Georgia Rental Property Calculator & Real Estate ROI

Investor guide

What rental investors should know about Georgia

Georgia — and Atlanta in particular — is one of the strongest investor metros in the country because entry prices haven't kept pace with the region's corporate job growth. Property taxes are moderate, landlord law is favorable, and insurance costs are reasonable compared to coastal Southeast states, which tends to leave more room for real cash flow.

Key Georgia costs for landlords

• Property tax: Effective property tax rates in Georgia are moderate at roughly 0.9–1.0% of value, well below Texas and most of the Northeast. That usually leaves more of your rent as NOI on comparable price points.
• Insurance: Landlord insurance in most of Georgia is moderate compared to Florida or coastal Louisiana. Coastal counties (Chatham, Glynn) do carry wind exposure, but inland metros like Atlanta and Augusta price closer to the national average.
• Landlord rules: Georgia is landlord-friendly with no statewide rent control and a relatively fast eviction process — dispossessory filings often resolve in a few weeks, which helps stabilize cash flow assumptions in your model.

Frequently asked questions (Georgia real estate)

What is the Georgia real estate transfer tax and who pays it?

Georgia charges a real estate transfer tax of $1.00 per $1,000 of sale price — a flat 0.10% — collected when the deed is recorded. By long-standing custom the seller pays this tax at closing, so on a $400,000 home the transfer tax is about $400.

What is Georgia's intangibles tax on a new mortgage?

Georgia levies an intangible recording tax of $1.50 per $500 of the loan amount (0.30%) whenever a new mortgage or deed to secure debt is recorded. This tax is paid by the borrower, not the seller, so on a $320,000 loan the buyer would owe roughly $960 at closing.

Does Georgia use escrow companies or attorneys to close a home sale?

Georgia is an attorney-closing state — a licensed Georgia attorney must conduct the real estate closing, not an escrow or settlement company as in many western states. The closing attorney handles the deed, disbursement of funds, and title work, and typically charges a few hundred to around a thousand dollars.