# Step 8: Close and move in. Closing on a house in Georgia: what to expect, and your first year

> Closing is the meeting where you sign the loan and the deed, pay the rest of your money, and get the keys. In Georgia, a closing attorney runs it. At least three business days before, your lender must send you a Closing Disclosure: compare it with your Loan Estimate. Then do a final walkthrough to check the home is in the condition you agreed.

By David Knorr, founder of BuyWise Home. Last reviewed October 28, 2026. Web page: https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/close-and-move-in

## The weeks before closing

- **The [appraisal](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/appraisal).** Your lender orders it to check the home is worth what you're borrowing.
- **Underwriting.** The lender checks your documents again. Keep your finances quiet: no new credit, no job changes.
- **[Homeowners insurance](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/homeowners-insurance).** Your lender needs proof of a policy before closing. Get quotes early, and check whether you need flood insurance.
- **Title.** The closing attorney checks that the seller can sell the home and that no one else has a claim to it. [Title insurance](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/title-insurance) protects you against claims that turn up later.

## Check your Closing Disclosure

Your [Closing Disclosure](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/closing-disclosure) arrives at least three business days before closing. Put it next to your [Loan Estimate](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/loan-estimate). Some fees can't go up at all and others only by a little, so ask about anything that changed. The cash to close on page 3 is what you'll bring.

## Never wire money on an email alone

Criminals send fake wire instructions that look like they came from your attorney or agent. Before you send money, call your closing attorney at a phone number you already know, not one in the email, and confirm the details. [Wire fraud](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/wire-fraud) money is rarely recovered.

## The final walkthrough

Usually a day or two before closing. Check that agreed repairs were done (ask for the receipts), the appliances that stay are there and working, nothing was damaged in the move-out, and the heating, cooling and water work. See [final walkthrough](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/final-walkthrough).

## Your first year

- **Apply for the [homestead exemption](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/homestead-exemption).** If you own and live in the home on January 1, apply to your county by April 1. It lowers your property tax bill.
- **Change the locks** and find the water shut-off and the breaker panel.
- **Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms**, and change the heating and cooling filter.
- **Keep every receipt** for repairs and improvements.
- **Watch for [PMI](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/pmi) removal.** On a conventional loan you can ask to drop it once you owe 80% of the original value, and it ends on its own at 78%.

## Dos and don'ts

**Do**

- Compare the Closing Disclosure with your Loan Estimate, line by line.
- Confirm wire instructions by phone, at a number you already know.
- Do the final walkthrough, even if you're tired of the house.
- Apply for the homestead exemption by April 1.

**Don't**

- Open new credit or change jobs before closing.
- Wire money because an email told you to.
- Skip checking the agreed repairs.
- Throw away your closing documents.

## Questions to ask

**Your closing attorney**

1. What is my exact cash to close, and how should I pay it?
2. Which documents can I read before the day?
3. How do I confirm your wire instructions safely?

## See it on a real home

The sample report is the founder's own home, 775 Hampton Pl SW, Marietta, Georgia.

- [The title and ownership records](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#property-records): What the closing attorney checks before you buy
- [What was asked for at closing](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#strategy): The credit request, item by item

## Terms on this page

- [Appraisal](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/appraisal): The lender's independent estimate of what the home is worth.
- [Homeowners insurance](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/homeowners-insurance): Pays to repair your home after damage like fire or storms. Your lender requires it.
- [Title insurance](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/title-insurance): Protects you against old claims on the ownership of the home.
- [Closing Disclosure](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/closing-disclosure): The final terms and costs of your loan, sent three business days before closing.
- [Loan Estimate](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/loan-estimate): A standard form every lender gives you, so you can compare loans side by side.
- [Wire fraud](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/wire-fraud): Fake wire instructions that send your closing money to criminals.
- [Final walkthrough](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/final-walkthrough): Your last look at the home before closing, to check it's as agreed.
- [Homestead exemption](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/homestead-exemption): A property tax cut on the home you live in. In Georgia, apply by April 1.
- [PMI](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/pmi): Insurance you pay when you put down less than 20%. It protects the lender.

## Sources

- [CFPB: Closing Disclosure explainer](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/closing-disclosure/)
- [CFPB: Mortgage closing scams](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/mortgage-closing-scams-how-protect-yourself-and-your-closing-funds/)
- [Georgia Department of Revenue: Property tax homestead exemptions](https://dor.georgia.gov/property-tax-homestead-exemptions)

_General information based on the standard Georgia REALTORS® purchase contract and public guidance. Your own contract decides: read it, and ask your agent or closing attorney about anything that matters. Not legal or financial advice._