval or proof of funds.
- Earnest money. The buyer's deposit, and when it is due.
- Due diligence. How many days the buyer has to inspect and decide.
- Seller contribution. Any money asked of you toward the buyer's closing costs.
- Closing date. When you sign, and when the buyer takes possession.
- Special stipulations. Anything added to the standard contract.
Once you are under contract, the buyer inspects within the days set in the contract, and the standard Georgia contract lets the buyer end the agreement by written notice during that window. A repair request is a negotiation: you can agree, counter or decline. If the buyer is financing, the lender orders an appraisal, and if it comes in below the price, we look at the options together. The closing attorney searches the title and requests your mortgage payoff, and shortly before closing the buyer walks through to confirm the home is as agreed.
Costs to plan for at closing in Georgia
Know what you will keep before the first offer arrives. These are lines to plan for, not the full list. The closing attorney's settlement statement gives the final figures.
- Mortgage payoff. The balance of any loan on the home, paid off at closing. The closing attorney requests the exact figure.
- Seller's attorney fees. For your side of the closing only, such as handling your payoff and your proceeds.
- Seller contribution. Only if you agree to one in the contract, toward the buyer's closing costs.
- Property taxes. Usually divided to the closing day, so each side pays its own share of the year.
- Georgia transfer tax. On the standard 2026 Georgia contract, the buyer pays it, along with the deed preparation.
Who pays what follows the 2026 Georgia REALTORS® Purchase and Sale Agreement, section 3. A special stipulation can change it, and your contract always governs.
Five mistakes worth avoiding
- Treating an online estimate as the price. It is a starting point. It cannot see inside the property: the updates, the condition, the details a buyer notices.
- Pricing above what the market supports. Overpricing tends to cost time, and time on the market tends to cost money.
- Starting a large repair on your own. Fix what an inspector is likely to flag, and ask us before you start anything large. Some repairs are worth making and some are worth skipping.
- Reading only the number at the top. Financing, earnest money, due diligence days and the closing date all decide whether an offer is likely to close.
- Sharing account details by email. Your proceeds are a target. Account details belong with the closing attorney alone, never in a reply to an email. An email asking you to change where your money goes is a warning sign, even when it looks familiar.
How our team helps, and your next step
Every listing we take launches in stages: a staging consultation, photos and video once the home is ready, then showings, with the feedback buyers and their agents give us shared in your weekly report. Andrew and Jassey Nguyen have collectively sold 300+ homes since 2010.
When you are ready, the next step is a listing strategy meeting. Talk with our team about your home, and we will set it up. What each listing includes is in what every listing gets.
Questions
Answers, simplified.
Who pays the transfer tax when selling a home in Georgia?
On the standard 2026 Georgia REALTORS® Purchase and Sale Agreement, the buyer pays it, along with the deed preparation. A special stipulation can change who pays what, and your contract always governs.
Can a buyer end the contract during due diligence in Georgia?
Yes. During the due diligence period written into the contract, the standard Georgia contract lets the buyer end the agreement by written notice. The contract's exact terms govern.
Is an online estimate enough to price my home?
It is a starting point. It cannot see inside the property: the updates, the condition, the details a buyer notices. We set a range from the recent sales most like your home and the homes a buyer will compare it with today.
Keep exploring
You don't have to decide before we talk.