# Step 6: Due diligence. Due diligence in Georgia: what happens and what to do

> In Georgia, due diligence is a set number of days after your contract becomes final when you can inspect the home and walk away for any reason, with your earnest money back. It ends at 11:59 p.m. on the last day, and it doesn't move for weekends or holidays. Everything you want to learn about the home, and everything you want to ask the seller for, has to happen inside it.

By David Knorr, founder of BuyWise Home. Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Web page: https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/due-diligence

## How the days are counted

Day 1 is the day *after* your [Binding Agreement Date](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/binding-agreement-date), the day the contract became final. Every calendar day counts, weekends and holidays included. The period ends at 11:59 p.m. Georgia time on the last day, unless your contract sets an earlier time.

A deadline that lands on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday **does not move**. Only the closing date does: a closing that falls on a weekend or federal holiday moves to the next business day.

To walk away, your notice has to reach the seller the way your contract's notice section says, before the period ends. Sent at the last minute, or in a way the contract doesn't allow, it may not count. Special stipulations in your contract can change any of these rules, so read yours.

Signed Wednesday, October 28, with 10 days: the window closes at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. Plan to have your decision in by Friday, when everyone is still at work.

## What to do, day by day

- **Day 1: Book the inspector the day you sign.** Good inspectors fill up. Add a [radon](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/radon) test and a [sewer scope](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/sewer-scope) if the home is older or has a basement: a standard inspection doesn't include them.
- **Days 2–4: Go to the inspection.** Walk the house with the inspector and ask what they'd fix first. Get the [seller's disclosure](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/sellers-disclosure) now if you don't have it.
- **Days 4–6: Read the report and the disclosure side by side.** Where they disagree, that's a question for the seller. Get quotes for anything big: roof, foundation, heating and cooling, water.
- **Days 6–7: Send your request.** Ask for a [credit at closing](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/seller-concession) for specific items, backed by the quotes. Leave the seller time to answer. See [Step 7](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/negotiate-repairs).
- **Last two days: Agree in writing, or walk away in writing.** If you need more time, both sides must sign an [amendment](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/amendment) extending the period before it ends. Talking about it doesn't stop the clock.

## Dos and don'ts

**Do**

- Put the exact deadline in your calendar the day you sign.
- Be at the inspection, start to finish.
- Get written quotes for anything major.
- Ask for a credit at closing, not repairs.
- Send every notice in writing, early, the way your contract says.

**Don't**

- Assume a weekend deadline moves to Monday.
- Start negotiating on the last day.
- Read a blank disclosure answer as "no".
- Rely on the general inspection alone for an older home.
- Stop at the summary page of the report.

## Questions to ask

**Your inspector**

1. If this were your house, what would you fix first?
2. Which items need a specialist to look at?
3. What is close to the end of its life?

**The seller, through your agent**

1. Can you answer the questions left blank on the disclosure?
2. Have you made insurance claims on the home?
3. What was repaired recently, and do you have the receipts?

## What it costs

You pay for the inspection and any tests up front, even if you walk away. A general home inspection often runs about $300 to $600 depending on the home's size and age. A radon test and a sewer scope are separate, each usually a few hundred dollars or less. It is the cheapest insurance in the whole purchase: one missed problem with the roof or the sewer line costs far more.

## See it on a real home

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

- [The inspection, grouped by what it costs you](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#inspection): In the inspector's own words, with the page for each finding
- [Where the disclosure and the inspection disagree](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#disclosures): Turned into questions for the seller
- [What to ask the seller for](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#strategy): The credit request, ready to send

## Terms on this page

- [Binding Agreement Date](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/binding-agreement-date): The day the contract becomes final. Most Georgia deadlines count from it.
- [Radon](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/radon): An invisible gas from the soil. A separate test, not part of a standard inspection.
- [Sewer scope](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/sewer-scope): A camera run through the sewer line, from the house to the street.
- [Seller's disclosure](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/sellers-disclosure): The seller's written answers about what they know of the home's condition.
- [Seller concession](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/seller-concession): Money the seller puts toward your closing costs. Also called a seller credit.
- [Amendment](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/amendment): A signed change to your contract, like a repair credit or more time.

## Sources

- [Georgia REALTORS®: how to count days from the Binding Agreement Date](https://www.qgdigitalpublishing.com/article/Legal+Ease+TWO+FOR+THE+PRICE+OF+ONE/4012873/705331/article.html)
- [U.S. EPA: Radon](https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon)

_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._